Bluetommy

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

12 pm, January 9th 2026
Hub City, Illinois.

The top ten things Alias had wanted when she had passed out included a plane falling ontop of Fisher Brown's smug head, and waking up somehow having tied him up in a concussion-driven blind fury.

Unfortunately she woke up to neither of these things. She instead woke up to immense pain, again, and the roof of her warehouse. Familiar sight true, but not exactly a comforting one, more an annoying one because it meant that she really had just passed out instead of still going despite being intoxicated with a huge amount of every hormone that existed. She tried moving... well, she didn't know what she expected. The pain was incredible as seemed to be the usual at this point, so she didn't try moving anymore.

At this point Alias wondered how she had gotten here, had she dragged herself? No, she vaguely remembered making a phone call to Oscar and during that she was too tired to hold up the phone, so dragging herself was out of the question.

Oh, the phone call. That explained it.

Huh, this concussion was really making her brain work in mysterious ways.

The fact that the lower half of her right ear seemed to have been torn off was probably helping.

The pain was severe enough to make her groan repeatedly, like she was ill and dying. She closed her mouth and turned it into hissing through her teeth as a solution. She refused to look weak while in the same building as him. He was there right?

At the sound of a groan coming from where he had laid Shams down, Oscar opened his eyes behind his mask, jumping up to his feet from his meditative pose. As he made his way back to where he left her, he pondered what he should say, and regretted not thinking about that while she was out for hours. What could he say? It wasn't like he could pretend everything was back to normal, pretend she would welcome him back with open arms.

But as he saw her there on the ground, his inner turmoil seemed to disappear. He made his presence clear by making more noise than usual and allowing his shoes to clack against the concrete. Damn, what could he say?

"... You're awake."

Well, better than nothing.

Speak of the devil.

Alias turned her head, grunting as the torn remnants of what was once an ear sent a powerful shock through her head.

"Hello Oscar," she said, her words sounding less like they came from her chest and more like they came from her throat; breathy and weak. She managed to twitch her mouth into a frown when she felt the corners of her mouth trying to force themselves into a smile. "I know that at this point I'm supposed to thank you or share some pleasantries, but frankly I'm not in the mood. I just need to say one thing, and I want you to tell me honestly, as honestly as you can, got it?!"

She left a long pause for effect.

"Am I still gonna be pretty when this heals?" she said with a frown and with a stomach-deep voice.

Well, that managed to catch him off guard, enough to make him give a quick chuckle. "Trust me, nothing could sully your looks. But you do have to know something... You'll always be second fiddle to me in the looks department." He ended that with another laugh, and allowed himself to move closer and crouch down next to her. It felt strange, cracking a joke around her again, like nothing changed. And he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy it.

But still, there was one thing he needed to know that he couldn't get out of her while she was passed out. "I patched you up as best as I could, but you might want to go see a doctor still. I could take you there myself. But I do have to know something... How did this happen? What happened in the night club?" She seemed well enough to at least give a quick summary of what happened, and he could go deal with whatever happened while she was recovering.

Alias let out a half-groan-half-understanding sigh, though she didn't chuckle at Oscar's joke. She always was the funny one, he tried, but she was funnier. Well, maybe that was the residual anger she had at him talking, but it had been years, maybe it was time for her to calm down a little; he had just saved her life and all.

"No doctors, Brown's probably got every doctor in the city under his thumb and he was there to see me get these wounds." She looked over with a scowl that betrayed none of the pain she was going through. "If I go to one of his doctors I'll be strung along in his stupid game."

She waited a moment, hissing as her side flared up at the mention of Brown, goddamn crime wizard.

"Ever heard of Fisher Brown?" she asked. "I'm sure you have. He killed one of his own hitmen to get me to come to his nightclub. Apparently he..."

She barred her teeth. This was the stupidest bullshit she'd ever experienced.

"Apparently he met a wizard, and now he's a wizard. He has a drug, like the one from New York five years ago. It turned the whole club violent, they went after each-other at first... then they went for me."

She coughed, a small dribble of blood running down her lip and bouncing off of her cheek as it dropped from her face.

"They're planning to improve the... the magic drug, and turn it into a mind control pill that not even Lady Arcana could shrug off. I don't think that's possible but it's what he told me. That's the whole story," she concluded matter-of-factly. Oscar knew what she was about, he wouldn't mind her skipping all the fluff and getting right to the point.

Fisher Brown... He'd heard the name floating around but had never been able to pin down exactly where he was to deal with him. And she was right. It did sound crazy, but if there was one thing he knew it was that crazy shit was a normal occurence in this day and age. Plus, he got supernatural powers from getting high, so who was he to decide what was and wasn't crazy?

"... Then we'll need to handle this. And I know you're not going to like it, but I'm going to help you." He already knew she wasn't going to like it, but he continued on anyway before she could reject his help. "I know that things have... Changed... But I'm not going to just let you go up against this by yourself, especially if it's something that threatens more than just Hub City."

He paused, taking in a deep breath, then continued. "And you're already half dead. I'm not going to just watch you go up against this and get killed."

"'Kay," she said simply. "I honestly don't care if you help me, as you say I'm half dead and could use the help, but I'm sure I can handle myself. So if you get pissy and leave halfway don't bother trying to blame me."

She sighed and turned her head back so that she was looking at the ceiling. Great, now she had to try standing up. She wasn't going to ask for help, that wasn't her thing, especially from Oscar, she could aknowledge that she needed his help fighting a wizard, but she didn't need his help to stand.

Alias tensed her body and with all her might... slightly twitched before the pain became too much.

Okay, maybe she did need his help to stand.

"Sit me up please," she said, an authoritative tinge to her voice.

'Well... That was easier than I thought it would be.' It really was too, he was expecting at least some fight from her. As she asked (or rather ordered) him to help her to get up, Oscar stood up from his crouching position and grabbed her shoulders, lifting her up and putting her into a sitting position. "Don't go falling over again."

Alias let out a pained cry as she was pushed up, but she was able to sit up without falling at the very least. She pushed herself slowly, and managed to get onto her feet. She held out her hand, motioning for a cane or crutch or something and began to speak.

"We need to get a policeman, most of them are on Fisher's payroll, if we get to talking to one of them we can figure out where he is and what he's up to. Other than magic I mean."

Oscar, not understanding that Shams wanted something to prop herself up with, interpreted her holding out her hand as a sign to help her up. He acted fast, taking her hand in his and pulling her up carefully, keeping a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Alright, a police officer. We can do that. Just, uh... No torture. I know how you are. No offense."

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

2:39 AM - January 9th 2026
The Angel Nightclub, Hub City

Shams smiled as she heard a voice on the other end. Well, less a smile and more a twitch. She tried to put the phone to her ear, but it fell from her hand as her fingers gave up trying to hold it. It landed on her chin and bounced to the ground near her face, thankfully. She was too sore everywhere else to notice what was probably going to be a bruise on her chin, so silver linings. Even having holes in your abdomen can have a silver lining.

She turned her head to look at the phone, from here she didn't think the microphone would pick her up. Dammit. Well, this was going to be fun.

