Lord Wraith

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

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_{Location: Southern Plateau - Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.055: Riptide

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_{Interaction(s): @Melissa - Aurora Mitchell}

Previously: Lose Yourself

The eerily white sterile walls fluctuated around Lorcán as the boy with the sun-bleached hair pushed onwards through the maze of corridors and rooms. The facility seemed to rearrange itself on a whim, becoming increasingly erratic. There were fleeting moments when the simulation completely fell away, revealing his teammates running around each other, lost in twisted mirages of their deepest fears. The honeycomb-like pattern of the floor and walls rearranged itself before the hard-light constructs reappeared and Lorcán was pulled back into the nightmare.

No simulation he had ever been in before had felt so intentional and alive, it was almost as if it was reacting to his every movement. But the shifts began to slow, hallways becoming static as Lorcán ran closer to the sound of her voice. Her cries pulled at his heartstrings while her sobs echoed in the barren hallways. Turning the corner, Lorcán felt his chest lighten as his eyes were cast upon familiar locks of copper-toned hair.

“Rora!” He called excitedly, ignoring the pains of his injuries, “Lady Dude, I’m coming!”

As she knelt on the floor, head in her hands and consumed with dread, Aurora wondered if she’d ever make it out of this twisted simulation. Her teammates were gone, had abandoned her and left her behind, and she was completely spent and drained, no HZE’s to spare. She knew she had to be strong, had been through hell and back before, but everything in this place seemed to compound, causing her to feel absolutely hopeless.

Just when she thought she was ready to throw in the towel and accept her fate, a voice, familiar and true, rang out, ricocheting off of the walls. It reverberated in her mind and in her heart.

Lorcán?

But as she turned, hoping to gaze into his familiar sunset eyes, all she could see was a bloody scar sliced down the boy's tanned face. It had been another trick of the simulation, it wasn’t the Lorcán she knew, even if his voice was so familiar and convincing. Raze had found her, chased her down like a predator to prey, and she knew she was done for. Aurora scrambled to her feet, and began to back away, the invisible barrier that had originally blocked off the hallway having disappeared, allowing her purchase. But in the back of her mind, she just hoped he’d be merciful.

“NO! Don’t come any closer!” Her baby blue eyes were wide with absolute terror, face to face with the dopplegänger once more. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” She screeched, her hands instinctively coming up to block herself. “I already told you, I won’t join you!”

The young man’s footsteps faltered as she screamed towards him, slowing to a stop just several paces away from her. Lorcán’s eyes studied her, taking a deep breath. The trial had been exhausting, and still it seemed to give no reprieve as he could only assume this Aurora was also a trick much like the other had been.

He leaned against a nearby wall, slumping down to the floor and allowing himself a rest. His face hurt, and his back was awakened with new pain as the cold of the wall irritated the burns and lacerations. A small tear of frustration welled up in the corner of his left eye, the right trying to do the same but struggling against the wound covering it.

“I just need to find my Aurora.” He lamented softly, burying his head in his hands before the environment flickered again suddenly. As the walls faded, revealing the interior of the Trial again, Lorcán’s eyes were drawn towards where Aurora was only to realize she was still there.

She was his Aurora.

The walls came back, placing the pair back in a hallway, the white tile interspersed with brick and vine as the appearance of the Foundation was beginning to melt away and the original code appeared. Excitement rose in Lorcán as he began to tap a beat against the floor before starting to hum.

“A singer in a smoky room,” He wasn’t the best singer, but Lorcán could carry a tune. “The smell of wine and cheap perfume!”

The redhead observed the boy through moisture filled eyes as he slid down the wall and sat on the floor, but kept her distance. Raze had tried to trick her once already - pretend he was someone he was not - she wasn’t going to let herself fall for it a second time. But something about his body language wasn’t the same as before, he looked like he was in pain, and his voice faltered, filled with emotion. Could it be? She took a single step towards him, but hesitated.

The simulation flickered, her neural uplink cooling momentarily as their surroundings changed and began to dissolve the Foundation’s chilling interior. But he didn’t change with it, his form didn’t waver, no he was real. Living and breathing and here.

And then he was singing that damn song that he knew got on her nerves like no other. There was so much great music out there, but for some reason this one was named an ‘anthem’; it was overused and cheesy, and yet, in that moment it was the sweetest music she’d ever heard.

It was him.

“..._Lorcán?” The redhead’s voice was cautious, soft and small, a juxtaposition to how her throat had burned from her previous yelling. Her feet moved of their own accord towards him and she knelt down to his level, even though her legs screamed in protest. She started crying again but in relief.

He hadn’t abandoned her.

He’d come to find her.

“I thought you were- I’m sorry, I- He tried to-” She couldn’t complete each thought before the next one came on, her words coming out in between gasping breaths. She gingerly reached up to cup his cheek, examining his face. “What did they do to you?”

“I had to fight myself,” Lorcán replied, placing his own hand over hers, “But like a kook version of myself, dude had a gonk cape. He wanted to ensure I remembered him, left me this souvenir.” Lorcán explained, a finger pointing towards the scar over his right eye. His other hand moved to Aurora’s face, hovering over the forming bruises.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop this,” He muttered, “I didn’t want you to be the one going through that door. I just don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t find you.” He moved his hands around Aurora’s shoulders, before pulling her in tightly, burying his face into her shoulder as he let out a small sigh of relief whilst fighting back the tears that had been welling up.

“I’m not letting go,” He teased, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Aurora grew rigid and tense at the mention of Raze, “I saw him too.” She breathed as his hand enveloped hers, committing the feeling of Lorcán’s comforting touch to memory. “I-I woke up in his garage, I thought he was you.” The redhead stuttered, wincing instinctively as he reached out towards her face. The skin was tender and painful, throbbing along with her head. “That’s why I ran from you. He tried to get me to join him and serve Hyperion, wanted me to kill my step-” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence, utter his name, but as Lorcán wrapped her in his embrace, she could feel her whole body relax.

“It’s not your fault.” She reassured, bringing her hand up to run through his hair, stray tears continuing to fall down her cheeks as she attempted to regain her composure. “What happened though? I can’t remember anything after teleporting and my head really hurts, I can’t think straight.”

At his promise, she just held onto him tighter. Only moments ago, she thought he’d left her behind. Even though he did not realize it, his words meant everything and quieted the rogue thoughts in her head.

“Neither am I.”

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

The sound of a distant explosion rocked the Southern Plateau as the techs left overseeing the trial continued to fight against the Harbinger’s hijack.

“The corrupted code just went offline.” The tense silence of the Trial control room broke as the tech's excited exclamation echoed through the office. Over the last two hours, they had been working with no avail to push the corrupted code out of the system, having tried everything short of cutting the power out of fear of putting those inside into a catatonic state.

“Console is going green, we have control again.”

“Power it down, medical is standing by,” A member of the faculty ordered. They had seen what Blackjack had been subjected to. Every scenario, situation and interaction had been displayed in the control room for the techs to witness. Each of them would be subject to a debriefing following today. The student body on the other hand had been ordered back to campus the minute the Trial had been hijacked. The school couldn’t risk anyone else becoming hurt or trapped, let alone traumatized by witnessing what Blackjack had gone through.

