[IC] Epic City: Starburst

[Bluetommy]

After a long day of fighting crime and dealing with people, Comet decided that the best course of action for now was to stop being Comet and go back to being Edward. He arrived at home still in uniform, stripped down and climbed into bed, lounging for what felt like hours before finally falling asleep.

Edward!

Edward shot awake, the room was dark and suddenly smelled of burning plastic. He frowned in confusion, sitting on the side of his bed and yawning. He furrowed his brow and scanned. It wasn't the same room he had fallen asleep in, it was near-black, but a light orange light creeped in from under the door. He looked down at his hands, still covered in burn scars, so that hadn't changed. He stood up and immediately collapsed on the ground, his legs in incredible burning pain. It was like every wound he had ever taken had opened at once.

He growled and pulled at the ground, his entire body in searing pain. He kept going, pulling at the ground, but he never got any closer to the door, the light only getting stronger and blasting at his eyes. He wasn't moving, he was stuck, and he had never felt this feeling before, all throughout his life he had never felt stuck, he could always move fast enough to escape before, but not now, now he felt like he had been crippled.

Like he was broken.

His ears began to ring in his ears, louder and louder until it hurt, he could always run faster than sound before, was this some sort of ironic hell?

The room was fully lit up now, a diploma on the wall, flowery wallpaper, a perfectly made bed and a pair of bunny slippers on the ground.

He knew this room, this room meant something to him, back in Wales, he had been in this room more times than he could remember, this was James' room.

Edward!

He recognized James' voice now, he was terrified, his voice breaking in terror. From the other side of the door he heard thumping feet and screaming from the other room. The door crashed open, and the light blinded Edward as two figures burst in, one holding a knife. They fought, poorly, like they had both already been hurt. The man with a knife finally stabbed the other man, who fell to his knees. The man with a knife slit the kneeling man's throat in an instant. The man's blood splattered on the walls, on the floor, everywhere, and in a way oh so familiar to Edward.

The man fell, and Edward saw his face. James spoke despite his ravaged throat.

I'm sorry, Eddie.

---

Edward shot out of bed, holding his head in his hands and sweating. He took a few deep breaths and stared at the floor, he'd had this dream before, the dream that was more than a dream, it was truth. He hadn't seen it, but this was how James died, murdered in his room by that same bastard who Edward once thought was his friend.

But that was over now, he had to get over it, there wasn't anything he could have done. His first love was gone, but he still had a life of his own to live.

"Edward?" A female voice from the living room yelled out for him, obviously he had made a little bit of noise. He threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top in around two seconds and then appeared in the middle of the apartment.

"God, wait a few seconds before you yell at me," he responded to the red-haired woman. She chuckled and gestured to a seat opposite her, a meal already prepared. Maria was still in her pajamas, a long t-shirt over her underwear. He didn't mind, hell, she could walk around naked for all he cared, he paid the rent, she provided him with company, something that was hard to get when you were a giant asshole who got off on other people's suffering.

"Good morning, how was your day yesterday?" She asked, ignoring his snarky comment.

"Fantastic, I punched a giant rat in the face," he responded before beginning to eat at least fifteen spoonfuls a second.

"I saw, I thought you missed and the other guy did it." He snorted in response.

"Your brother got anything going on?" he asked hopefully, her brother was really cute.

"He's not gay, Edward, even if he was he wouldn't go for you," she said, insulting him playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you have a whole football team to be having sex with?" he said as he stood up and tossed the bowl in the sink.

"Ha ha..." she laughed sarcastically. Suddenly she stopped talking and gave a sad, contemplative look. Edward tilted his head and gave her a confused glare.

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she lied, poorly. Edward sat back down and looked at her.

"No it's not, tell me," he almost begged. "I am your only friend, right?"

She laughed again, but it felt fake this time.

"No... I know you had that dream again, I heard you talking in your sleep."

Embarrassing, but whatever, at least it wasn't last night's dream, now that would have been mortifying.

Edward frowned and looked closer. Maria attempted to evade his eyes and look out the window.

"I heard rumors... about your friend from Wales,"

Edward immediately knew what she was talking about.

"The one from my dream?" he attempted to clarify, and she gave him a nod in confirmation. His stomach dropped and he felt angrier than he had felt in the last few years. "What about him?" His voice dropped an octave and he almost growled. Maria dropped her head in response.

"I heard he's in Epic City."

Emotions welled up through Edward's entire body, his hands shook on the table. He sniffed and stood slowly. His mind was filled with rage-fueled thoughts of revenge.

"I'm leaving."

"Wait, Edward wai-" Edward threw on a jacket and left the room.

He ended up on top of the building, sitting and staring out over the city. He was calming slowly, though his hands still shook with both shock and anger.

I'll find him, I have to find him.