She tensed her muscles in preparation. Immediately she felt pain like nothing else she'd ever felt. Her side burned, god it burned, her head throbbed, her arm though, that was the worst of all. Something inside pulsed, like something was out of place. She put a hand over it, feeling the muscle push against her palm then retreat. Then it attacked once more. Just a twitch, she wasn't broken just yet. She squeezed the flesh tightly, just preparing for what she had to do next.

She swallowed one last breath, then pushed up. Her teeth felt like they were about to smash with how hard she barred them. She worried that someone might come to finish the job with how loud she was growling. She stuck to the ground, she hadn't bled that much had she? She felt the inside of her skin touch pavement, you know something's gone horribly wrong when you feel that; definitely a unique experience that few get to go through, that one.

One last push, she thought as she felt concrete slide across her wound, tearing a bit of skin with it probably. She took a deep breath, planted her hand, and pushed with a roar. Finally she rested on her side, after what had been the most difficult adjustment she'd ever made. Well, second worst after her favorite toilet paper rose in price.

Why was she thinking about toilet paper? Well, she was in a pool of her own blood deep enough to drown a poodle, so it was forgivable to want one or two napkins.

"Oscar... Angel..." was all she could get out through the pain. He would figure it out, it wasn't like the name of the nightclub was too cryptic for him to figure out.

Shit, she hoped.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

2 AM - January 9th 2026
The Angel Nightclub, Hub City

She was so close now. She'd gotten the cop to talk, just a few needles under the nails did that well enough. He'd given her the phone no problem after that.

The contacts list was barren, it was clearly a work phone. There was one message from an unlabelled number. It read "Target address 34 Jury Street, be Discreet. Delete this message."

Clearly he hadn't.

That suggested a failure to comply.

Sure enough, the tenant of said building was in heavy debt to a certain Fisher Brown, a well known loan shark and magitech dealer. It was all coming together. Brown was also the owner of the Angel Nightclub, a less than reputable joint that the cops stayed away from unless they were coming in for their monthly "child support payments".

Or at least that's what they called it when they showed up late the next day. "Had to pay child support" they all said, and it worked because every man in that place was as nice to a woman as a dog is to a man whose flesh had been replaced with bacon.

That was a strange simile. Maybe she needed to get more sleep.

Nah, she had to finish what she started first.

She pushed open the doors, having already given the bouncers a firm talking to.

The music was rather... dark. Parties weren't supposed to sound so... dangerous.

The place was filled to the brim and about to burst. People were knocking each-other around in their alcohol fueled stupor and that was funny.

Alias would have laughed, promise, but she was more focused on the task at hand.

Where was the manager's office now? That would be grand to find.

Real fucking grand right about now.

"Hey."

A voice from the crowd.

"Here."

An object shoved into her hand.

"I know what you're here for, I'll keep in touch."

Very interesting.

She walked around a bit longer, failing to find the office in the huge crowd, dropping her crowbar and almost losing it as feet kicked and stomped around.

Then the object in her hand made a noise. Walkie talkie it seemed. That was a funny name... walkie... talkie... heh, hehe.

"Hello Miss Needles."

"Mister Brown."

"Please, Mister Brown was my uncle, call me Mister Fisher, has a better ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Funny, I don't recall coming here for rhymes."

"Oho, how droll, you think you know why you came here."

He laughed, a rodenty snicker.

"Tell me then, why did you torture my informant, steal my ex-employee's phone, and talk to one of my mistakes?"

"You're a murderer, a scumbag, and you deserve to die for what you've done."

"Oh god I felt that, you're one badass lady, aren't you? Well, I suppose I can't just leave you in the dark. You, through a murder investigation, have stumbled upon one hell of a conspiracy."

"What?"

"A conspiracy, get your ears checked. My best friend is trying to take over the world."

"Excuse me?"

"Goddamn lady, drop your cochlear?"

"You can-... you can't drop a-"

"Anyway, I'm telling you this because I'd rather not not take it over myself. I mean, not that I wanted to, but if someone's gonna do it, it'll be me. If you get a key to the whole planet put on your lap, you're not gonna... not do it are you?"

Alias didn't know how to respond to that.

"So turns out I'm a wizard of some kind, crazy shit. My friend is also a wizard, he taught me this thing called alchemy, fucking nutso my bro... sis. Anyway I made this pill, magic and chemicals equally, based on that thing that happened in New York I think it was. Nutso, nutso. So I roofied pretty much everyone in that room you're in right now. Should start happening any second now, nobody's immune, nobody, my man even says it'll work on Lady fuckin' Arcana. Something about chaos magic, whatever, not important, what is important, my lady, is that in a few seconds you're gonna start smelling blood. Have fun!"

She did indeed start smelling blood. A man was beating on another, then his friend started beating on him. Not even a blink later and there was an orgy of violence beginning.

"...Motherfuck."

A man screamed behind her, and she swiftly turned to spot him lunging forward, mouth wide open and eyes filmed over. She struck him with her crowbar twice in a matter of seconds, then tripped him with an easy leg sweep, finishing by driving his head into the floor below.

Alias watched in horror as at least a hundred eyes turned to look at her. Swiftly a number of the men and women began to lunge. Alias drew her pistol and planted a shot into a woman's leg, dropping her to the ground. Smacking a man across the nose with the crowbar, she held it around his throat and pulled back, holding him as she shot a further two down. She yanked the crowbar rightwards, driving the prying hook right into the man's neck.

She took her first hit from the side, colliding with her temple and being powerful enough that she had to check to see if her eye was still there. She answered with one of her own right to the man's throat, sending him to the ground choking. A chair shattered against her spine, then a heavy object hit her in the back of the head. A bullet ripped through her side, and she went down.

The blows rained down for what felt like forever. The pain was everywhere, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, all she could do was smell, smell her own blood and vomit.

Finally forever ended. The blows ended. Alias laid on the ground in a puddle of blood, unmoving, barely breathing.

She gasped and whimpered as she pushed herself to her feet. She tasted blood, so much blood, and also a bit of salt. Maybe it was tears, maybe it was sweat, who gave a damn.

She didn't know why she was alive, but she had to thank Allah for the good fortune. Well, thank him when she wasn't coughing out enough blood to fill a swimming pool.

She limped her way to the door, only falling once or twice. The anticipation in her body built as she closed with the sunlight, and when she met the door, it was too much for her. Her legs gave out, and she tumbled right through, down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.

She gasped for air as blood ran down her ruined jacket.

Well, that went well.

Now what the fuck was she supposed to do.

...

...

Goddammit she could only think of one thing.

She hated that one thing.

The pain in her everything convinced her though, and she tugged her now mostly smashed phone out of her pocket with a moan.

She opened contacts as she bled on the ground, and stared at that name.

She felt her thumb begging to touch it, but her mind refused. All because of that name.

Oscar.

What Are You Listening To?

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

Atlanta Georgia
January 25th 12 pm

"Jesus..." Bucky collapsed onto the ground, staring intently at the trail of blood that had followed his foe as he fell off of the building.