“We won’t know what injuries were real and what was the work of the simulation until we get in there, bring full trauma kits and be prepared for emergency transportation.”

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_{Location: H.E.L.P.'s Black Site - Zayas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.051: High Hopes

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Tick Tick Boom

A faint violet glow illuminated the area above Teresa Torres as she strained her mind and body using her abilities to push against the collapsing roof. Beside her, Jim was at his breaking point, using his abilities to shield not only their allies but the nearby Orcinus students who had surrendered.

“My phone,” Grunted Torres looking toward both Jess and Miranda, “Press… the… button…” She motioned with her chin towards the dropped device as Miranda scooped it up. Outside the shield, flame and rubble consumed the Black Site, the prison had been wired to go with the Harbinger and Miranda was silently cursing herself for not catching it. She had been a hostage negotiator for H.E.L.P., she should have been able to profile Michael and realize he wasn’t walking out of this room alive.

Jessica on the other hand was nearly catatonic, her eyes unmoving from where Tad had tackled Michael. There was still hope that Tad could make it out alive, but it wasn’t something Miranda could allow herself to dwell on in the moment. Scooping the device up from the floor, Miranda pressed the button illuminated on the screen.

“Now what?” Miranda asked, looking from Torres to Jim.

“We hope.” Came the strained reply.

“Well, this sure is a pickle.” Interjected a foreign voice as Miranda turned to see a tanned olive-skinned man twitching his prominent handlebar moustache before chomping down on an unlit cigar. He flicked out a lighter, pressing it to the end of the cigar before a much larger man plucked it out of his mouth and extinguished it on the back of his hand.

“Alveraz,”

“Yeah, yeah, chief, don’t get your spandex in a knot,” Daytripper replied to Hyperman who immediately went to work placing his strength against the collapsing roof. Both Jim and Torres exhaled in relief as some of the strain was immediately taken off their shoulders.

“Guess I’ll be ‘porting you lot out of here,” The teleporter winked, wrapping a hand around Miranda’s waist and the other arm around Jess’ shoulders. “It is a real pleasure to meet you.” He winked before the three disappeared and the Daytripper reappeared, grabbing two Orcinus students before vanishing again. In a matter of moments, the Foundation Force member had cleared everyone except for his colleague, Jim, and Torres.

“Alright you three, together,” Daytripper ordered only for Jim to shake his head.

“Take them, I need to find Thaddeus.”

“I can’t let you do that, Sir,” Hyperman interjected before Torres held up a hand.

“Hank, I’ve got this,” She interjected, “Jim, you won’t be able to survive the weight,”

“I have to try.”

Torres grabbed Jim by the shoulder, before giving him a quick squeeze and releasing.

“Do what you have to do, but I’m enjoying our rivalry, so don’t die yet, cowboy.” She reached out her phone. “When you find him, hit the button and Alveraz will get you out of here,” Torres added before turning back to the two Foundation Force members.

“Get me out of here.”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” Daytripper saluted and disappeared with Hyperman and Torres. The weight of the rubble above immediately shifted as Jim tried to keep his shield around himself. He gritted his teeth and bared the weight, moving quickly to get out from under the bulk of the falling debris.

He only hoped Tad was alive under all this concrete and steel.

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

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_{Location: H.E.L.P.'s Black Site - Zayas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.048: Tick Tick Boom

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Monkey Wrench

“Do you have any idea what it’s like cleaning up after these kids that treat you like you’re invisible?”

The Harbinger continued to rant from the balcony above while Jim and his allies defended themselves against Hyperion’s Children.

“I nearly got frostbite after the senator’s daughter blew up a sink in the bathroom. And what thanks do I get for fixing that? She just left the sink exploded to thaw out and flood the place without telling anyone. And did you or any of the rest of the faculty even ask her about it?” He screeched, “NO! Because she’s part of your precious little Blackjack.”

“So you thought trapping them in the Trial would show them the error of their ways?” Jim retorted, grappling an attacking student and wrapping his mechanical arm around their neck before putting the cloaked figure into a firm sleeper hold.

“No,” The Harbinger replied smugly, “I thought it would break them, leave their minds nearly catatonic so that you’d have a mess on your hands to clean up and have no one take responsibility.” He turned towards Torres, still hiding his face under the mask he wore.

“And if I managed to frame the Foundation and its transfer student in the process then so be it. I do have to wonder why the late Chancellor, or rather Hyperion, took such a vested interest in Amma?” The Harbinger purred.

“Did no one else find that interesting? Oh trust me, as a janitor I was a fly on the wall, privy to all sorts of private conversations. When no one sees you, they are their truest selves in front of you.”

“Whether Amma Cahors was transferred here by Kowalski or not, it doesn’t matter now,” Torres retorted, “She’s now a member of this student body and far safer here than she was with the Foundation.”

“Is she though?” The Harbinger taunted, “One of mine has gone missing, where is Robert Arkwight, Miss Torres? Don’t ‘sub-class’ Hyperhumans have a tendency to go missing with the Foundation?”

Jim watched as Torres turned three shades lighter, it was the first time she had shown fear.

“I assure you, I had nothing to do with that.” She replied before Jim turned to her.

“Are y’all as sick of listening to this blowhard as I am? Mind tossin’ me up there?” He asked Torres whose stern expression seemed to crack a smile if only for a split second.

“It would be my pleasure.” Torres replied telekinetically vaulted Jim into the air. Behind them, Tad, Jessica and Miranda were doing their best against several other members of the splinter house.

"The winds are blowing." Tad blurted out, throwing his hands up as the Orcinus members stopped dead in his tracks. Miranda and Jess both paused, turning to look at Tad.

“Wait,” A voice came from under one of the hoods, “You’re one of us? Sorry, I had no idea-” A fist smashed into the robed figure’s face crumbling him over as Tad stood over him, shaking his now throbbing hand.

“Hey, not cool,” Came a reply from another hooded figure, “You didn’t have to do that, we don’t hit our own.”

“Nope, not one of you” He snapped, decking the other speaker as his hand adapted to the pain and force.

“Just testing a theory.” His facial experience steeled as he turned to Jess and Miranda while resuming the struggle with the remaining members of House Orcinus.

“We need to get Blackjack out now!” He yelled, “I think Mike might have one more card up his sleeve to play even if we get the Trial turned off.”

“Which is exactly why Mr. Tableau here is going to tell us how to turn it off.” Jim growled, his mechanical arm lifting the quivering man in front of him. Behind them, Naira was imprisoned in a purple case of psionic energy while the rest of the House Orcinus members knelt on the ground with their hands raised above their heads.

“Y-you should be shaking in your boots, not me!” The Harbinger snapped before Jim removed his mask and any remaining bravado. Under his hood was an active neural link, the LEDs illuminated indicating it was connected.

“Sorry, I choose my friends a whole lot better than y’all do, Miranda’s been keepin’ everyone’s minds guarded from your abilities the minute we walked in here.”

“Telepath.” Mike sneered, “But even you were blind to me.”

“I won’t make that mistake twice,” Miranda replied coolly, her eyes fixing on Michael. “Amazing,” Miranda muttered, a hand rising to her temple as her voice quivered slightly. “Someone taught you how to resist me,”

“Looks like he’s plugged in,” Jim stated, turning Michael around to show the others, “I’ll get the techs to take a look at it, see if they can’t use this uplink to end the entire simulation.”

