Arc 2 Prologue: The Aftermath
The Os-Nàdarra Sentinels Prologue: Aftermath -Unity Falls, June 3rd,
2010 Volcan stared down at the streets below, eyeing some of
the damaged buildings with some melancholy as he reminisced on the cause of
their damage. This particular building, formerly a simple diner on the edge of
C-Plaza; a diner that had been in the territory of the Organization, and even
though the smaller syndicate did not run an extortion racket, the Sylvia
Syndicate, the largest one in the entire city, had decided to use the place to
send a message to the gang leader of the organization, and had bombed the
little restaurant. Countless people had been injured in the explosion;
nobody inside of the diner had survived, and people outside, near enough to
catch the blast, had been torn up by broken glass, metal fragments and shattered
pieces of tiling, along with flames and explosive force burning flesh and
breaking bones. No one standing within spitting distance of the diner had
survived, and the Sylvia's had gotten away with it...It
was hard to believe that only a month had passed since the Unity Falls gang war
had ended; a bloody conflict, started by the various criminal factions that
dominated both sides of the city. As the only existing border city in Canada
and the United States of America, Unity Falls, despite its name, was a haven
for criminals, using the border to run from cops and pursue conflict with one
another. Soon, gangs on both sides were making grabs for territory on the
other, trying to establish a foothold, and the city's downtown areas became
bloodbaths.Even
though the conflict was over, damage was still being repaired. Volcan felt
sickened by the actions of the gangsters; they had destroyed many businesses and
even homes in their conflict, many of them just to 'send messages' to their
rivals. The particular store he watched had been wrecked by the largest
organization known as the Sylvia Syndicate, led by a woman with a tremendous
superiority complex and a chip on her shoulder and hundreds of enforcers with itchy
trigger fingers.The
gang war had only carried on for a week before Volcan got so tired of it, he
had jumped in, particularly when the group of punks known as the 5th
Street Brawlers had tried to shake down his mother for 'protection' money at
her own diner -thankfully not the one he was staring down at. He and his friend
Pavan had gone after the Brawlers at their 'base' on 5th Street -the
source of their name, which was nothing more than a rundown bar that had been
condemned almost a year ago, and the gangsters had claimed it as their own.That
was, until Volcan plunged through the roof and collapsed the place on top of
them.He
chuckled as he remembered that day, seeing the faces of the gangsters who had
been spared from the falling rubble, and there he had given them his warning;
to stay far away from his mother's diner, or their next base wouldn't be
smashed, it would be burned, with them in it. As a phoenix, he was more than
capable of carrying out such a threat. Although, it still hadn't stopped them
from trying to jump him a few times but, their so-called 'brawlers' were
usually pretty weak, cowardly, and would run as soon as the odds were no longer
in their favor; they were the easy ones to handle.But,
after that, before he'd known it he was part of the war. That act had not been
his last; before long he found himself fighting gangsters all across the city,
taking up vigilantism, or helping the police whenever he could by protecting
people who were in danger. Most of the cops knew it had been him, but they had
been so preoccupied trying to keep their own people alive, they couldn't spare
anyone to try and arrest him. Even if they could, he was doing a much better
job than they were; most willingly looked the other way when they saw him...