"We did it Buck... we..." Thinker collapsed onto the roof, gasping and staring at the sky.

"Yeah! Take that ya... ya fucking asshole." Bucky's wit had failed him after the long fight he'd just suffered through.

"Well, remember when we said we weren't gonna save the world or some shit?" Thinker asked, still breathing heavily. "Well we just fucking did it, maybe not the world or nothin', but we saved our lives, man."

"Yeah... hell fuckin' yeah."

---

"See the two uniforms on top of that building ahead? Those are your targets, Agent Wojownik."

Bang hung in the sky overlooking said building. There were in fact, two people standing on top. Apparently they were dangerous metahumans, and judging from the lightshow that had just been let off from around that area, intel was right in that regard.

"Yessir, that there looks like a pair of metahumans for certain."

"Remember Agent Wojownik, as much collateral as possible."

"'S what I do best!"

Bang dropped from the air and propelled himself toward the building, a bright yellow blur smashing into the building and sending a huge sound vibrating through the entire building.

"Hell of a fight you three, got the strength for a round two?"

Their faces appeared absolutely bewildered.

"W-wha-"

Thinker had a beam of nuclear energy shoot right through his abdomen, killing him instantly.

"Harry!"

Bang tapped his helmet in a bored manner.

"Oops, my mistake, thought he'd be stronger than that."

The other one, Harry's friend he guessed, looked pretty pissed, Bang guessed that Harry was pretty important to whatever anti-American things they were plotting. Just thinking about that pissed him off, but he'd be able to hurt him for daring to do such things to his country.

He slowly approached the man, taking lazy steps and heating the air around his fingers.

The man glared at him, and Bang saw just how furious he was; his teeth bared, his knees bent, he looked feral. Bang smiled, he was gonna get one hell of a fight.

"You son of a bitch... I'm gonna rip you to pieces!"

A neon image of a bear appeared behind the man's head as he charged. Bang would have wondered what that meant if the man's fist wasn't becoming acquainted with his visor. Bang was sent flying off of the building, noticing that the man had managed to crack the glass. That was new, he'd very rarely fought someone strong enough to do that. He noticed an eagle appear, just as the bear had, and swiftly the man began to pursue. Bang swiftly righted himself and moved to defend himself, only for the man to fly above him.

An image of a whale appeared behind him.

That was bad.

Immediately a massive weight slammed into Bang's stomach, sending him crashing through floor after floor of an apartment building, destroying furniture, carpetry, and staining his suit with what was either wine or animal blood.

He took his hand, heating it as hot as he could make it, then held it against the man's face. He screamed. Suddenly the weight on his stomach was gone.

He crashed into solid concrete.

Well, that should be enough collateral for now. Time to do the Lord's work.

He stood, spotting a now burned man about to dive onto him, and sped upwards, tackling the man and driving him into the air. He punched his face, then spun into a heel kick to the chin. He again spun, wrapping his legs around the man, and corkscrewed downwards, dragging the man with him. He released, and with one last spin, drove his helmet right into the man's skull.

The man's form crashed into a basketball hoop, flattening it, before bouncing into a nearby parked car.

Bang flew down, staring at the man's seated, brutalized, and very bloodied body. He gazed up at Bang, shaking and clearly almost dead.

"Thanks man, y'all have given me a real party."

He held his hand out, and blew up both the man and the car, watching the huge fire consume the air above.

"Excellent job Agent Wojownik. We have a number of other contracts available if you're willing to listen."

"I think I'm a good listener, lay 'em out."

"Excellent. Number one, 'the Demon', a strange creature sighted around West Virginia, which I am led to believe is your home. Number two, 'Watchdog', a vigilante on the same level as persons such as 'Grim' or 'the Question'. Views with alternate camera views suggest he gives off far different radiation from the usual, he has been active in Gotham, and we believe it is no coincidence that he became more active around the same time that billionaire Zoey Kasimir adopted a street child."

"Hmm... hunt the boogeyman, or beat up the rich and famous... I'mma have to think on that, HQ."

"Of course Agent Wojownik, we'll be in touch."

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

January 24th, 4:30 pm
The Rock of Eternity

Wilhelm Silber was here again.

This godforsaken rock.

He could breathe again, that was true, and stand up.

But...

He still felt broken. He'd gotten through so much, he had gotten so much more powerful.

Than in an instant, he'd lost it all. Not even able to fight it. He growled and pushed himself to his feet. With a roar he slammed his fist into the wall of his cell, again and again. It had been weeks, and this time it really seemed like there was no rescue.

His hand stopped after one last punch, blood dripping down the walls and letting out the soft tap that all liquid did when it touched the ground.

He collapsed back onto his ass, staring at the mess he'd made of his knuckles. He felt a pressure building up inside, and finally had no choice but to let it out in a manic laugh. He continued laughing until he hurt, then kept going a little longer.

He had broke, but he wasn't done having control over himself.

He thought of her... Karen Hernandez, who had always been there to stop him no matter what he did. Her and all the others who she associated with.

He was going to die here, that he knew for sure.

He looked down at his bloodied hands with a manic smile.

Well, if he was going to die anyway.

Then why let it be on her terms.

He stood and held up his hand.

He shook and sweated as he painfully turned it from a fist into an open palm.

He chuckled maniacally.

Then he speared his fingers through his chest.

The pain was incredibly intense, and he found himself collapsing to the ground.

He looked down at his bloodied body, and decided to finish the job.

Wilhelm Silber's body exploded into bloody chunks.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

January 10th, 10:22 AM
Fourth Moon of Korugar

It didn’t take Preston very long to find Sinestro’s home. Using the records of former green lanterns from his ring, he knew exactly where to fly to reach the planet Korugar. Despite his speedy journey to the planet, Preston knew he had to be careful. This wasn’t his territory anymore. Sinetro was manufacturing and sending out Power Rings left and right to put a Yellow Lantern in every sector that had a Green counterpart.

He was lucky that things were as good as they were. Had anything gone worse, he probably would be killed on sight, or maybe none of them would have survived the boiled war between SInestro and the Guardians of Oa. It was all hard to say, but he wasn’t here to think about that right now.

He slowed to a near halt as he reached Korugar. It wasn’t incredibly easy to find a single life form, so Preston did what he knew would capture attention. With his ring held high, he created a giant green beacon at the edge of the planet’s atmosphere, waiting for Sinestro or any of the other Former Green Lanterns to show their faces to him.

A moment later an answering call came from one of the small moons surrounding the reddish planet. Two rapid pulses of yellow light. A Green Lantern signal to wait there. After a few tense minutes, a trio of figures came into view. Thaal Sinestro, flanked by two unfamiliar Yellow Lanterns. Upon seeing Preston, Sinestro’s tense expression softened a bit, though he did not dismiss the escort.

”Ah, Emerald Knight!” The former Green Lantern called, coming to a halt in the void of space near Preston. ”My apologies for the delay, I didn’t know who was coming. To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit? Here to discuss those peace talks, get an old hand’s advice?” He asked with a smirk, crossing his arms as he regarded his old ally.