Putting Michael down on the ground, Jim moved his hand to his belt looking for the restraints he had brought from the crashed Manticore.

“Long Live Hyperion.” Micheal suddenly shouted, breaking free from Jim before throwing his robe open to reveal a bomb strapped to his chest.

“Jim!” Miranda cried as Torres quickly pushed her and Jessica out of the way before reaching for the Chancellor. In the chaos, no one noticed Tad tackle Michael to the ground. The pair of men sliding along the catwalk while Jim was pulled into the air.

And then, the bomb went off.

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

“How is he settling in here?” Jonas asked, taking a seat beside Aiden on the large wrap-around porch. Behind the house, the waves of the ocean inlet lapped up against the rocking shore while the porch looked over a large yard, the Alumni Village sitting on the horizon.

“He’s adjusting, misses the noise and liveliness of the campus though,” Tori replied to Jonas’ question, placing a cold glass of iced tea down beside the Chancellor.

“Miss Clarke is working out as a tutor then? No incidents?”

“Lorcán seems quite fond of her,” Aiden replied, “Perhaps a tad too fond, but he’s working hard and his control is on par with students nearly five years his elder.”

“Boy does love a redhead,” Jonas replied with a knowing wink, as Aiden choked on his drink.

“Jonas!” Tori scolded with a smile, “No spoilers, you know that.”

“Apologies, I couldn’t help myself.” The Chancellor chuckled, “He’s a remarkable boy, an even more remarkable young man, I consider myself very honoured to be his honorary grandfather.”

“Yes, we’re very proud of Lorcán, he’s growing up so fast now. Seems like just yesterday we were watching him fight for his life in the NICU, now Lion Lungs has his H-Gene active.”

On the grass below, plasma clashed against plasma as Lorcán focused on maintaining his blade while the older redhead agilely danced around him. Aiden, Tori and Jonas turned to watch as the pair of teenagers continued to spar.

“You’re doing well, little dude.” Ryan complimented, “But you’re still overthinking.” She reprimanded feinting an attack only to come from a different angle which caused Lorcán’s blade to falter. It shattered upon impact from Ryan’s own, sending Lorcán tumbling into the grass outside of the Roth’s new family home in the Alumni Village.

“You need to stop thinking and start feeling, let your abilities be as natural as using your hand is. It should be instinctual to dodge using a boost or to block a surprise attack with a generated beam.” Ryan explained, “You’ve got a lot in your arsenal, definitely one of the broader abilities I’ve come across.”

“Keep in mind,” Aiden interjected, standing up from his seat and approaching the pair. He placed a hand on Lorcán’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Unlike Ryan or I, you’re not limited to one method of using your abilities. Ryan creates her plasma blades exclusively, and my abilities only manifest in optic blasts, but you have the ability to manipulate heat. It gives you versatility and an edge.” Aiden reminded Lorcán while watching the two train, “You have the element of surprise because you can opt for a different method of attack.”

Gripping Lorcán’s shoulders, he turned his son towards a scarecrow standing in the nearby garden. “Go ahead, try and create a heat blast using only your eyes. Think where you want the blast to go, blink, check again to make sure there’s no one in harm’s way then release your blast.”

Aiden gave Lorcán a pat on the back before stepping back. “Just remember, visualize, blink, check and then release.”

Taking a deep breath, Lorcán nodded. Concentrating on the air in front of him, he pictured two beams of fire before closing his eyes and steadying his stance. Opening his molten-coloured eyes, Lorcán watched with a smile as a pair of blasts erupted from in front of his face, spreading across the yard and igniting the scarecrow.

“And that’s how the Roth men do it.” Aiden celebrated.

“Congratulations my boy,” Jonas shouted from the porch, “We will be watching your career with great interest.”

“Couldn’t do it without my Dad,” Lorcán replied while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, desperately hoping his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

“Or Ryan,” He hastily added, this time turning a shade of beet red.

“That was so good, dude.” Ryan added.

“Now let's try again with sustaining those blades.”

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_{Location: Southern Plateau - Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.047: Lose Yourself

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Duality

"Lorcán!"

Aurora’s voice felt simultaneously near, but distant. It wasn’t the cry of the doppelgänger above him, no Lorcán knew that to be his Aurora. Watching Raze’s cruel face above him, Lorcán knew he would have only one opportunity. His grip was beginning to slip, sweaty palms, weak knees and his arms heavy.

"Lorcán, please!"

Snap back to reality.

Her scream of desperation echoed across the chasm beneath Lorcán as he continued to hang. Every muscle in his body ached, strained and pushed to their limits as only the dull, constant throbbing of his body kept him focused.

"Don't worry about Aurora," Raze sneered, watching Lorcán's ears perk at her scream. "I'll make sure she's well taken care of, in time she may even come to love me."

Raze’s words burned in Lorcán’s ears as molten eyes turned upwards defiantly. Embers flared brightly as a new flame ignited within Lorcán, the hungry fire crying out for oxygen. Summoning his strength, Lorcán pulled himself upwards, but his efforts were to no avail, he was too weak.

He was running on fumes.

Then, he felt her, his pain, his torment beckoned for her to heed his cry. Stolen glances flashed before his eyes, full lips and raven-coloured hair. He could feel her in his arms again, the smell of the forest around him. As Lorcán hung defiantly, tendrils of crimson and silver flew from the abyss below. They crawled over his skin, wrapping around every limb, digging into his pores and sending a shiver of familiar pleasure up and down his spine.

His skin felt alive and electrified as a new power flowed within him, amplified like he had never been before. His toes curled and his eyes closed, he could practically feel her tracing his back, marking him as her own while he harnessed the unforgiving chaos gifted to him. It brought renewed strength that flowed through every muscle, the strength not of just one, but the strength of two.

Letting go of the girder from which he hung, Lorcán's hands flew to his sides. A wave of heat radiated from him, explosions erupting from each palm, launching the molten-eyed young man into the air as he agilely somersaulted over his darkly mirrored counterpart.

"You will not touch her."

A blazing beam of crackling crimson plasma exploded from Lorcán's hand, the blood-like colour casting an ominous hue over Raze as the near identical man quickly retaliated, his own blade of red pale in comparison to Lorcán’s.

“You’re going to need to be more specific,” Raze taunted, “Your thoughts betray you, they dwell on not one, but two.” He grinned like a Cheshire Cat. “There is much conflict in you. we’re not that different it would seem.” Raze scoffed before lunging. Sparks flew and angry hisses echoed over the catwalk as plasma and electromagnetic fields collided.

“Even a little boost from your friends won’t save you in the end.”

“You know why I’m stronger than you?” Lorcán cried, “Because I don't have friends,” His eyes suddenly flared, a crackle of silver and crimson danced in the corners. His father’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Visualize, blink, check and then release.”

“I've got family.”

The optic blast caught Raze off guard, obliterating the scarred half of his face. The smell of burning flesh overwhelmed Lorcán’s nostrils, nearly causing him to gag as the stunned doppelgänger stumbled backwards before plummeting over the edge and into the chasm.