[Flamelord]

Normally, this was the point in time where Finch would relax a bit, pat himself on the back, and plan out what he wanted to do next. Once they had merged into traffic there was no way that the police were going to catch up with them, especially not with the Swarm attack currently ongoing elsewhere. Understandable that would probably draw away a lot of their attention, and they didn't have the forces needed to set up a couple roadblocks to stop him. So what was there to worry about?

The loud 'thud' on the roof gave him an answer, one that was unexpected and more than a bit annoying. While it might have just been a bird or something, in this city he doubted that very much. He was the bird here, and the other 'birds' that might show up tended to be able to flip cars like the one he was in. So this was probably a bad thing.

"Relax, I've got this," he told the men as he got out of his seat and moved towards the center of the car. The last thing he needed was a million bullet holes in the roof that wouldn't actually do anything. This thing wasn't cheap to repair after all, so if he could spare unnecessary damage then he didn't mind doing work himself.

Instead he went to a bag, opening it up to reveal some more glass items, such as old souvenir shop gifts, broken snowglobes, that sort of thing. Taking what he had on him, he touched the glass and let his powers get to work. It all shifted and molded together, leaving him with a very fine and very sharp rapier, one that could even pierce metal if he didn't stress it too much. "Alright, let's see how well this other bird dances," he muttered as he shoved the blade upwards and through the roof, roughly at the area where their interloper had landed. He'd come this far, and he was certainly not going to get caught now.

@Sedjwick

[Polaris North]

Fixer watched as the Rat King was decimated, a smile playing on his lips as he drank his water and ate the food he was so graciously given. He sat up from his lying position on the vehicle and took a deep breath. He then heard the broadcast from ENTV news. Okay, so no one saw what he did. That was good. Though it looks like the others would be swarmed with reporters soon. He rolled off of the vehicle and landed perfectly on the ground. He yawned. Ah he was pretty tired.

"Yo Fixer, headin' back home?" He turned to the owner of the voice to see one of his teammates, Jonathan, there.

"Well yeah, they've already got it covered. There ain't much to do." Fixer replied with a small shrug. He then took a bite of his last energy bar. He then looked back at the carnage happening further in front and then shook his head. "Doubt anything else would happen after this."

Jonathan chuckled. "Alright, alright. Go get your rest, Fixer. We'll call you when something comes up."

Fixer nodded and then waved his hand. As he was walking away from everything, fully intending on finding where he parked his motorcycle to head back home, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I get a ride back with you?"

He turned to see the extremely familiar blonde woman that was also one of his teammates. "Sure Em." He replied with a shrug.

"You're not going to remove your mask yet?" She questioned, tapping the black mask that he was using to hide his identity. He flinched backwards before gesturing for her to look around. "No one's here to see you. Besides, no one even knows you!"

Fixer removed his mask and then hooked it to the side of his pants. "There, happy?" He asked and Emily grinned at him.

"Yup!" As they walked down the street, she began to hum. "That was pretty intense wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was good thing Stark Crusader, Vice, Comet, Spectrum and Traveler were there. Oh, Phantom too." He said with a nod. He then looked at her as if examining her. "You okay?"

Emily grinned at him once more. "I'm fine! Yuan backed me up. You're worried~"

"Considering the fact that you're the only person I completely trust, and my friend since we were kids, yes. I am worried." Robert replied before finally spotting his motorcycle. He placed a helmet over his head and gave the spare one to Emily.

"Aw~ I'm so honored." She sweetly said before putting her helmet on. Emily then hopped on the motorcycle and then they drove off. "You know..." She started, feeling lucky that Robert had a communicator built in on both helmets. "I've been thinking of quitting and continuing my course on Biology."

Robert blinked, his grip on the handles tightening. "Damn it, why did you bring that up now while I'm driving?" He growled under his breath. He couldn't multitask driving a motorcycle while giving advice for the future betterment of a close friend.

"It's exactly why I chose this time. So you would shut up and not disturb me while I'm talking." Emily replied.

"Fair enough."

The blonde took a deep breath and then continued, "I've earned enough money for my first year and I'm aiming for a scholarship. Mom and Dad have been pestering me about it since last year. They don't like me risking my life almost daily. I'm no Epic, not like you. They keep telling me that I won't be able to help as much as you guys so I shouldn't try anymore. Even among other normals, I feel weak. Yuan got injured earlier because of me..." Her grip on him tightened and he could feel it. "I'm beginning to think they're right."

"Okay, I rambled on. I should stop. Can you put me down here?"

Robert shook his head. "If you think I'm letting you down here after that kind of story, then it doesn't seem like you know me very much." He pointed out. He then sped up, dangerously nearing the speed limit but it didn't seem like he cared. He then skidded to a stop at her apartment building and then took off his helmet and turned to her. "I'm gonna tell Chief we're going on a day off tomorrow. You. Me. Ten o'clock. Here."

"For what?"

"You'll see."