Though Preston’s expression had been hard on the way here, seeing Sinestro again and mentioning the now settled war of Sotra brought a small smile to his face. Of course Sinestro would want to help, thats why he came to him in the first place.
”A recruit of yours, actually.” Preston tried keeping his tone light, but nothing on earth would spark more ire than the mentioning of the Nazis. ”His name is Wilhelm, and it’s come to my attention that one of your rings broke him out of a special prison.” There was no easy way to say any of this, but it needed to be done. Preston had learned this by fighting, and he hoped that SInestro would understand.

”Ah yes, Silber.” Sinestro said with a nod, his own expression becoming serious. ”First, let me explain that I am not attempting to hide anything from you or the Wizard back on Earth. I was going to contact you once we’d gotten his recruitment underway. I’ve gathered that the Wizard can be quite understanding and forgiving, and so I was hoping to understand Silber’s transgressions and attempt to make them right. He has quite a lot of potential you know, more so than most of my recruits. And well, you know how the Rings works, Knight. They’re not ‘sent’ to anyone in particular, they simply ‘find’.” Sinestro paused, studying the face partially hidden by the green mask.

”However… I somehow get the feeling that this is to be less of a conversation than I was hoping for, am I correct?”

”I’m sorry, Sinestro. I wish our meeting was about something a little better.” Preston eyed the two lackeys carefully, but not for more than a few seconds at a time. He wouldn’t resort to battle, not here, and not with one of the more formidable lanterns in the universe. ”I can’t tell you how to lead your group, nor who to include in it, but I want you to know exactly the kind of person Wilhelm is.”

”On Earth, about, maybe eighty or ninety years ago, there were men called the Nazis. They committed genocide, killed millions in the name of blood purity. Wilhelm, if you can believe it, is one of those men. As I understand it, he lived through the war that the Nazi’s inspired, being one of the very last to hold such beliefs. He will kill all in his way, I can promise you that. If I can’t persuade you into letting him go, killing him even, then I’m going to beg that you at least keep an eye on him and keep him in check. He’s dangerous, immensely powerful, and has a history of murdering millions.”

That was all he had. Everything was up on the table, and the turn was Sinestro’s. Preston only hoped that coming here to talk to an old friend would be enough to avoid repeating the second World War on a cosmic scale.

Sinestro had fallen still and silent through Preston’s explanation, his expression growing hard. In the silence that followed, he turned to his guards and fixed his steely eyes on them. ”I need you to go keep an eye on our newest recruit. Don’t approach or engage. Don’t even let him know you’re watching. Me and the Green Lantern have business to discuss.”

The Yellow subordinates moved away without question, a testament to the iron will Sinestro imposed on his people. With only the vacuum of space to keep the pair company now, Sinestro floated closer to Preston. ”Perhaps I should have consulted an expert on Earth history when I discovered who he was.” Thaal admitted, his eyes locking with Preston’s. ”I admit however, I am… Confused by something you said. HE committed these atrocities for… Purity? Was there some kind of genetic plague among your people, Preston? Some reason to do this? Because if not… Senseless bloodshed and violence is frankly unacceptable in my Corps. I want to be clear about that.”

”Genetic Purity,” Preston corrected himself rather quietly. ”The wrong parents, the wrong skin tone, hair, eye color. The Nazis believed that… if your parents, your grandparents, came from a different land, worshipped a different god, that they were genetically inferior, and deserved to die in order to ensure that humanity continued in a certain way. It hurt to think about. To think about all of the lives lost in so many wars. All of the wars he wasn’t even alive to know about, those he had fought in. So much violence.

Preston sighed, setting a hand on Sinestro’s shoulder. ”Thank you for hearing me out. Everything back on Oa was pretty hairy, and I’m glad you made it out alright then. I don’t want someone like him ruining a reputation you have yet to truly garner.

Sinestro let the silence hang in the vacuum for a long moment, trying to make sense of the information Preston had shared. What kind of planet fought a war over something so idiotic as minor physical differences? Religion was understandable, it had caused wars throughout the universe, but something as simple as hair color or skin tone?

”I… Appreciate your patience with me, Preston.” Sinestro said finally, steeling himself again. ”You’ve been my greatest ally in my little project here. I would not want to ruin my reputation by accepting someone so despicable as you have described. I’ll need to extend my apologies to the Wizard as well, and ensure that my Rings steer clear of the Rock. Emerald Knight,” He continued, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw. ”I invite you to the fourth moon of Korugar, into the stronghold of the Sinestro Corps to apprehend an escaped fugitive. I will accompany you, help your cause, and escort you and your prisoner back to Earth. What do you say, friend?”

Preston smiled widely at Sinestro. Had be been anyone else, perhaps Orin or maybe even Arcana, he would have taken Sinestro’s forearm into a hand, shaking like manly men on earth did. But that was stupid and Sinestro didn’t seem like one to be all that touchy-feely. Preston removed his hand from Sinestro’s shoulder and nodded gladly. ”Lets go get us a Nazi.”

The mismatched pair shot through the relatively small stretch of space, entering the artificial atmosphere of the moon with ease. Preston earned a few wary glances from the other Yellow Lanterns, but the sight of Sinestro with him kept anyone from acting outright aggressively. Sinestro guided the pair towards the Power Battery housing chamber, trusting that Preston would remember his original training and having to refill his Ring’s power bank before generating a miniature Battery of his own. Wilhelm should be there, currently being watched over by Sinestro’s guards.

”We’ll likely have to act quickly.” Sinestro said, placing a hand on the door. ”If he’s as powerful a psychic as he claims, we’ll only have a moment. I should work on building some mental resistance into the Rings…”

It was a smart idea to charge up before going into battle. Rings, no matter where they were, always latched onto the rotation of the celestial body they were nearest to. Being a small moon circling a planet, Preston most likely didn’t have a whole lot of time before he’d have to charge his ring.

He summoned his battery and chanted the oath before sending it away. He had forgotten that Wilhelm was a psychic, ”That fucker.” and hoped that they could deal with Wilhelm quickly before he dug his metaphysical nails into anyones brains.

”He’s given our wizard a lot of trouble, as I’m sure you’re aware. We need to get him as soon as possible and return him to the Rock of Eternity where he can’t feel a single soul.”

”The notion of purity, is one of true beauty. All peoples of Earth are naturally chaotic, but my people, the master race, are the only ones who could stand a chance at bringing true peace and justice. If any others remained, they would simply ruin what had been built, destroy the peace that Aryan leadership brings,” Wilhelm spoke, like a master teaching an apprentice, to a small number of Yellow Lanterns, who all nodded along with his statements. He’d already made friends here, maybe not through the correct means, but he had done it.

Wilhelm let out a “hmm?” as he heard speaking coming from the entranceway to the battery. He smiled upon seeing that it was Sinestro approaching.

”Oh, hello Sinestro, have you come to…” he let out a gasp from the back of his throat upon seeing the green clad figure beside him. His face hardened. ”And the Emerald Knight.” he tried to return his voice to a relaxed tone and offered another smile.