Lorcán could feel the temporary boost from Amma weaning, the pain of his injuries rapidly returning. Still, the day was not yet over.

“Hold on, Aurora.” He muttered aloud through gritted teeth. “I’m coming.”

“I’m right here, hot stuff.” A familiar voice suddenly called from the balcony above. “You won, come and get your prize.”

“Sorry, brah,” Lorcán replied with an apologetic but weak smirk, “I’m not settling for anything less than the real thing, so I’ll be finding my Aurora.”

The doppelgänger pouted, leaning down on the railing while her outfit threatened to cause her chest to spill out. Lorcán took one last look before shaking his head and running for the door. Aurora blew a loose strand of hair from her eyes as she watched him go.

“Some gals have all the luck.”

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

As Calliope stood, she was stopped in her tracks by cold steel against the back of her head.

“I’m sorry, luv, that’s far enough.” The familiar voice of the Butler stated from behind the blonde woman. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go through with it, that boy is my meal ticket and he knows it. If you take him away, if you give him meaning, I’ll be back to where I started before all this, and I’ll be damned if that cursed line is allowed to procreate again.”

His hand quivered slightly, the barrel of the weapon causing friction against the back of the student’s head.

“I did everything I could to protect him but this juvenile crush has gone on long enough. Hopefully he gets to you before you bleed out. I wouldn’t want to rob him of the chance to say goodbye again.”

Momentary relief washed over Calliope as the weapon was removed. The weapon cocking was suddenly deafening and before she could react the sound of the shot rang out. Calliope fell to the ground, where once was two feet, now was only one, her left leg from the thigh down gone. Searing white pain overtook the shock and blood was rapidly exiting from the open wound.

“I’d get a tourniquet on that if I were you, luv.” The Butler responded while nodding towards the bloodied stump where her leg had once been, and then he too, so like much of the Trial, vanished, leaving Calliope alone in the dark to bleed out.

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_{Location: H.E.L.P.'s Black Site - Zayas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.039: Monkey Wrench

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: I Walk the Line

In the short months that the Black Site had been decommissioned, the age and humidity of the island had rapidly caught up with it, leaving the interior damp and reeking of mold and mildew. Still, Jim noted, it was void of the usual dust no doubt thanks in part to the traffic the site was still seeing thanks to Hyperion’s Children.

“Hold up,” Jim ordered, raising a hand before motioning to Torres to flank the entrance. “We have company.” He raised his weapon, while Torres produced her own.

“Jim,” Miranda’s voice called from the other side of the door, “It’s just Tad and I.”

“How do I know ya’ll ain’t Cameron?” Jim called back.

“Your favourite bourbon is Howler Head, but you always pour it into a decanter and dispose of the bottle so people don’t know you enjoy a banana flavoured bourbon.” Miranda replied. Torres raised an eyebrow while Jim let out a low chuckle.

“Happy to have y’all along.” He stated, stepping out of the shadows as Miranda and Tad joined him and Torres.

“I take it Miss Friend is here as well then?” Jim asked as Miranda nodded.

“Or at least she was when we had Cameron, congratulations on avoiding death again.”

“If Hyperion weren’t about to kill me, I ain’t about to let his bargain bin knockoff do it.” Jim retorted as the group headed further into the belly of the beast.

“This is all very sentimental, but I am hoping the pair of you have a plan.”

“Them?” Tad’s tone was incredulous. “They’re cowboys, I assumed you being here meant there was a plan, with all due respect Ms. Torres.”

“Big damn heroes.” Torres scolded as Jim beamed.

“Ain’t we just.”

Following the corridor deeper into the prison, the group emerged into a common area only to be greeted by several robed figures. Standing on the guard catwalk above was the Harbinger and beside him Naira Cameron holding Jessica with a blade pushed firm against the woman’s throat.

“Welcome, Chancellor and Interlopers.” The Harbinger gloated, their glee-laden baritone echoed through the large room. “I understand you have been looking for us.” They paced back and forth above the room, clearly amused he finally had the chancellor before him.

“You’re too late to save the students. Even if their minds haven’t crumpled from the strain, by now they’ve been wounded, maimed and potentially even killed. The team that dared stand defiant against our savior, broken by his successor. Look upon my works ye and despair.”

“Y’all look pretty stupid in those bathrobes. What is this, the spa from hell?” Jim smiled, his eyes focusing on Jessica’s neck. “This little game is at an end, take your mask off, put down any weapons and we’ll all walk out of here, hand in hand.”

“I believe,we have the numbers.” The Harbinger raised their hands as several more darkly clad figures emerged.

“Do you realize who I am?” Torres stepped forward, interjecting herself. “I am the Face of the Foundation. With a press of this button,” She started, showing her phone screen. “I will have the Foundation Force bring this entire building to rubble. You might be able to intimidate these teenagers into following you with your abilities,”

The Harbinger faltered slightly at the accusation.

“I’m sure Miss Rivers can verify my hypothesis, but even standing here now I can feel you trying to manipulate fear and awe from me. I have been in the presence of men and women far greater than you, I know a cheap imitation.”

“Well Miranda?” Jim asked, as the dark haired woman nodded.

“Their thoughts are well guarded, but I can feel their mind struggling to maintain their ability. Ms. Torres is correct.”

“No!” The Harbinger protested, “No! I am somebody you should fear.”

“Michael…” Miranda interjected, “Michael Tableau?”

“Mike the Janitor?” Tad blurted, stifling a laugh. “Hyperion’s Children are taking orders from Mike the Janitor?”

“Kill her.” The Harbinger ordered as Naira nodded only to find the knife wouldn’t move as a purple haze emerged between the blade and Jessica’s neck. Suddenly Jessica brought her heel down hard on Naira’s foot, before throwing the back of her head hard into the shapeshifter’s nose. Blood splattered across Naira’s face, the girl unable to regain her composure before Jessica managed to hoist Naira over her shoulder and off the catwalk.

“Thaddeus Finch, if you so much as spooned her, the wedding is off.” Jessica cried before vaulting over the catwalk to join her friends.

“Kill them all!” The Harbinger screamed. “Don’t let them escape with their lives, their insolence must be punished!”

But the cloaked students faltered, hesitating as Torres continued to hover her thumb over the button on her phone screen.

“That totally is Mike the Janitor,” Tad rolled his eyes before walking forward and hugging Jessica as she rejoined her rescuers.

“I always thought he shot spaghetti-os out of his nose.”

“Don’t just stand there!” The Harbinger screamed, “Get them! Now!”

A wave of energy washed over the room as something changed within the cloaked students. The Harbinger was pushing himself towards Hyperpsychosis to ensure he went down fighting. Looking from Miranda to Torres and back to Tad and Jessica, Jim muttered before spinning the barrel of his revolver as he put a new bullet in the chamber.

“And just when I thought it was over.”

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: The Southern Plateau - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.037: I Walk The Line

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: No Angels

Behind Jim, Adam dropped to the forest floor. A clean wound through his shoulder took the rage out of the beast as the young man howled in pain. Lindsay on the other hand was unable to move as Torres held her tightly in her telekinetic grip.

“You dropped this,” Torres snarked, floating the weapon back to Jim who snatched it out of the air and hastily holstered it.