---

He hated being swept away by emotions. It only ever happened around her and now he subjected himself to a day with her and her hobbies. Robert wasn't sure if this was the best idea but he needed to get her to ease up so he can tackle the subject again. Hopefully, nothing bad happens today. Robert knocked on her door. She soon answered but quickly spoke before he could say anything, "What exactly are we doing today?"

"Whatever you want. You're stressed and a lot of things are going on in your mind. If you're going to be distracted on the field, then you'll only put yourself and others in danger." Robert replied before grabbing her hand and forcefully dragging her downstairs. "I assume we're headed for the mall first?"

[RoflsMazoy]

There was the sound of a sizzling pan ringing out throughout the empty house. The sound however wasn't coming from the kitchen, but just a little bit further in the dining room. Alto was holding a pan while sitting down at the table. As one would possibly guess, he was making breakfast. Why was he using his power for it, do you ask? Well, it saved a lot on his gas bill if he never cooked using gas. He also had finer control on how hot the pan was. This was sort of necessary since Alto wasn't earning a salary. He used the Vice Claw instead of the heater if he was too cold, and one person didn't really use much electricity or water.

"Just about done..." He said, flipping the pancakes onto his plate.

Jerry had asked once whether he felt alone in his house like this. He said he didn't, but he couldn't pin down why he didn't. Maybe it was because he'd resolved himself to be alone. The nature of his power meant having someone next to him was a hazard, and the ones most likely to stand next to him regardless of that were his parents who were already gone. But thanks to all of that, he knew what it felt like to feel isolated which helped him get a sense of what people felt when they lost loved ones.

If by being alone he gained the ability to reach out to others then that was potentially a greater gift than the Vice Claw could ever be. The Vice Claw could only be a tool of destruction, but thanks to what it had done, Alto knew how to heal. There was only one thing he would say though, the quietness never really went away.

He stood up from his seat and put his dishes into the sink. He'd wash them later, it was time to head out.

[Old Amsterdam]

Alex walked forward as the coordinator signaled one. Entering the cozy looking room from the side, she had a full view of everything.

To her left was a giant fake window, showcasing an impressively done backdrop of the City. To her right were cameras and crew, one camera tracking her fluid movements towards the center of the room.

Her destination was simple in design. A comfy looking sofa, angled slightly, with a small table next to it with various drinks on it. Beyond that were two chairs occupied by the hosts, the interviewers, Annabelle and Jason.

Alex studied the two as she approached, a wry smile on her face. Annabelle had hit the genetic jackpot, conventionally beautiful without needing makeup. Though, of course, she used it to highlight her green eyes. Flowing brown hair tied back away from her face and an easy smile on her face considering the girl was only nineteen.

Alex had heard rumors about Annabelle, however. Supposedly the woman held Epic abilities that made her quite the interviewers, allowing her to weasel out information from her guests that they wouldn't normal talk about. Though Alex suspected this was from her voice and was fairly certain it couldn't affect her given her lack of hearing.

Jason, on the other hand, was a consummate professional. He was the eldest of the group on ENTV at 28, and had made himself known in the reporting scene for years as a news anchor before helping Idonia form ENTV from a small steaming show to a full blown network for Epic News. He was handsome, though no where near the level of Dragon Heart or many other Epics. He could, however, hold his own against many celebrities. He kept his blond hair short, yet somehow still messy. Combine that with his bright blue eyes and Jason was a Nazi's wet dream.

All of that Alex took in before she sat down, crossed her ankles, and winked at the camera before turning her attention to the hosts.

"Well, Traveler, this is a pleasure. We're glad you could join us," Jason began smoothly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Jason," Alex replied.

"Now, am I correct in saying that this will be a special interview with the fact that, and this was news to be, but you are deaf?"

"That's right, Jason. But I'm an expert at reading lips," Alex said with another smile.

"Incredible. And you're still about to be a force on the battlefield," he said simply.

"You'd be surprised at how little it matters when you simply pay attention," Alex said with a raised eyebrow.

"So, tell us Traveler... How do you feel about the Swarm attack last night?" Annabelle cut in. "Were you worries any? How did it feel to be causing so much chaos on the field with your powers?"

Alex shrugged. "It is what it is. When you have such a large Hero turn out, there's really nothing to worry over. We watch each other's backs and do everything we can up keep the City safe. Add in the PART team and the police under the lead of our Chief... Well, I hardly see a cause to worry."

"How about the sheer size of the Swarm attack last night? It was far larger than any other reported so far," Jason asked, leaning forward slightly.

"The Swarm, by itself, is of no concern. Two or three Heroes could have handled it easily," Alex said with a vague wave of her hand. "Hell, Comet, Vice, or Dragon Heart could have handled it solo."

"Such confidence. I notice you didn't include yourself in that list?"

"Correct. I'm really more of a support type, in all honesty. Those were merely the first three to come to mind," Alex said in an offhand voice.

"So you feel that the cause for the High Clairvoyant's warning, and the large turnout, was because of the Rat King?" Annabelle asked before taking a sip of water.