keyword being most.In
the aftermath of the war, the city decided they had owed him some favors, the
first of which, charges against him were dropped. So far he'd found no reason
to call on any of the other ones, and hopefully wouldn't need to. The city was
mostly peaceful again, except for the occasional street brawls between gangs
with some lingering animosity, or the street crews, racing across their new
territories when the police were distracted. Fortunately, the city still had a
guardian angel watching over it.And
that was Volcan.Helping
the city in such a way had felt good, and he wanted to keep doing his part. He
kept the morale of the citizens up with his career as a musician, and helped
keep the city streets safe at night with his patrols. He could have stopped at
any time; nobody was actually asking him -let alone paying him- to do this... but
he liked to. He loved his home; Unity Falls had its problems like any city, and
with a population in the hundred thousands, it was bound to keep having more,
but the city wasn't just a large community; it was a symbol, to the allegiance
between two countries. It was the only city in all of North America built right
on the country border, each side bound by the laws of the respective country it
was physically part of, with a few additional laws, giving the city a very
independent feel. Volcan liked it here; he had grown up here, and the city
had always done right by his family. Now, he felt like he was returning the
favor. Besides, he thought... there are some threats the cops just could not
handle; he was a phoenix, an elemental with supernatural powers. He was more
than twice as strong as the strongest mortal men on Earth, he could control
fire, was immune to fire -even at temperatures hotter than a blast furnace they
only energized him and caused him no injury. Powers like that were good for
something, and he had found exactly what. He was broken from his train of thought by his phone
ringing. Lifting his leg off of the ledge he stood on, he instead sat on said
ledge, plucking his phone from his pocket and looking at it, seeing the face of
his Wind Phoenix friend, Pavan, on the phone. He tapped the 'accept call'
highlight, and held the phone to his ear. "Yep?" "Hey, Volc; how you
doing?" The caller asked. "Not too bad Pav; what's up?" He asked. "Eh, bored out of
my skull. I'm looking forward to our gig tomorrow night though," returned
Pavan. Volcan heard a crunch through the phone, recognizing it as the sound of
a potato chip or maybe crackers being broken. "How about you; ready for it?" "Totally," returned Volcan. "Compared to what we went
through over the spring, playing heavy metal music for two hours straight might
as well be a day off for us." "You said it," agreed
Pavan. "So on the topic of 'days off',
would you consider taking one tonight?" Volcan hummed slightly at the thought. "Eh, maybe;
depends on the incentive, or if the city's actually quiet tonight." "Well Brent and I
dug out some old movies from some of my dad's stuff; some classical stuff I
think you'd like and plenty of good action films too!" Pavan explained,
sounding excited. "I didn't know my dad
was such an action-film lover but he's got whole collections of some kickass
films here, man!" "Do I hear Pavan Stevenson actually suggesting doing
something other than running around the city like a lunatic, riding on air
currents and singing 'Youth Gone Wild' by Hammerfall as he does hummingbird
impressions fast the financial district?" Volcan inquired, legitimately
surprised; he'd known Pavan his whole life, and the Wind Phoenix was not
someone who liked to sit still. "Even I have lazy
days, bro," returned Pavan. "Besides,
Brent also picked up some of our favorite snacks too." "Oh really? He happen to get some cheddar and jalapeño
chips?" Volcan asked. "You bet! Got you a
big bag of the things! And, Tsume's comin' out too; was pretty interested when
I told her these movies had some good-lookin' guys in it," said Pavan,
followed by a chuckle. "Though they got
nothin' on me." "You still haven't asked her out yet?" Volcan asked. "Just waiting for
the right time, my man." Volcan pretended to gasp. "Oh my fucking ancestors; I
just heard Pavan use the word 'wait'. I think my brain just launched itself
through my skull; totally mind-blown over here," he teased, suppressing a
chuckle. "Oh for fuck sakes;
and you guys call me a bag of wind!" Pavan retorted. "So, you in or am I eating all these cheesy chips myself?" "Yeah, I'm in; I'll be out there in a bit," he said. Almost as if on cue, he heard a crash in the alleyway,
coming from alongside the building he was on top of. "Oh, hold that thought,"
he said, grudgingly as he stood up from the ledge, walking over to the other
side and peering over into the alley, where he saw four figures, three of them
standing over a fallen anthro who lay curled up and pleading for his life in
their shadows. Volcan peered out towards the street where he saw a couple of
cars parked by the curb; a car with chain decals in the side, running from the
front of the car to the back, a car rim without a tire resting on the door,
fastened to and tangled in the chains. The Chained Rims. Grimacing, Volcan spoke into the phone again. "Check
that; going to be a few minutes." "Ah damn... need a
hand? I can get out there real quick." "Nah, just three Rim jockeys poundin' on someone in an
alley; won't take me long," he said as he leapt up onto the ledge. "See you
soon." And with that, he hung up the phone, returned it to his pocket and leapt
over the edge, flaring open his wings and bathing the alley in more shadow as
he fell; the sudden increase in darkness caught the attention of the gangsters,
and they looked up to see the phoenix dropping at them, instinctively
backpedalling in a rush to get out of his way before he landed on them. Out of
his path, the phoenix landed hard on the ground, withstanding a full that
would've broken the legs of a normal person, but shrugging it off like he'd
stepped off of a stool. Now between the gangsters and downed man, he glared at
the three gangsters. "So who wants to explain this before the fists and fire
start flying?" He asked, crossing his arms as he eyed them scornfully. "Stay outta it, Skilerain," one of the gangsters, a male
wolf, growled. "This is between us and the Orphan there." "Orphan? You mean one of the little gangs from the
downtown area?" Volcan asked. "These guys are barely even half the size of your
crew; what interest you got in him?" "His crew mates have been moving on our turf lately, and
yesterday one of our drivers, Lenny, suddenly up and vanished!" The wolf
replied. "We know it was these punks who did it; we're trying to find out where
our boy is." Volcan looked over his shoulder at the gangster behind
him, who was currently in a fetal position, eyeing the phoenix in terror. He
glared back at the Rim gangsters again. "You took a moment to look at his face?