”Well, you had told me you’re friends, so I suppose this isn’t that big of a surprise.”

No matter where Wilhelm looked, the other Lantern’s eyes were quick to follow, their mouths drooped open and their bodies relaxed to an unnatural degree.

Don’t think act, don’t think, act. The mantra repeated itself in Preston’s head, trying to become the loudest thought he had in an attempt to keep Wilhelm out of his mind. His hand shot forward, his ring fired off a few energy shots as he dashed to the side.

Preston had never faced Wilhelm or anyone with a similar powerset. Talking and trying to peacefully apprehend him was out of the question long before things began. Any time for talking was time for him to weasel his way into their minds. “Sinestro! We need to take him out cold and fast! We can’t let him control us!” Preston took to the skies, acting as a distraction while shooting Wilhelm with many more energy bolts. If only they had some sort of concrete way to dealing with telepathic powers, that would make things infinitely easier.

”Was?!” was Wilhelm’s shocked reaction as the Emerald Knight suddenly attacked him. He swiftly made use of his new powers, generating a shield to deflect Preston’s attacks.

”What the fuck?!” he asked angrily, his teeth clacking into each-other. He looked over at Sinestro with a bewildered expression on his face. ”What is he doing? I’ve done nothing wrong, I’ve come here to serve you, faithfully! I’m in your debt!”

He pleaded, his ring glowing as his voice raised in volume higher and higher. He immediately began probing Sinestro’s mind to figure out what the hell was happening.

His eyes shot wide as he read Sinestro’s recent memories.

”This… this isn’t right, none of this is right, they don’t understand. My beliefs have always been what is best for order, for peace on Earth! If you listen to him, to her, you’ll never be able to bring peace, she will defend the status quo forever, she will always be your enemy! All that my people have done has been absolutely necessary! It’s only forces like her that keep Earth from being a place of peace and purity! Listen to me! Please!” his tone one of despair.

He attempted to use just the slightest of mental nudges to move Sinestro towards his viewpoint, he hadn’t been in his head long enough to do anything more.

There was that word again, purity. The mere thought enraged Preston. ”pure of what? Blonde hair? You and Hitler killed millions for the sake of purity, and the world still hasn’t recovered! Come with me quietly and it’ll be over.”

Had Wilhelm attempted to pry into Sinestro’s emotional state instead of simply his memories, he would likely have become even more desperate. Though his face was as placid as ever, and his body language betrayed nothing, Sinestro was a veritable volcano about to erupt. The confusion he’d felt before about the senseless war had transformed on their journey here. Now there was little left of the confusion; it had been replaced by that which made Sinestro so powerful. The indomitable will that had been the shining jewel of the Green Lantern Corps. And now a potent rage behind that, pure anger that a planet could erupt into civil war over something to stupid, and that men like Silber had been behind it.

Sinestro stepped into the room, barely glancing at Emerald Knight as his ally went on the attack. He spent a moment taking in the dimensions of the space, Wilhelm’s position, the odd vacant look about his other soldiers. And then he felt a nudge. As his newest recruit pleaded with him, Sinestro’s sharp mind felt a tug of pity towards the man, an attempt at compassion. The realization of what the old man was trying broke the dam.

The yellow-clad, purple-skinned master of fear strode forward, his long legs closing the distance as he raised his arm and held out his ring, pointed towards Wilhelm. Sinestro’s thoughts coalesced into a single, crystal clear thought as his face warped in anger.

”In Blackest day, and Brightest night
Beware your Fear made into Light
Let he who tries to stop what’s right
Beware MY power, SINESTRO’S MIGHT.”

The roaring chant was accompanied by a brilliant flash of yellow not just from the Yellow Ring on Sinestro’s hand, but accompanying flashes on the Rings of the enthralled Lanterns as well. As one, those Rings abandoned their owners, leaping to Sinestro’s outstretched hands and settling on his fingers. Armed with a dozen rings stacked on his fingers, Sinestro let loose a volley of concussive blasts towards Wilhelm, each exploding in a shower of bright light and sparks.

Immediately the other enthralled former lanterns moved in between Wilhelm and Sinestro, taking his attacks and being tossed into the wall behind. Wilhelm looked more annoyed than anything, letting out a sigh.

”I would have been loyal, you know that, right?”

Before Sinestro could respond, Wilhelm leaped off the ground and slammed back down, surrounding himself in debris and hiding his position.

”The weak link goes first.”

Wilhelm’s voice came from behind Emerald Knight, he flew upwards behind him, covering his face with his ringed hand to keep the debris out of his all important eyes. The air around him distorted, and a loud bass-heavy rumble filled the air as an invisible blast fired from his head towards Preston’s, powerful enough to shred a normal human’s body.

As soon as the voice from behind Preston sounded off, he created a small dome around him, hoping to protect him from whatever the Psychic had planned. The psionic blast impacted the dome he had made, cracking it from every angle and even being strong enough to move through it and rock Preston against the inside of his own creation.

The dome he had made unwrapped itself from around Preston and turned into a solid wall to be launched at where he had heard Wilhelm’s voice. Something burned inside of Preston just thinking about Wilhelm, a flare that made Preston’s desire for his capture almost as strong as the will of Mogo. Dust and debris coated the area only briefly. There was no more hiding for him. Preston created a fan to swipe away at the dust, leaving only the rubble that Wilhelm himself would find as his tomb.

Wilhelm let out a kiai as he formed a lance around his ring-bearing hand, driving all of the force of the weapon into a small point on Preston’s wall, shattering it completely, but doing the same to his own weapon. It seemed that the rings were equal in pure power.

”Everything this world has thrown at me, I have overcome!” he roared as he closed into melee range with Preston. ”My goals are backed by divine furor, I am the avatar of Odin! I am the end! I am the new beginning!” he screamed rabidly. He’d kind of lost himself in his anger, everything he’d been through, it drove him a bit mad.

Preston would feel his motion become impossible, and swiftly a massive golden fist was generated on top of Wilhelm’s own. He roared as he spun through the air in an attempt to drive it right through the Emerald Knight.

”Survival is not victory.” Sinestro snarled, turning on his heel and waving his right hand. The Rings there flashed, each creating a construct aimed to take advantage of the enthralled Lanterns fears. Alien shapes and monsters materialized, each one pinning or immobilizing a thrall. Focusing on Wilhelm now, Sinestro raised his left hand. The golden fist stopped abruptly.

”You have been opposed at every turn. Beaten. Vanquished. Barely clinging to life. My Ring found you on death’s door. It should have left you there.”

Sinestro clenched his fist. The golden construct around Wilhelm’s arm flickered and vanished. The Yellow Power Ring on Wilhelm’s middle finger cracked and disintegrated.

”You survival is due to the kindness of others. Not your victory.”