"I can't say with certainty, but that seems like the most logical reason. That beast was unlike anything I've seen so far. But it's dead as a rock now."

"Thanks to your help," Annabelle pushed. "You figured out it's weak point. You were why Stark Crusader could hit it from the only blind spot."

"Like I said, I'm a support type. The real praise should go to Vice, Comet, and Stark Crusader for finishing the beast off," Alex shrugged.

"Speaking of help, perhaps you could answer a few questions the audience is dying to know," Annabelle said with a sly smile. "We must know, what is the relationship between you and Spectrum? Would you settle the debate about Spectrum's gender? Is there a love triangle between you two and Dragon Heart?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at the bombardment of questions. "Spectrum and I have known each other for years. We're comfortable enough with each other that we work together well on the field, and we can discuss things outside of the battlefield," was all she replied with.

"If that's not a Trickster answer, then I don't know what is!" Jason laughed. "No other details? That hardly solves anything."

"There's nothing to solve,". Alex laughed. "The answers are right there, if only you choose to look in the right places."

"It appears we're almost out of time. Any parting words for the audience?"

"Can't say anything comes to mind, Jason," Alex said with a shake of her head.

"Well, it was a pleasure having you, Traveler. Until next time, this is ENTV's Annabelle and Jason saying to watch the air for more on our Heroes!"

[Lord Orgasmo]

Monica inhaled sharply as she sat up in her bed. Last night felt like a blur, and it was all catching up to her. Why did she feel all crusty? Looking down, her clothes and arms were coated in dried blood. Ew. She needed a shower, ASAP.

Once the shower was all said and done, what would she wear? Hmm... How about... some silver shorts, and... a gray t-shirt labeled "Hard Rock Café" in a circle with a green shamrock in the center. This'd do. She had the day off, as well as the next. A bit of time to cool off after the party. Although this time it was for a different reason. Monstrous Rats were a better excuse than drinking.

Breakfast time! Er, wait, was it. She looked at the clock. 9:47. Yeah, it was breakfast time. How about waffles? She loved waffles. And eggs! Eggs were pretty good, too. Scrambled eggs and waffles. Perfect.

First the eggs. To the fridge! And... she was out of eggs. Damn. She'd have to get some more sometime. Well, how about bacon? Pulling out a drawer in the fridge, there was still some left. Noice. Throwing a couple pieces on a frying pan, she started the flying process. Prodding and Flipping until they were fried to perfection.

Waffle time. Pouring the batter into the mold, she closed the top and waited. And... flip! And... done! She opened the top. Perfect. Peeling it off, she set it on a plate next to the bacon. All that was left was the syrup.

Chow time!

[Sedjwick]

Magus yelped as he was suddenly stabbed in the foot from below. He jumped, landing towards the back of the car and saw a glass blade poking up through the roof of the car right were his right foot had been. He had heard reports about an Epic thief who could manipulate glass. That must be who he was chasing now. He lunged forward, reaching for the blade, hoping to break it or something just to make this thief's job all the more difficult. Then he'd see about getting into the vehicle or somehow attacking the robbers in the vehicle.@Flamelord

[Athoriel]

The morning sun shone lazily through the window blinds, splitting into dozens of rays that illuminated the room in a soft yellow light, washing away the stillness of the previous grey hue. Somewhere in the streets far below, a car alarm was going off, the shrill beeping echoing off the buildings, adding to the rich symphony of sound that always went on below. It was something James could never get used to, he still missed the stillness of the outback, the city always kept him up and had him rising hours earlier then intended.

With a massive grunt of a sigh, James woke up to the brand new day, groaning with pleasure at the brief moment of ecstasy that flooded his body as he stretched for the first time after sleep, his eyes peered out gently through tired looking eyelids to take in his bedroom like he did most every morning. Shuffling his body into a new comfy position so he could just sit there for a few moments more and enjoy the simple pleasure of it.

James rose at his leisure, leaving behind the naked bed he slept on, his air condition system being the only insulator he needed during sleeping hours; and sauntered toward his en suite, immediately hopping into the shower, having slept in the nude. The hot water was a great boon, immediately leeching away the aches and pains that had just begun to catch up with him from his fight with the Rat king, he hung his head beneath the flow and watched the water swirl down the drain, taking a few moments to reflect on the night.