“I suppose y’all have my gratitude,” He replied, his hand wandering to his ribs before his winced. As the adrenaline began to die down, the pain racing through his body began to rise.

“How’d y’all find me?” Jim asked, his eyes darting back to Adam to make sure the older student was in fact downed.

“Your island isn’t that big,” Torres replied dryly, “A vehicle taking an impromptu trip offroad leaves a mark. Happened to be on my way to observe the Trial, though I’m hearing you’re having some trouble with that. Are things always like this with you in charge?” Torres asked.

“Oh darlin’,” Jim replied, “Things were like this long before I was in charge.” He examined the damage to his arm, giving his hand a few flexes before checking the elbow and shoulder. Satisfied, Jim secured his holster before retrieving his Stetson from where it had been blasted to by Lindsay’s attacks.

Thankfully, the hat was miraculously unmarred.

“If’n ya’ll be excusin’ me, one of them got away and I’d very much like to track that whale back to the whole pod.”

“Not without backup you’re not.” Torres responded as Jim reluctantly moved aside, gesturing for her to follow him.

“Though I don’t know how you allowed an entire terrorist cell to fester under your nose this whole time.” Torres added with a disapproving tone.

“People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, darlin’.” Jim smiled with a wink of his gruff face. “We both know y’all got more than a few problems in your pipin’ based on the smell coming from your sewer.” He added, giving Torres a pat on the shoulder before he continued to speak while walking.

“Hyperion’s loyalists fled P.R.C.U. after he was dealt with. It wasn’t until the Foundation removed all incarcerees from the islands that we started to hear whispers of growing numbers. Clearly, their ranks had been culled at some point, but to pull a stunt like this they wanted attention. The question is why.” Jim mused while Torres kept pace beside him.

“The Foundation somehow has garnered a reputation for being Hyperhuman first over the last couple of years,” Torres replied, “Based on the reputation of Hyperion, if anything your so-called loyalists probably figured helping our goals actually would aid theirs.” She paused, studying the hastily trampled forest floor.

“It looks like they were heading to the coast.”

“Not the coast,” Jim grunted, his bruised ribs making themselves known again. “The Black Site.”

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

Deleted

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

^{| A Day Ago}

The corridors of the former Black Site had always given Naira Cameron the creeps. But she walked with pride, the Harbinger had chosen her. There was something exhilarating about being in the presence of the Harbinger, they had an atmosphere about them that commanded respect, Naira couldn’t help but be in awe of the power they wielded from the makeshift throne they sat upon.

For the past year, Naira had been working for the Harbinger using her ability to maintain the alias of Pallyx Penada. Under this alias, the Harbinger had been able to get Pallyx into the system and ultimately onto Team Blackjack, a personal sleight against the chancellor’s former team and both Thaddeus Finch and Andrew Olyphant who personally defied Hyperion.

With the announcement of the degrees being stripped away from Pacific Royal, the opportunity to further drive a wedge between the students and the Foundation was at hand. It was simply the icing on the cake to ensure Blackjack suffered for Orcinus’ gain. Pallyx would simply leave, and Naira would move to the next part of the Harbinger’s plan.

A gloved hand reached towards Naira, holding within it a small USB drive.

“You’ve done well this far, my child. Truly you are a Child of Hyperion.”

"The winds are blowing." Naira replied with a bow.

"But the surface is still." The Harbinger answered, “You will need faculty access to the Trial, with your talents, but also you’ll need the student card of one of the Trial’s architects to write the code. Opportunity won’t knock twice, we need to strike while they’re confused and vulnerable.”

“Yes, Harbinger.” Naira stood to rise, “And should any of ours become ensnared in the trap?”

“Then they die for the glory of Hyperion.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: The Southern Plateau - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.035: No Angels

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Cult of Personality

“Structural integrity is currently at 61%.”

Another blast rocked the Manticore before the sound of something slicing into its armor filled the cabin. The back door was suddenly pried from its hinges as Naira climbed out, smiling smugly to her awaiting cohorts.

“Structural integrity is currently at 39%. Vehicle stability is compromised.”

“What do we do with him?”

“We have to kill him, he knows too much.” Naira replied, “The whole faculty is onto us, the mission is a failure. If we kill the Chancellor we have a chance to get away.”

“If we kill the Chancellor, it’s an open declaration of war.” Replied a male voice.

“We already did that the minute we tampered with the Trial.”

“She’s right.” A female voice interjected.

“I’m not doing it,” The male snapped, “Hyperhumans shouldn’t be killing other Hyperhumans, we’re supposed to be lifting each other up.”

“Sometimes,” Naira responded with a cruel smirk, “You have to crack a couple of eggs to make an omelette.” She turned to the woman beside her, “If Adam won’t do it, how about you?”

Picking up a nearby rock, the women smiled before charging it with kinetic energy, turning the stone from a projectile into a grenade.

“Jim wrote my parents last year, said I was a troubled youth, I spent my entire summer break bouncing from therapist to therapist. He wasted my summer, I’m happy to waste him.”

She launched the rock into the vehicle, the explosion quickly engulfed the interior while Adam shook his head.

“I can’t believe it came to this.”

“Where’s the beast?” Naira teased, “Never would I expect Lindsay to have more of a wild side than you.”

Adam roared, bearing his long, pointed teeth as the animal-like Hyperhuman gave a sullen look towards the burned-out vehicle.

“Suppose you want me to drag that wreck into the ocean-” He started to ask before a violet glow from the vehicle caught his attention. Turning to Lindsay, he raised a furry brow, “Is that you-”

The words didn’t make it out of his mouth before a wall of psychic energy smashed into his face, toppling Adam into the thick trunk of a nearby tree. From the other side of the vehicle, the driver’s side door exploded open as Jim toppled onto the ground, encased in a glow bubble of psionic energy. Lindsay smiled, reaching into the pouch she wore and producing a sleeve of metal slugs. Ejecting one into her hands, it immediately began to glow before she hurled the charged object towards Jim. Raising his metal arm and projecting a shield in front of it, Jim braced for the impact.

The explosion caused his eyes to blur as he was temporarily blinded while his cowboys dug into the soft moss covered floor of the ravine. He slid backwards, before turning to retaliate.

“Ainsworth, why I am not surprised y’all are caught up in this mess.” Jim drawled sarcastically.

“Go to hell!” Lindsay replied while repeatedly pelting Jim with explosives. Behind her, Naira looked between Lindsay and Adam before ultimately making a run for it, abandoning the other Orcinus members.

“Oh, you bitch.” Lindsay snapped from between gritted teeth while Jim began to close ground. “You better hope he kills me, Cameron! I’m coming for you, next!”

“I’d pay more attention to the fight y’all are in before picking more.” Jim suddenly leapt over the wreckage of the vehicle that had been separating the pair. Lindsay didn’t have time to react before suddenly Jim was tackled out of the air. A roar echoing through the trees as Adam re-entered the fray. His eyes were gone to bloodlust as the bear-like man tackled Jim to the ground. Jim winced as his skull bounced off a rock, his impact barely padded by a hastily made shield.

Scrambling for his sidearm, Jim managed to draw it from his holster only for Adam’s claws to tear it from his hand, sending the large revolver spinning across the verdant forest floor. Adam reared his head back, his pointed ears flat against the mane-covered skull. His protruding jaws snapped open, before rushing towards Jim’s neck.