”Kindness for a soul like his is wasted. The only mercy he deserves is death.” Preston’s voice dropped, completely overtaken by an unspeakable rage from within him, fueling his desire to win over Wilhelm and remove this blight from existence. He paused, however, to breathe. He needed to still himself. He wanted to kill Wilhelm, right here, right now. It would be so easy with Sinestro’s help to do it. However, Nazi or not, it was evident that extra-terrestrial life cared little about such a title or even knew of the connotations surrounding it. There would be someone to answer to.

But this wasn’t murder.

Preston flew around Wilhelm and created another construct to pin him down to the ground prostrate. Lantern rings were all about imagination and invention, and this was certainly a good way to apprehend him for the time being. The restraints around Wilhelm’s arms and legs rose, flipping him around quickly to shove his face into the ground. A fifth restraint locked his head into place.

”Sinestro,” Preston began, looking down at the pitiful life form below him. ”You know what the guardians would do to me if I offed him. He’s your lantern, but my escapee. What should we do with him?”

Sinestro looked on at Emerald Knight with approval. He had become much more powerful since the fight with the strange red-ringed child. A worthy successor to Abin Sur.

”As much as I hate to admit it,” He said, raising a hand to the sky and firing off a series of pulses to call in more Lanterns to contain the enthralled minions. ”I believe the Wizard wanted him alive, if his imprisonment in the Rock was any indication. You kept me from tarnishing my reputation. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor. Let him live. We’ll take him back to Earth. We are most likely unable to enter the Rock without her permission.”

”Well then? Let’s be off."

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

January 9th, 2026
Rock of Eternity, 8 am

It was hopeless. Totally hopeless. Wilhelm dragged himself to the corner of his cell, placing his hands on his lap and staring at his limp, painful legs. He had only been here a week, and already he wanted death more than ever before. He'd beaten on all the walls, looking for even the tiniest weak point, but there was nothing, not a damn thing.

He stared out the window, humming Erika to himself. He hadn't even tried to read one of the many books that had been provided to him, he knew he'd just end up ripping the pages out in impotent rage. His breaths came pained, more pained than usual even. He instinctively reached for his oxygen, but quickly realized that he hadn't been provided with it.

Goddamn her, goddamn every thing about her, she'd broken him, over and over again, and now she'd trapped him in hell, forever, without even the small reprieves that his freedom had allowed him.

He suddenly felt absolutely horrid, breathless, unable to catch a breath for a moment. Oh god, was he finally dying? Thank god, he didn't think he could last another hour of this. He gasped but felt nothing. He had heard that drowning victims felt a small bit of ecstasy once their breath finally ran out. Maybe that was what he was feeling, maybe it was just joy at finally being free. He didn't quite know, but the difference wasn't important. His gasping came quicker and shallower, his chest burned, but he felt delighted. He'd be back beside his Fuehrer once again.

---

Deep Space

The Ring floated in empty, dark space. It had been ejected from its home, the Lantern Battery near the core of the universe. It had been sent out on a mission. To find others. Recruits. Those who could serve. It had been years. So long since it had left home.

Candidate detected.

The Ring altered course, slipping into Lantern Hyperspace as it homed in on the potential recruit. A trapped soul, but one that had not given over to terror. A soul which delighted in its demise. Unorthodox perhaps, but the Ring could sense no trace of fear in the heart of its mark. Zipping down through an area of space barely charted by the star maps, the Ring danced and twinkled in the light coming from the far-off stars floating lazily through the vacuum. The Ring zeroed in on the shiny obsidian pillar, illuminated by the glowing hieroglyphs on its surface. It slipped inside, navigating gleaming corridors and escher-like staircases and doors to seemingly nowhere.

Finally, the Ring found its recruit. Phasing through the wall, its powers being activated by its internal programming, the Ring hovered before the old man.

"Wilhelm Silber." The Ring intoned in a robotic voice. "You have shown great determination in your last moments. Fear is a stranger to your heart." During its speech, the Ring was scanning Iron Eagle, accessing it's databases of information and finding his history.

"You have used terror as a weapon your whole life. Your experience with creating order out of fear is notable. Fear is a stranger to your heart, but an ally in your hands. Welcome, Wilhelm Silber, to the Sinestro Corps." The Ring proclaimed before hovering forward and darting for Wilhelm's hand.

Wilhelm barely had time to figure out what was happening.

There was a voice talking to him, and for some reason there seemed to be a floating ring in front of him. He wasn't concerned about the fact that it could float, that was old hat to him. What did concern him was the fact that the voice somehow knew his name, his history. Maybe he shouldn't have been, he was in what seemed to be Karen's all seeing eye dimension, but the fact that the ring was even addressing him was concerning. Karen herself had yet to speak to him except for to feed him and ask if he needed anything else.

It talked about fear, it seemed obsessed with that word in particular, speaking of how he had none of it and how he had used it as a weapon... It was quite boring to be quite honest. He knew all of this, he was the one who had done it for god's sake.

And then it said something about... a Corps. Before he had time to even wonder what the hell that meant it shot at him. Immediately he recoiled with a shocked grunt, but the ring found its way to his hand anyway, resting itself upon his right middle finger. He quickly grabbed at it, tugging at it confusedly. What the hell was this thing? He grabbed at it one last time before it released a huge flash of light, near blinding him.

He could just barely see a yellow and black fabric appearing over his hand and making its way up his arm. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his head as far away as possible, but it was no use, and quickly the fabric closed. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, the light was gone.

He looked at his hand. The ring rested there, comfortably, so comfortably he didn't even feel it. It was like a part of his skin. His body, all of it, was covered in a black and yellow uniform, stuck tight to his body. His breaths came easily and freely, for the first time since Arcana had beat him. He gaped at the ring as he hoisted himself to his feet, not even noticing that he had his legs back.

"Sinestro Corps...?"

The Ring had plenty of work to do. In addition to fixing the man's spine, which had been expertly severed, it was working on repairing basic cellular damage from old age as well as more advanced damage to the neuron connections in Wilhelm's brain. Though unable to turn back the biological clock for the elderly Nazi, the Ring could make him feel as though he were in the prime of his life. At the question, however, the Ring paused in its work to interface with Wilhelm's mind.

A collection of peacekeepers and soldiers. Founded by Sinestro, formerly of the Green Lantern Corps. Founded on the belief that peace throughout the universe can be attained more effectively and quickly through fear than through other methods. Each member is equipped with a Lantern Ring. It will allow you to fly, protect you from the vacuum of space, travel through Lantern Hyperspace, and create physical constructs out of yellow light. You will be able to see the fears of your opponents and materialize them, allowing them to act on their instinct or exterting more direct control over them. You are to report to Korugar, the location of the Yellow Lantern Power Battery and speak with Sinestro. I will take you there.

Immediately, a compulsion filled Wilhelm's mind. Korugar. Sinestro.

Despite all the nonsensical absurdities in the ring's statement, he felt like it all made sense somehow. An intergalactic police force, meant to keep the galaxy's people in line, through any means necessary. It made a great deal of sense to him.

And his body, he felt better than ever before. It was almost like that first time he and Karen met in Hub City. He flexed his fingers, his toes, all of it, no pain at all. He felt the top of his head, and was surprised to feel the soft fuzziness of shaved hair. He hadn't had hair since his battle with those Americans when they had tried to assassinate his Fuehrer.