He couldn't recall much after he had begun pulling on the beasts tails, as he had passed out shortly after from the pain of the nightmarish screaming, all he knew for certain was that he had succeeded moments later. Upon regaining his senses he found himself staring up at the lady from before, her hand held to the sky like she was seeking help from a higher power, moments later he felt that same heat open up like a flower in his chest, enveloping his body in its warmth. He tried to voice his thanks, but found it impossible to speak, instead he tried to show his gratitude through his eyes. God, I must of looked like an idiot staring up at her like that, not saying a damn thing. Thankfully he relapsed into unconsciousness as the healing did its work. The next thing he recalled he was being wheeled toward an ambulance by a pair of EMTs, the flashing cameras of the media forcing him to squint with pain as he passed by, his whole body feeling like lead as he did his best to give a thumbs up from the stretcher, even managing a weak smile for the faceless crowd behind the lights. y Someone had clothed him somewhere along the line, doing little to help him physically, but giving him a huge peace of mind as he was loaded into the back. James allowed them to take him to the hospital and run their diagnostics, although he was sore and worn out, he knew that the blonde lady had fixed him already She's like a guardian angel that one. Within a couple of hours he was given the all clear, and the doctors and nurses could move on to more important patients. A quick taxi home and an aggravatingly long elevator trip up was all that followed, with James swiftly shedding off his borrowed clothes to collapse in his bed, sleeping the remainder of the night away.

Wisps of steam hung heavy in the air as James stepped free from the shower, grabbing a towel off the rack to wipe clean the fogged up mirror, before drying himself off. The man that looked back at him looked worn and battle weary. "You need a coffee and a well deserved day off my friend." He said, leaning onto the mirror with his arm, before resting his head atop it, pointing at his reflection with a free hand. He sat there for a moment more, sternly gazing into his own eyes. Like two cool pools of water reflecting the color of the sky above. James chuckled and shook his head at his moment of Narcissism. There'll be plenty of time to gaze at your self in the silverware when you grab something to eat ya knob.

Throwing on some shorts and a shirt, James wandered on out of his bedroom, the sound of something sizzling in the pan carried from the kitchen to meet him. "Mum? Wh-what the hell are you doing here?" James inquired with a look of surprise.

His mother fixed him with a stare that had him feeling like a small child again, one hand held a pair of tongs whilst the other sat firmly on her hip, James knew he had messed up. "Not one phone call." She stated as matter of fact, her voice holding that slight tone of disappointment that could make a son well up with guilt. "So here I come over to make sure you're alright. I cook up your favorite meal and the first thing you say is 'What the heck are you doing here?'."

"Ma, I... uh..." He started, trying his best to explain himself, he struggled internally for a few moments before shambling toward her in a defeated manner, reaching down to embrace her in a hug, resting his head atop hers. "Thanks mum." He sighed, shaking slightly with relief from the hug. He hadn't realized how much he had needed one.

"Your welcome my boy." She replied as they pulled apart, raising a hand to hold his cheek, James stared down at the short thing that was his mother. She was a slender, attractive woman, for her age, with wavy, light brown hair that she wore loosely down to her shoulders, James had inherited the dark blue eyes that shone up at him brightly like sapphires in the light, full of love and care. As his mother, she was someone he owed a lot to, and although he languished at the thought of her company at times, he was always grateful for it in the end.

"Now come on freckle, come have something to eat." She beckoned, serving up a plate of her renowned carbonara, before stacking the dishes up at the sink. James gave a small chuckle that was more of a huff at the mention of his mothers pet name for him, something he had earned for the various freckles and spots he would get on his arms, neck and back as a kid. He smiled briefly with the reminiscence before sitting wordlessly at the table, carbonara was an odd breakfast choice by most standards, but James wasn't complaining. Looking up however, James gave a frown. "You not having some?" He asked as he watched his mother head toward the door.

"'Fraid not dear, I've got to go shopping for tonight." His mother replied apologetically, giving a quick look through her handbag before she made for the door. "Oh, you will be joining us yes?" She asked over her shoulder as an afterthought.

"By us, you mean you and Jonathon yeah?" James replied, squinting his eyes together to showcase his unease at the thought of the scenario.
His mother tilted her head to the side and gave him a teasing look. "You could just call him dad." She suggested with wry grin before heading through the door.

"Not fucking likely." James muttered to himself, winding some of the carbonara quickly around the fork to grab a mouthful. "What?" Was the muffled challenge from behind the door, James hastily swallowed his first bite. "Nothing mum! Love yaaa!" He shouted in reply. His mother rolled her eyes and gave a chuckle as she walked away from the apartment to do her business, leaving her baby boy to enjoy his meal.

[ihinka]

Teagan was sitting on the sofa in her parents' living room, the TV on, the news report just finishing. She wasn't paying it any attention though. Her mind was blank, and so was her gaze. A familiar voice drew her eyes back to the TV. It was an interview with Traveler. A small smile drew on Teagan's lips. At least you got out okay, you cheeky devil! The firefighter thought remembering the young woman she'd met at the party. She liked Alex and was glad she got out of the fight apparently not worse for wear.

She watched for a while than got up and padded softly to the guest room. Megan's room. She gently cracked the door open, out of habit, Megan couldn't really hear her, and waited for her eyes to get used to the darkness in the room. Megan was sleeping peacefully at the moment. Thank goodness. She'd cried herself to sleep in Teagan's arms when she'd arrived after her mother's phone call. She'd learned what had happened from her parents, who had found out from the police officers who'd contacted them about Megan.