Raising his metal arm, Jim grimaced as Adam bit down hard enough to bend and dent the metal shell. But it was the moment he needed. Using Adam’s locked jaw as leverage, Jim managed to get out from the much larger man, scrambling towards his firearm before coming face to face with the barrel of his own gun.

The weapon floated in front of him, the safety pulled back as none other than Teresa Torres stood near the wrecked Manticore. Lindsay’s eyes darted from Jim to Torres and then back to Jim with a smile. The birds in the trees above suddenly made themselves sparse as the sound of the revolver echoed through the trees.

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

“I came as fast as I could, had to end a class early in the A.R.C.”

Aiden Roth’s voice echoed through the multi-bedroom apartment. The faculty housing on campus wasn’t sparse on space and it provided more than enough room for the small family. He smiled as Victoria rounded the corner, moving towards his wife and landing a peck on her cheek while embracing her. She returned the gesture before her body language informed Aiden there was something more important than a cordial greeting at hand.

“His H-Gene manifested.” She replied before her husband excitedly cut her off. His arms spread wide, pride evident in Aiden’s face as he moved to celebrate

“That’s great news-” His excitement was met with a shaking head, tears welling up in the corner of Victoria’s eyes.

“A kid is in the infirmary, his parents are trying to sue the school.”

“Tori, what happened?”

“He took after you, his powers set the other boy on fire. The poor kid is covered in third degree burns. If it wasn't for our healers, I don't know that he would have survived.” She put her head in her hands.

“I never wanted him to have to experience that, to have his abilities happen so fast and so aggressively. The whole point of raising him on the island was to keep him safe and then this happens.”

“He’s still safe.” Aiden replied while massaging his wife’s shoulders. “I’ll talk to him, I’ve been where he’s at.” He softly kissed Tori on the forehead before climbing the stairs towards the bedrooms. Inside, he found Lorcán sitting silently on his blue comforter, a plush otter gripped firmly between his small arms as reddened eyes looked up towards his father. What had once been swirling irises of blue were now ember-like orange catching Aiden off guard before the elder Roth remembered his own abilities affected his eyes.

“I, I wanted to be his friend.” Lorcán replied, “Why was he so mean? I didn’t mean to get so angry, Daddy, I just wanted-”

“I know,” Aiden replied softly, sitting down beside Lorcán before putting an arm around his son and giving the boy a firm squeeze. “I know, Lion Lungs. You have your mother’s heart, but your father’s spirit and with that spirit comes the instinct to fight and stand up for yourself.” His tone was soft as he spoke.

"You also have a Hyperhuman gene, just like both of your mother and I. Much as we've long suspected. Unfortunately, you take after me instead of your mother which means you're going to need to learn to keep emotions in check in order to control your abilities. These abilities we have, they move with our emotions, anger and arousal specifically."

Aiden paused, taking a second to process what he had just said.

“We’ll cover that latter one in a few years.”

“I don’t want to be a Hyperhuman, I want to make friends,” Lorcán sullenly protested, “What good are these powers if they only hurt people?”

“Powers don’t hurt people, it’s unfortunately people that hurt other people.” Aiden chided softly, “Remember, the boy wasn’t hurt until you were angry. That’s when you lost control. I know right now it hurts, I know he wasn’t being kind to you either. You need to learn to choose when to stand up and when to let it glide over you, just like skipping a rock across the water.”

“I just wanted a friend,”

“I know that. It’s hard being the only munch on the island at times. We would have loved to have given you a sibling, but that just wasn’t in the cards for us.” Aiden replied kindly, a small lump forming in his throat before he swallowed and washed it away.

“In the meantime, we need to teach you how to use your abilities.”

“I don’t want to burn anyone else,” Lorcán reiterated, before sending a chill down Aiden’s spine as he spoke again,

“But, in the moment-”

“-It felt good to watch him burn.”

“I know you don’t, Little Lion, and I know you think you mean that right now. We’ll find you someone to talk to so you can get those feelings out in a healthy way. I will never tell you how to feel, but I want to be sure you’re able to deal with them in a productive way.” Aiden replied, trying to ignore the way Lorcán was now looking at himself in the mirror.

“For those reasons, I’m going to teach you how to use your abilities,” Aiden said while standing up, before extending a hand to Lorcán. “And when I’m busy at school, I’ve found you a tutor to help your Mom out, I think you’ll like her. Her name’s Ryan, she has an ability much like ours.”

He smiled as Lorcán took his hand,

“Now I believe your mom promised you some ice cream earlier.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Southern Plateau - Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.026: Duality

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: You Look Good Like That

The clash of plasma on plasma showered the catwalk in sparks and charged ions. The hum of their electromagnetic fields squealed in protest with each parry, the red and blue coloured blades becoming a vibrant purple each time they collided.

From the balcony above, the Aurora dopplegänger was fully engrossed and entertained as Lorcán and his own dopplegänger traded blows in a display of prowess with their abilities and acrobatics. She was captivated by the two nearly identical men and the fervor at which they fought.

It was a flurry of blows, equal exchanges and close calls as Lorcán continued to duel his dopplegänger atop the catwalk whilst Aurora and the hooded figure beside her looked on. Raze smiled before feinting, Lorcán barely had time to block the blow as the two blades locked again, illuminating Raze’s scarred visage in a violet glow.

“You are wonderful.”

“Thank you,” Lorcán responded through gritted teeth. “I've worked hard to become so.”

“I admit it, you are better than I am.” Sneered Raze before pulling away and putting some distance between himself and Lorcán.

“Then why are you smiling?”

“Because I know something you don't know.”

“And what is that?”

“I am not left-handed.” Raze taunted, the plasma blade switching from his left to his right hand before he re-engaged Lorcán in combat.

“You are amazing.” Lorcán replied, fending off the attacks as Raze drove him back along the catwalk. Above them continued to be captivated by the display of both Lorcáns.

“I ought to be, after serving Hyperion for years.” The dopplegänger sneered while continuing his onslaught.

“Oh,” Lorcán interjected, parrying the blade with his own before taking a step back,
“There's something I ought to tell you.”

“Tell me.” Raze growled with anticipation.

“I'm not left-handed either.” Lorcán responded, dispersing his blade from his left before reigniting the air in his right hand and suddenly driving Raze back toward the middle of the catwalk.

“This is clearly not your first time doing this,”

“Nor yours,” Lorcán stated admiringly between breaths.

“How often do you do this?”

“I practice with them three hours a day.” Boasted Lorcán nearly stabbed Raze as his thrust just missed the other’s torso, instead piercing his cape.

“You need to find yourself a girl. Or perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said lady.” Raze taunted, “You're not a eunuch are you?”

“I practice three hours a day, so when I meet a Hyperion loyalist, I can kill them.”

Cackling laughter broke the tension of the moment as both Raze and Lorcán’s eyes were drawn towards the robed figure looming over them from the balcony above.

“Oh,” The voice from under the hood chortled with delight, “I am so not Hyperion.” His hands moved to the hood, slowly removing it to reveal a burned scalp, and a face marred by lightning and fire.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“As you can see, the attempt on my life has left me scarred,” Rory explained, gesturing to the burns that covered his face. “But I am very much still alive.”