He was in this "Sinestro"'s debt, so he felt obligated to do as the ring said, and he supposed testing out what power it gave him could be an interesting experiment.

"Hah! Hahaha! This is fantastic! Yes, of course, take me to Korugar, I'm simply shaking with anticipation!" he said giddily, holding his arms out wide and staring at the flashing of the ring on his finger.

With a flash of light, the Ring extended its protective field around Wilhelm. Glowing brightly, the Ring shot of pulse of concussive force at the nearby window, blowing the magically-enhanced glass and parts of the wall out as well. Now exposed to the vacuum of space, the Ring could guide Wilhelm into what would be certain death for most other people in the universe. A bright pulse of light would guide the elderly Nazi through the void of space, through intense and beautiful sights on its way back home, to deliver the newest recruit of the Sinestro Corps.

--------------------------------------------

A few hours later, the Ring and Wilhelm exited hyperspace. Before him, the brilliant reddish planet spun slowly in space. Homing in on an artificial moon, the Ring directed Wilhelm to touch down near a large structure. It appeared to be a compound, with many large buildings to house the myriad of strange aliens all clad in the same yellow and black uniform Wilhelm found himself in.A few of them gave him some odd glances, but for a moment, nobody approached him.

Coming from a large building ahead of him, a tall purple-skinned alien began striding towards Wilhelm. His uniform was more elaborate than the rest, and he moved with a certain unsettling confidence as he walked up and appraised Wilhelm.

"Interesting..." He said smoothly, flashing Wilhelm a half-smile. "Human, if I'm not mistaken?" The voice would be familiar to Wilhelm, it was the voice of the Ring that had been speaking to him through the journey.

"I've yet to find a human capable of generating the kind of fear we usually require, but I'm always pleased to bring someone new into the fold. Tell me friend, what is your name, and what could you possibly have been doing on the Rock of Eternity?"

Wilhelm read the man's mind as soon as he realized that this was the Sinestro the ring was talking about. It seemed that this alien valued efficiency, so he'd make it quick, no small talk, just to the point.

"My name is Wilhelm Silber, of the country of Germany on the planet Earth. I have had a long rivalry with the Wizard, Karen Hernandez, the current inhabitant of the Rock of Eternity. She had brought me there to imprison me, but your ring retrieved me."

He flexed his hand once again, looking at it as he clenched and opened his fist repeatedly.

"I'm quite grateful, I had been crippled up until your ring arrived, and I probably would have died if not for its intervention. So I am in your debt," he said, offering a curt bow. "I'm also quite intrigued by your operation, so being a part of it is certainly an experience in which I'd like to partake," he said. His words were as polite as he could possibly speak, he was truly grateful for all this alien had done.

Sinestro chuckled at the explanation, though he did raise an eyebrow at the mention of the Wizard. "Of course. I'm glad that we were able to help you in your moment of need. I hope that you will be able to repay us in kind, Wilhelm Silber." He said, turning and motioning for Wilhelm to follow.

Sinestro walked in silence for a moment, leading Wilhelm towards the towering building in front of them. "If you have any questions in specific about my Corps, please feel free to ask. Until then, I suppose I should give you a bit of a rundown on how we came to be and what we stand for. There in an ancient order in this universe known as the Green Lantern Corps. They stand for peace and justice, just as we do here. Their abilities are very similar to ours. I used to be one of them. Their methods however are... Different. They have a lighter touch. They do noble work to be sure, but often it can be ineffective. I discovered how to truly weaponize fear. Condensed that power into the rings we now all wear." He said, lifting his left hand and flashing his own Ring.

"I was scorned and exiled for my experiments, cast out of the Green Corps for being a 'traitor'. Their words, not mine." He said, a bite coming to his words now. "And so, I began the Sinestro Corps. We campaign for more effective control over the universe. Fear is a powerful weapon, as you know. To wield it one must be above it. And one must be willing to use it to stamp out any resistance from those below it. This is our headquarters, the fourth moon of Korugar. In this place, we are at our greatest." He explained, opening the door to the large building slowly.

Inside the structure sat a huge yellow power battery, glowing with an intense, warm light. Sinestro stepped inside and motioned for Wilhelm to follow. "The Rings are the source of our power. And this Lantern is the source of the Rings. We all draw power form here, this is our greatest stronghold. Though we are still small, we will continue to grow. We will take more sectors. And one day, we will control the universe, using our power to keep peace and reign over our sectors in fairness."

"Green... Lanterns..." Wilhelm mumbled while listening to Sinestro's explanation. Everything this alien said made sense to him, it matched his own ideals to a tee. This Sinestro Corps seemed to understand what true power was, how to control it, and how to best manage the people.

The resonance between their values was enough that Wilhelm only grew more fascinated as Sinestro's story went on.

"I see, so they tossed you aside for stating an inconvenient truth, how disgustingly 'noble' of them. Your strength and mine are the same, our resolve to see order come through and dispel the chaos. I admire you, Sinestro. I would be happy to follow you, and I see this... this battery, this... this is power the likes of which I've never seen," he said, awestruck "Although I do have one question. On Earth, I know of a figure, clad in green, who calls himself the 'Emerald Knight', is he one of these Green Lanterns of whom you speak so poorly?"

Sinestro paused, basking in the glow of the power battery as he considered Wilhelm's question. "He is, yes." Sinestro said slowly, glancing down at his Ring.

"However, let me clarify. The Green Lantern Corps is ultimately run by a cabal of ancient creatures known as the Guardians. They are totalitarian and closed-minded, stuck in the old ways. It was them who cast me out, them who I hold animosity towards. Emerald Knight of Earth is my friend. He defended me, even if he did not agree with my experiments. His testimony is the only reason I was not imprisoned on Oa. Emerald Knight is the reason I was allowed to leave with my research, and with the few Green Lanterns who agreed with me." Sinestro clenched his fist as he turned his head and regarded Wilhelm.

"I do not know your history with Emerald Knight. But I know he is allied with the Wizard. I will do my best to clear your name with her, and to get you back into good standing. But know this, Wilhelm: I will not stand against Emerald Knight without very good reason. And your mental prowess may not be enough in this instance." Sinestro said, tapping his temple as he regarded the new recruit.

Wilhelm chuckled slightly.

"Then you must underestimate my mental prowess," he said with a smug smile. He held out his ring to demonstrate that it was not the source, and then proceeded to hover slightly, his feet pointing downwards slowly as they left the ground. "This is why your ring found me. I am the most gifted psychic on Earth's surface," he boasted with a shrug.

"I won't stand against him either, if that is your wish; I know my place," he said, returning to the ground softly. "And of course, should I meet them, I will give the Guardians a fight that they won't soon forget."

"Now, if there are any further stages to my initiation, I am quite excited to get on with them."

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

Section 1: The World Traveller

The wind blew silently through the leaves. The sun broke the clouds, sending down lines of gorgeous life-giving sunshine. Nature remained at peace, as had been.