Sara and Jorge had apparently finally decided to relocate to Epic City to benefit from the relative safety within its borders. On the way to the city they'd stop at a roadside restaurant to rest and use the utilities and were caught in the crossfire between minor epics being chased by Khan's Kryptonites. While most of the patrons had managed to escape before the shooting had started, Megan and her parent's weren't as fortunate. The girl had been in the restroom when the commotion first started, accompanied by her mother, while Jorge had stayed to order lunch.

Apparently the epics had decided to use the restaurant as a means to hide among its patrons. But they hadn't managed to fool the Kryptonites, who upon recognizing them had shouted to all the normals to run, before opening fire on the epics. Jorge, not willing to abandon his wife and daughter, had hid with the hope to wait it out.

The police had found Megan in the restroom, covered by her mother, killed by an errant bullet. Jorge was also killed, by an unidentified epic power. Megan was apparently in shock and unresponsive. The poor girl had lived the horror of the ordeal entirely through her mother's reactions and frantic efforts to keep her daughter safe from an unheard threat. The police had found Jorge sprawled on the floor, apparently in an attempt to crawl to his girls. He had died before managing it.

Teagan closed her eyes for a second, trying to stave off the tears that sprang uncalled. She opened them and observed the young woman for another minute or two. Mute as she was Megan couldn't scream her horror if she were to have a nightmare and Teagan couldn't stand not being by her side in a second when something like that happened.

Anytime! The face of Regan swam in Teagan's mind. She looked at her watch. You can't call her now, she's probably at work already! The firefighter chastised herself. And besides, what was she gonna tell her. She wasn't ready to talk. Not by far. Admit it! You just want to hear her voice. She taught. Teagan sighed and dropped on the sofa again. Traveler's interview had finished. Teagan reached for her cell. She wasn't gonna call. Still she flipped through her contacts stopping on Regan's name. She toggled the message icon.

'I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk yet...' She started typing. 'Megan is so very hurt and I feel so inadequate in consoling her...' She stopped. She couldn't continue. She really wasn't ready. Her eyes misted over. "Shaite!" Teagan cursed under her breath. She stared at the written words. 'I don't even know why I'm writing this to you... Sorry!' She smashed the 'send' button before she lost her nerve. She replaced her cell on the end table and closing her eyes let her head fall back.

She had drifted off, when her cell phone vibrated on the end table, waking her up. She picked it up and stared at it.

'I will be here when you're ready. Even if it's just to be by your side.'

"Oh, man!" Teagan drew a shaky breath, her heart skipping a beat. She punched 'reply' and typed: 'I would like that. Later, Murphy.'

'Later, Hayes.' Came the reply.

Teagan awoke midday with a tingling sensation in her thigh. When she opened her eyes she saw Megan curled up next to her on the sofa, her head in Teagan's lap. Oh, sweet baby girl. Teagan gently caressed the young woman's hair. "We'll make it through!" She vowed in a whisper.

[Regitnui]

This part of town was neither upmarket nor a slum. The people here were nether rich or poor. The buildings here were almost all residential tenements under ten stories tall. Restaurants and stores dominated the street level, but this building had a basement level converted to an apartment. This nondescript building was where the armoured hero Spectrum landed.

Unsure if anyone there cared for having an Epic living in their building, the usual landing spot was in an alleyway, small stairs leading down to the hideout. Or at least, that's what Spectrum pretended it was. In reality, it was three rooms; one large open kitchen/lounge/dining room combination, a bedroom and a bathroom. Most people would prefer to live upstairs, where the building caught a fraction of the day's sunlight. Spectrum liked the small windows, and the sensation of being surrounded by dirt and earth gave a sense of security.

Enough so that, as the door was unlocked and relocked just long enough to let one person through, Spectrum could shed the armour and walk around without it. She felt the breeze blow across her body, raising goosebumps over her naked body. Well, mostly naked. The armour had an adversarial relationship with any clothes she wore, stripping her down to panties whenever she called it. To compensate, she'd taken to wearing the sorts of underwear her mother would have kept hidden in a locked box. What nobody could see wouldn't hurt them.

Although, Roxana reflected as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she could pull them off. Her legs were long and slender and she shaved them regularly just so she could enjoy them more. They were her favourite part of her body. Everything up from there was a disappointment. Her hips and butt were too wide, making curves with her waist, and her boobs were too big. She'd much rather have been a slender girl. Hopefully Dragon wouldn't be too disappointed.

Her skin went blue again, and she skipped to the bedroom, where she had her posters. She'd collected Epic posters for most of her life, finding them in magazines or getting professional ones from her family as gifts. For the longest time, Lady Lift had been her idol, occupying pride of place on her wall. The first female Epic hero still had her place, but she'd been moved aside for a big promotional photo of Dragon Heart, a jacket casually slung over his shoulders and leaving his front bare almost down past his hips. Roxana bit her lip to stifle the smile spreading across her face. He's so much more gorgeous in person.