“Of course,” Lorcán muttered while continuing to defend against Raze’s attacks. “Somehow, Rory has returned. Didn’t I leave you at the bottom of the ocean, bro?” He called back to the hooded Rory.

“You do realize you tried to murder your best friend, bro?” Rory retorted, “And you’re not even shaken up about it, Goody-Two-Shoes Lorcán takes a life and he’s completely unphased, what are you some kind of psychopath? Are any of your relationships even real?” He raved, salvia flying from his mouth.

“Is that why you can’t get Aurora to love you? She’s seen the monster inside, she knows all your attachments, your friendships, that they’re all fake.” Rory paused, chuckling darkly.

“All your friends are experiencing their worst nightmares, and you’re playing make believe. Even in a life-or-death scenario, you’ve managed to make yourself the hero. It’s all about Lorcán.” He hissed venomously.

“Just like when abandoned the real me to go play in the woods with Amma, just like when you sprang your feelings on Aurora in the tent.”

Lorcán felt the knife twist.

“In the end,” He laughed, “You’re no different than him,” Rory added whilst pointing toward Raze.

“No… that’s not true!” Lorcán protested with a loud cry, “That’s impossible!” Pushing back against Raze with all his might, Lorcán broke off from their fight before he leapt onto the catwalk railing and boosted himself towards the balcony that held Rory and Aurora’s doppelgängers.

“Aurora’s my best friend, you’re a dick and you’re not real.” He roared, his plasma blade reigniting from his hands. Rory laughed as the blade arced towards him. Suddenly, Lorcán found himself blocked as Rory ignited a blade of his own.

With his free hand, Rory unleashed a blast of lightning, knocking Lorcán from the balcony, watching the other boy hit the catwalk with a fleshy thud, smoke coming off of his chest from where the attack had melted some of the suit’s protective layer away. Removing the flowing black robes, Rory tossed them aside before teleporting to the catwalk and reforming the plasma blades.

Lorcán’s eyes widened as he found himself between Raze on one side and the now shirtless Rory on the other.

“Forgot I could take multiple powers, didn’t you, Lorc?”

“Still won’t help you,” Redirecting a lightning blast from Rory towards Raze, Lorcán held his own against both of his demons. Pain suddenly radiated through his body, exhaling a cry from between his lips as he missed a parry from Raze, the plasma blade dragging across his back.

Anticipating the next one, Lorcán danced between his two foes and watched Raze skewer Rory. As Rory cried out in shock, Lorcán pushed Raze back, taking his weapon and twisted it into Rory’s side.

“You hurt, Aurora. You threatened her.”

“Bros before hoes.”

“Not on your life.” Lorcán swung his blade hard, separating Rory’s scarred head from his neck and perfect abs.

But Lorcán had no time to celebrate as Raze was atop him, aggressively striking until Lorcán couldn’t parry again and the blade ripped across his chest. His A.R. suit spilled open while the blade burned into his flesh.

Cries of pain and protest erupted out of Lorcán as he struggled to regain his advantage. Stumbling, he barely had enough time to produce a new blade before it was locked with Raze who was rapidly overpowering him.

“Merciless aren’t you?” The doppelgänger laughed.

“I am not you.” Lorcán managed to spit, barely holding Raze back.

“Whenever you look in the mirror,” Raze whispered, pushing down hard on the blade as he came nearer and nearer to Lorcán’s face. “I want you to remember this failure, I want you to feel fear.” His voice dripped venom.

“I want you to see me.”

Lorcán suddenly screamed in anguish, Raze’s blade burning into the right side of his face. The smell of his own flesh burning was enough to make Lorcán gag, but the pain, the pain was unlike any burn he had ever felt. Releasing Lorcán, Raze smiled before stepping back.

Slumping to his knees, Lorcán moved his hands to cradle his face before stopping himself from further agitating the wound. A feeble whimper escaped from between his lips before he stifled the rest.

This was no place for tears. This was no time to cry.

Molten eyes burned, rising to meet Raze as Lorcán began to channel the pain to anger, and then to rage. Years worth of suppressed emotions bubbled inside of him, fanning the flames into a wildfire.

A face covered in spikes sneered at him.

“Stay down.”

Lorcán placed a hand on the ground in front of him, pushing himself to his feet while watching a few stray drops of blood rain down from the open wound on his face.

“I told you to stay down.”

He shook his head, the voice ringing before placing his hands in front of him and igniting the air to create another blade.

“Good, good,” Raze taunted, “There’s still some fight left in you.”

“I can do this all day.” The other young man boasted defiantly, molten eyes staring out from behind singed eyelashes.

“Come, let’s finish this.” Raze charged as Lorcán released a roar, raged matched by fury exploded in a shower of sparks, shades of sapphire, ruby and amethyst. Wild swings and aggressive jabs cut through the catwalk and its railing. Gaining the upper hand, Lorcán raised his weapon above his head only to catch a solid kick to the chest. He felt his balance go as he toppled over, rolling backwards.

And then, Lorcán felt the ground go out from under him, sliding over the catwalk’s edge. His hands caught a piece of sheared metal. White knuckles held tightly while Raze leered over the edge dragging the plasma blade along the edge, raining flecks of molten metal over Lorcán.

Raze had won, all that was left was to savor his victory.

Commencement: A Farewell to P.R.C.U. [COMPLETE]

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Southern Plateau - Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean}

Hope In Hell #2.025: You Look Good Like That

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): @Melissa - Aurora Mitchell}

Previously: The Flame In All Of Us

“I don’t really know how you could, brah, this place it messes with the mind-” Lorcan replied, looking between both directions of the narrow corridor before turning his face back toward Harper only to find himself alone in the sterile white hallway.

“-More than poor swells mess with my morning.” He muttered to himself before cautiously proceeding forward alone. Even without Harper, Lorcán’s resolve was unfaltering. His priority was to find Aurora, no matter what this place threw at him.

Turning a corner, Lorcán froze at the sound of approaching footsteps before skulking back out of sight as what he could only assume were members of the Foundation marched back, wearing shiny white composite armour over their uniforms as they moved towards the direction he had come from.

Waiting until the hard footsteps were in the distance, Lorcán made his move and skittered around the corner and down the hallway. Truthfully, he had no clue where he was going but at the moment, away from fully armed and armoured guards, it felt like a better path until his abilities had a chance to recharge.

Even if none of this was actually real. It was real enough to hurt in this moment.

Sticking close to the walls, Lorcán made his way through the maze-like facility. Stumbling upon a door, the molten-eyed young man opened it with only moderate difficulty before slipping inside to find himself in a room filled with uniforms and weapons.

“Harps, brah, you are missing out,” Lorcán muttered aloud with a low whistle before grabbing some of the armour and pulling it over his A.R. suit. Picking up a weapon, Lorcán rolled the long-barrelled gun over in his hands. It looked like something straight out of science fiction. A small screen illuminated the current ammo count while a secondary display informed him the weapon was currently set to stun. He inspected the weapon further, locating the safety and the toggle to move it to ‘kill’.