Of course that's not true, is it? Every century, every millenium, there's been something, someone, there to screw around with the pieces. Someone to try to attain control over something best left alone.

Someone attempting to play god.

A shot rang through the air, followed by a soft pattering, which quickly grew to a loud muffled pounding in the air.

A helicopter dangled weightlessly in the air, as if held by strings.

"I think I got one!"

"What, a pygmy?"

"Some shirtless fucker I dunno."

The Amazon sprung to life at the noise, colors filling the air as birds took flight in fear for their lives. The scream of a human displayed to the men that they had in fact shot a "pygmy".

But despite all the sound and movement, the plants remained still.

They had no reason to run.

A tree sprung out of the dirt, at a speed at which trees should not move. It twisted and twirled into the open air, quickly dwarfing all others in the area. It consumed the helicopter where it stood, leaving it embedded. The pilots screamed, but the tree wasn't listening. Trees don't... listen to things.

The water shimmered under the sunlight. The vast blue emptiness stretched out in front for kilometers without end. It rumbled, a terrifying reminder of how much lived out in that nothing, and how easily one could come face to face with it.

A trumpet broke the water's natural silence. Off in the distance, a vague splotch of darkness could be seen. It grew, from a blotch to a blotch with wings. The trumpeting was joined by clicks. The blotch undulated in the darkness, creating currents of power that slammed into the rock. Finally it closed, letting out one last massive trumpet as it sailed by, the massive creature of blubber and... whatever else whales were made out of, sailed right on by, dispelling water and creature in its wake.

BEEEEEEEP

"Interesting how much that beep sounded like 'get off your ass you lazy f...udge."

Harris looked out the window of the Watch Tower, over Earth. Always his home, he's known that, but not until now had he truly understood it.

"It's Harris, what's up dude?"

---

Section 2: The Destroyed

Laboured breathing echoed through the halls of the dark building. It creaked under the wind but the room deep within the walls was near silent except for the horrific gasping and heaving of Wilhelm Silber's lungs. It had been five years, but he would never heal, not even his healing factor could do that. He could only hope to get used to struggling to breathe. He used his powers to hold himself upright enough to walk, balancing himself with his hand on everything nearby.

He felt trapped in his own body.

He hated being some worthless incapable, he hated being one of the very things he swore to destroy.

It would be different soon.

He looked upon his newest creation. A set of power armor, massive, bulky, impractical, but he just wanted to walk.

He pulled it into pieces in a moment and slapped them all in place on his body.

This was it, what he'd been preparing for. He dropped his telekinesis and immediately felt a familiar pain in his knees, it was agony, but not too bad; he was able to stand at least. Now if he could do more than that. Slowly, unsteadily, he lifted his leg, then placed it down. Huh. That worked.

He spent the next hour walking slowly, getting used to doing it again. It was a triumph, but it just made him angrier. How could something so easy be so hard to him, how could achieving it seem like such a milestone?

He was calm though. He could walk. That meant he could fight.

And if he could fight... her...

Then maybe, just maybe.

He'd be able to die.

Not as an old man killing himself.

But as a martyr going out against his eternal enemy.

That sounded good to him.

---

Section 3: The Starved

"I'm so close now."

She hurt.

Shams felt pain pounding at her from every angle, some from hurting herself tripping due to sleep deprivation, some from starvation from forgetting to eat for days at a time, and some from those few times she'd gotten shot.

Thank god for kevlar.

Her room smelt like coffee. So much coffee. She almost tasted the goddamn fucking coffee.

So there was this body.

It had been shot seventeen times.

No empty clip though, thank god, make it harder, she loved that.

So there was clearly animosity there. You wouldn't shoot someone with a clip and a little bit more just because you got told to shoot them.

Ah, her husband, the main suspect, they'd been disputing for years apparently, but if you're together that long and never split once, then why brutally kill her now?

She looked closer at the crime scene picture she'd "borrowed".

Hold on.

Her pocket

It was full.

That's a phone.

The police never reported a phone.

One of the cops must have stolen it.

She needed that phone.

She grimaced, more work to do.

Oh well, no time to waste.

She turned to leave but collapsed onto the floor.

Maybe she wasn't leaving just yet. Just... just one more hour of deep thought.

Heroes Reborn: Year Six (OPEN)

Powerhouse Street Tier

Audition Tape Number like a billion

The video fades in with similar effects to a VHS tape being started up. This seems to be a stylistic choice, the watermark on the jpeg guitar as it dances across the screen in tune with the sudden guitar riff is clearly not.

"Hello Justice League!"

A young woman stands before the camera. She appears exceptionally pale, limpid even. Her face is small and heart shaped, though the upper half is covered by an exceptionally large pair of goggles. Her hands, which she flashes before the camera in a flourish, are similarly pale. Her fingers are covered by black fingergloves, leaving most of her hand from the top of the palm down uncovered. Her thumbs are taped up. She appears to be wearing a black jumpsuit of some kind. She must think black makes one look thin. As for her body, it appears, from what can be seen, thin, and her breasts appear nonexistent.

"So, as you read in my note, this is an audition tape, duh right?"

Katy Perry is audible in the background.

"So, having seen your awesome stuff in the Middle East and... well everywhere at once during the war, it's kinda like... wow, that's nuts. I wanna do that too, so I stole shit!"

Cue a picture montage of the girl holding up stolen stuff while giving the peace sign.

"I got really good at stealing shit! I pick locks like most people pick their noses or other bodily regions. Ew. But yeah! Stealing shit was fun! Still is actually! Eventually I stole the right thing! THIS KICK ASS FUCKING KITE!"

An image is shown of a large kite, made out of a dark blue fabric that isn't identifiable on the film. It has lines of purple and a number of seemingly metal pieces covering it. A large unidentifiable mass hangs below the back. The girl is again giving the peace sign in the foreground.

"It's the coolest isn't it? But yeah I stole the kite and was like 'whoa' but I found out that it had human straps on it and I fit! SO I started training!"

Cue montage of the girl falling off the kite onto her face, thankfully at a low elevation, it appears to be filmed in Seattle, judging by the skyline. That must be her hometown. Her full body reveals her to be around five feet in height, if that pole in the video is three feet high.

"Went well! Now I can do awesome shit with it! Like fly... and... and... fly..."

"OH RIGHT it also turns into shields."

Cue poorly focused footage of the girl fighting two sharply dressed men. The men shoot at her, and she breaks the kite in two, blocking every bullet with ease. She smacks one aside, then takes the larger half and points it at the last man, whereupon it releases a blast of pressured air and flies into his face.

"Fuckin' sweet right? Anyway, just give me a shout when you inevitably have a spot for me, just send a message to Anna Onata of Seattle, Washington! Also known as the world's favorite thief, KITE GIRL!"

Cue video of Anna leaping into the air with fireworks at her back.

(Other information that I couldn't fit: Age: 21, Weight: Uh she doesn't even know she doesn't own a scale. Symbol: A kite, fuckin' duh. SWIFT backstory: Poor girl from Seattle, stole magic kite, steals better and bigger now.)