And he'd asked her out on a date! Her skin went pale white, and she had to force herself to calm down. Alex would help. Everything would go OK. She'd have dinner with her crush, he'd like her, and they'd kiss. Maybe more. The white glow intensified, almost hiding the blush across her cheeks. Roxana squeaked a little in excitement. After a moment, she giggled and headed to shower. The armour was impossibly light and breathed like gentle fabric, but she still needed a shower after tonight.

Afterwards, she decided on pizza. It was tasty, convenient, and the delivery boy was kinda cute in that teenage kind of way. But she could practically hear Alex yelling at her for thinking about a little kid when she could have Dragon Heart. The thought kept her happy all through the evening, and she was still smiling in the morning when she poured milk over her cereal. "Dragon Heart asked me on a date," she sang to some tune she could only half remember. "Dragon Heart asked me on a date." She danced through her chores. Roxana was snuggling with her fluffy puppy plush on the couch when she sat bolt upright in alarm. "I need a dress!" She tripped over the edge of her gown as she found her phone and texted Alex. Help! Urgent! Need dress for DH date!

@Old Amsterdam

[Old Amsterdam]

Alex pulled her phone out from between her breasts, wondering idly who would be contacting her.

"Ahh..." She murmured as she saw it was from Spec. She giggled slightly as she read the message, shaking her head lightly.
Your savior will arrive in approximately five minutes. she replied.

Taking the time she'd given herself to change back into her favorite sundress, Alex looked at herself in the large ceiling to floor mirror in her bedroom.

"Mhmm." She twirled a little, noticing a small bruise on her back that was only barely covered by the dress. "Well, my hair should cover that..."

She looked at the old clock on the wall behind her. Five minutes was almost here.

She shrugged, letting her hair fall back down and stepping through a doorway into Roxana's main room.

"And the savior arrives," she proclaimed with an exaggerated gesture and a bright smile. "For a moment I was beginning to think you'd already done it yourself."

[Flamelord]

Finch

Now, the criminal Epic wasn't sure whether he had actually hit the interloper or not, though he had to guess that he did. That was why after a second or so he pulled the blade down through the roof before anything could happen to it. That gave him a moment to examine the blade, which did bear some telltale signs that he had hit something. That in turn earned a grin from him as he prepared to go again. Seemed his luck was still as good as ever.

"Score one for me," he said aloud before stabbing upwards again, then swiftly pulling it back down to hit another spot regardless of whether he hit anything or not. At some point it was either going to get this guy off his van roof, or to do something that changed the current state of the field between them. Finch was fine with it either way, as the van turned onto another street. Naturally it was no longer en route to their hideout, just buying time. Once he was gone they could back to it, but for now it was too risky.

Here was hoping that problem fixed itself soon.

@Sedjwick

[Sedjwick]

The glass blade poked up through the roof again, and Magus snatched at it again, but it disappeared before he could touch it. He shifted his position towards the right edge of the car as the vehicle made a right turn and the glass blade poked another hole in the roof. This time, Magus swung his staff at the sharpened glass, smacking the tip of the blade just before it sank completely back into the van. A splinter of glass flew from the improvised weapon, but Magus assumed that would do little to stop this person. "Come up here and fight like a man," he challenged.
@Flamelord

[Flamelord]

Finch

Pulling the blade down, Finch was annoyed to find that the tip had been broke off his weapon. Not that that stopped him from reforming it and trying again. It was a useful power that he had, and he was going to use it to the best that he could in this situation. So far it seemed to be working after all.

The holes in the roof did help him to hear the other guy with his yelled challenge, not that Finch was stupid enough to listen to it when he had other options. He wasn't about to go have a fistfight on the roof of a moving vehicle, not when he seemingly had the advantage. "No thanks," he called back with a yell. "All that wind will run my hair." That was followed by another strike as he kept up with what had worked so far. He was not about to stop or give up, so this daring hero had better com up with something before he wound p embarrassing himself. Not that Finch would have minded that in the slightest.

@Sedjwick

[Sedjwick]

Magus hopped away from his perch near the edge of the car after yelling his challenge, and not a moment too soon, as his adversary poked another hole in the roof where he had stood just a moment ago while refusing to fight like a man under the pretense that "all that wind will ruin my hair." That remark gave Magus an idea. "Wind, you say?" he asked, while jumping to another spot on the van. He used the wind whipping past the car to form a ball of wind in his hand. He concentrated on the ball of moving air, increasing the speed until he was holding what amounted to a miniature tornado, then slammed his hand over one of the holes in the roof, sending the high speed wind into the van, sending anything that wasn't secured flying every which way through the vehicle. That would cause this gang of robbers no small amount of trouble. If Magus were more proficient with his elemental manipulation, he could perhaps combine his wind and water powers and make it rain inside the van, but that was something he had never attempted before. He made a mental note to practice that in the future to see if it really was something he could do.
@Flamelord

[RoflsMazoy]

You would think Vice was recognized on the streets more often. He went out often, and he passed by well-populated streets. He appeared on TV fairly often, and the clothes he wore day to day were his costume. In reality, the only ones that recognized him were the folks he usually passed by on a daily basis. A grandmother sitting on her porch would wave to him every time he saw her and he would wave back. A single father holding hands with his 5-year-old would glance and smile at him as he rounded the corner. The 5-year-old's look of curiosity said it all in the end. He had saved the both of them at one point, but the 5-year-old hadn't made the association between the ordinary man he saw and the burning hand which hadn't hurt. The fire that had only tickled him, carrying him to his father. The hooded man wasn't the same as the one he passed by everyday, the hooded man was something greater than him. They felt the same but it didn't add up.