“Hey!” A voice interrupted Lorcán, “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

Weapons fire grazed Lorcán’s new armour as he dove for cover behind the wall adjacent to the open door. He gave the weapon another look over, flicking the safety on and off before peeking out from his cover and loosing a shot that exploded a nearby segment of wall. As the weapon recoiled into his shoulder, a smile spread from ear to ear across Lorcán’s face.

“Oh, oh yeah.”

Swinging the weapon around again, Lorcán fired a volley of shots into the hallway. His smile got wider with each subsequent shot. This was always enough to make Lorcán forget he was trapped in a nightmare.

“On Dundas Island, born and raised,” He muttered, centering himself as he rolled away from the door into the nearby corner to avoid the retaliatory fire.

“Alone was where I spent most of my days.” Lorcán raised the weapon, steadying the barrel, his finger hovering above the trigger as he levelled the sight towards the door.

“Here’s more than a clue,” He hummed to himself, blasting another guard. “I’ll tell you about how I became the Fresh Prince of P.R.C.U.”

He continued to fire as they were bottled necked their way into the small room, his foot tapping as he moved forward.

“And another one down, another one down, another bites the dust.” He growled before bursting out of the room into the blackened corridor. A red beacon flashed above signalling an alarm was tripped. Lorcán wasn’t keen to stick around and find out exactly what reinforcements were going to look like. The weapon in his hands suddenly beeped as Lorcán’s eyes were drawn to the ‘0’ where his ammunition count had once been.

“I have got to get me one of these.”

Reluctantly tossing the depleted firearm aside, Lorcán mourned the loss of his toy before vacating the scene. He moved further through the hallway coming to a fork in the road. Making the split second decision to go right, he moved a couple more paces before finding a hallway lined with detention cells.

“What are you doing here?” The redhead asked from between pursed, pouty lips. Lorcán was quickly taken aback, her hair was styled in a way he had never seen before, it was seemingly longer than he remembered. Her copper locks had more volume and a slight curl throughout that made it bounce with even the slightest movement. Her makeup was darker, with a bold cat-eye atop a smokey eye shadow.

Lorcán had seen Aurora in a bikini before, but the metallic outfit she wore now left him feeling like all the blood in his body had collected into a single point. Her plunging cleavage and bare abdomen left little to the imagination coupled with the sheer skirt and tiny bottoms.

“I’m here to rescue you.” He managed to stammer.

“Aren’t you a little short for a Flood Trooper?” The redhead purred before standing. Her tall heels clicked against the cold floor with each step she took. Her hips swayed from side to side as she walked by putting one foot in front of the other. She was confident, collected and intentional in every movement.

Lorcán nearly pinched himself.

“Oh, it’s this dream again.”

“You need to dream a little bigger, hotstuff, if the woman in your dreams still have their clothes on and aren’t on their knees.” Aurora cooed, tracing a long, well manicured fingernail down Lorcán’s chest.

"You get me out of here, handsome and I'll make sure you're well rewarded.” She paused, slowly winking at Lorcán as she batted her very long eyelashes at him before purring.

“Very well."

“You’re not my Lady Dude are you?” Lorcán asked as the woman in front of him smiled mischievously while shaking her head.

Really, Roth? It took her propositioning you before you asked that?

You really could use the relief.

Not the time.

“Face it, Tiger,” Aurora smiled seductively, “You just hit the jackpot.”

“I need to find the real Aurora.” Lorcán replied, turning to leave before the other Aurora wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled her face against his cheek. She may not have been his Aurora, but she still had the same intoxicating fragrance about her.

“Please, you can’t just leave a damsel in distress.”

Lorcán let out a heavy sigh. Simulated or not, she was right, he couldn’t just leave her behind. It helped that in comparison to the other doppelgängers he had encountered, this Aurora seemed pretty harmless.

Did he mention pretty?

“Can’t you teleport?” He asked, his tone deadpan.

“Where’s the fun in that?” She replied, spinning Lorcán around before walking a pair of fingers up his chest, tapping him on the nose with a flirtatious smirk.

“If I just teleport to safety, where’s the challenge, where’s the thrills?” Aurora asked, hovering her lips above his before whispering in his ear. The hot breath against Lorcán’s earlobe set everything on his body upright and erect.

“Where’s the shiver of antici-” She paused, before licking his earlobe and gently sucking it. “-pation.” The vixen version of his best friend suddenly pushed off him before running for the door.

A klaxon suddenly blared from the hallway of the detention room.

“Come my smoldering hero, we need to run.”

"I can't run," Lorcán answered, leaning on the doorway, cursing the fact he didn’t leave earlier.

"Why not?" She teased, those hungry blue eyes devouring him.

“I’d rather not say”

“You’re not getting bashful on me now, are you, hotstuff?” She winked, taking a step back towards Lorcán only for the wavy-haired young man to throw his arms up and keep his distance.

“Dude, I can’t run because I keep getting brained on the codpiece of this armour.”

Aurora giggled as her eyes darted to his crotch.

“I suggest losing the armour then,” She replied, ‘innocently’ batting her voluminous eyelashes, “Shirt too ideally.” The copper-headed woman looked around the hallway, “Hell, I could give your reward right here, we’d even get caught in the act. How hot would that be?”

Ditching the codpiece and most of the bulkier pieces of armor, Lorcán stopped short of fully stripping back to his A.R. suit with definitely staring at Aurora. With things squared away, he motioned for her to follow as the pair ran into the hallway, the klaxon becoming a distant echo behind them.

“Dude, why were you even in that cell?” Lorcán asked as the scantily clad woman amazingly kept pace beside him in some of the tallest heels he had ever seen.

“Why else?” She replied, “I’d been a very bad girl.”

Lorcán almost tripped at Aurora’s reply before the two exited the sterile corridor and found themselves on a catwalk suspended above a seemingly endless chasm. The roar of numerous turbines thundered from below. Behind them the door closed with a heavy thud and the hiss of hydraulics.
“Princess!” A familiar voice called from the otherside of the catwalk. Lorcán’s eyes drawn to the man in black.

“You’re only running from the inevitable.” Raze continued, moving towards the pair. His hands were still illuminated. the flickering of lit flames casting long, eerie shadows across the chasm walls below the catwalk.

“Ugh, fine.” Aurora replied, rolling her eyes, “I just wanted to play with him before you break another one of my toys.”

Cackling laughter could be heard from above, as Lorcán turned to see a hooded figure standing up from a throne. He hobbled on a cane towards the balcony railing before Aurora suddenly teleported to his side.

“Delivered as requested, I didn’t even break the seal.” She winked, as the robed figure patted her on the hand appreciatively.

“Once you’re done playing with him, leave some for me.” Aurora asked with batted eyelashes as the hooded man cackled further.

“Of course,” Lorcán muttered bitterly, “Now she can teleport.”

The doppelgänger fired a blast of lightning towards Lorcán. Flattening his feet along the catwalk, Lorcán stretched out an open hand as the lightning struck before guiding the current through his body and returning it back towards Raze. The dopplegánger subtly moved his shoulder clear of the blast before smiling.

“Clearly our dispute can not be settled by our abilities, but rather by our skill with them.” Raze retorted, a blade of crackling red plasma extending from between his hands while Lorcán emitted a brilliant blue blade from his own.

“Let’s frakking go.”