The difference between Alto and Vice was their presence. They way they stood was different, and the way they walked was different. There were still people who recognized him, but many of those people realized a second or two after they passed him because he seemed familiar but they had trouble pinning him down until they reached his eyes. Alto or Vice his eyes were the same, but by the time they'd noticed he would already be some ways down the street. He did get caught occasionally, but he had an intense gaze in person that said he had somewhere to be.

He knew he was safe from that once he hit the library. Not many people came to the library on a normal day. It was one of many libraries and belonged to the group that were lesser known. Because of that, there were always a few people looking for a quiet place. Alto could choose to study at home if he felt like it, but he had his reasons. You'd think going to a library would be against his dislike of silence, and he did dislike silence, but it was more because of what silence meant. In the library he could hear turning pages and he could see the librarians come and go. The silence meant there was no one around him. The library was only quiet, it was never truly silent.

The librarians nodded as he came in. He was a regular so they knew who he was. He came most days to study for the Police Entrance Exam unless he had something else to do. Most nights he went out to patrol to help build up his physical before he could legally use the gym for that kind of stuff. He had his phone on tuned to the news while on silent so he'd be able to go out when an emergency popped up. This was his daily life as Alto Ganze.

[Regitnui]

"That's Vice. Confirm plan in motion."

"Shut up, Gecko," she brushed her long, brunette hair back from her lape and adjusted her glasses. Alto, as he'd introduced himself when he first started coming in, had been on her radar for a while. One day she would have gotten the courage up to talk to him, but if that creepy little lizard from ENTV was going to pay her a little to do just that, then why not?

Holding on to a copy of her favourite book for courage (Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas), she went at sat at his table. The head librarian would probably shout at her for bothering a patron, "interns are supposed to be seen and not heard!" But it wasn't bothering him if he turned out to like her, was it? "Um..." Her whisper sounded incredibly loud, and she startled herself quiet again.

"Hi, I'm Melissa," she said, when her courage had returned. "I want to ask you if-" she took a deep breath as her voice caught. "If you'll go to my school's prom with me." There. The words were out. Now she was on edge waiting for him to answer. He'd say no, of course. Like every other guy she'd asked. Then Gecko would give her some money and she'd go get ice cream with her friends. Then she'd never have to think about cute Epics again.

[RoflsMazoy]

Alto tilted his head slightly at the question.

"...Sure." Alto said softly.

He didn't see much of a reason to refuse. Well, it might even be good to go for some much needed social experience. He'd never been to a prom before on account of not going to school past primary education, but it'd probably be similar in form at least the rescuers function. He could probably also ask Jerry about anything he wasn't sure about. More to the point, there wasn't a good reason to reject her. She'd worked up the courage so he may as well answer.

"One thing I'd like to know though, why me?" He asked.

@Regitnui

[Regitnui]

Melissa had already halfway stood up when he said yes. Then she dropped back down in surprise. An Epic just said yes to her. When every single other normal boy had said no. Her, a mousy, boyish, small girl. "B-because..." Because that Freak from ENTV promised me money? "I saw you fighting last night. On the television."

Her hands tightened on her book. The boy in front of her was Vice, the hero with a burning arm. He fought monsters. Killed monsters. "I told my friends I knew you, because you come in here when I work." She readjusted her glasses. "They dared me to bring you to prom if I knew you so well." And one of then must have called ENTV, because Gecko found me outside and promised me money if I could get them a scoop. "S-So I had to ask you."

@RoflsMazoy

[Flamelord]

Finch wasn't sure what the guy had planned on doing next, but it seemed that he was actually planning to do something rather than standing there and being a pincushion. It was about time, since even his own theatrics fell a bit flat when he was the only one in the show.

Not that he appreciated the actual retaliation as everything was sent flying to and fro in the van because of the strong wind suddenly intruding. "Keep us going," he said to the driver, though that was easier said than done with all the buffeting from stuff flying around. The vehicle rapidly began to swerve on the road, which might make things a bit more difficult for their unwelcome passenger."Ah hell," Finch grunted as he at last went for the gun and began firing upwards. Though with the wind and all the motion he probably wouldn't hit anything. But you never knew, maybe he'd get lucky.

@Sedjwick