He's terrified; if he knew anything he'd have told you," stated the phoenix.
"Furthermore, the Orphans don't go picking fights with other gangs; it's not
their way and they especially wouldn't be going after the biggest street crew
in the city." The wolf eyed Volcan, looking over his shoulder briefly
at the other two with him. Both actually seemed to agree with what the phoenix
was saying, or maybe they were too afraid of Volcan to dare try fighting him;
there may have been three of them against one, but a phoenix was kind of an
odds-breaker, especially fire-type ones. "Alright," the wolf said, looking at Volcan. "Say we buy
that; what do you suggest?" "I have nothing to suggest," said Volcan. "Nothing you'd
believe anyway, but either way you're going to walk out of this alley right now
while your legs are still whole enough to do so. Or," he put his clenched right
fist into his left hand, audibly cracking his knuckles. "I can show you three
how I sent your boss to the hospital a month and a half ago." That gave them pause. Without another word, barring a
scoff from the wolf, the three turned and left the alley, getting into the cars
and driving away. Volcan waited until they were gone before he turned to the
downed man; black cat, fairly thin and hardly intimidating, like most of the
Orphans. The phoenix offered him a hand, and the cat accepted. "Thanks," he said, shakily. "Don't make me regret it," warned the phoenix. "Now,
there's not anything to their claims, is there?" He shook his head. "No, there isn't; we'd never mess with
the Rims, man, honest; we ain't been making any moves on their turf neither." "Either," corrected Volcan. "So you know nothing about
their disappearing member?" "Not a thing, man; first I'd heard of it. Don't know who
would go messin' with the Rims," the cat replied. Volcan, deciding he believed the cat, stepped aside and
offered to let him pass. "Get going. But consider a different line of work; I
catch you and your pals causing trouble, I know where to find you." "Respect man; you got it," the cat returned, before he
strode out of the alley, leaving Volcan to ponder what he had just learned. "Maybe my old buddy Gregory Vinson can shed some light on
this subject," he said aloud, before he opened his wings and leapt into the
air, the strength of his limbs launching him out of the alleyway, where in two
beats of his wings, he was airborne, and flying over the buildings as he headed
towards the nearby Police Station. ~~~~~ Gregory shifted through the stack of papers, sighing as
he propped up his arm on his elbow and leaned his face into his clenched fist
as he read over the report. Gang violence had dropped drastically since the
announcement of the gang war's end a month ago, but it was still at a record
high, and the UFPD was stretched thin trying to settle things back down again.
It was starting to overwhelm the already over-tired police chief. He knew his wife would be displeased with him staying
after work again, not to mention he began to wonder if his children felt
neglected, but there was too much for him to do to go home yet; if he fell
behind on work again, it'd just get bigger. After he finished reading the case
report in his other hand -a report on an assault that had taken place a few
days before that had been solved promptly, he set down the paper half-heartedly
and reached for his coffee mug, only to find it empty when he lifted it to his
beak, and groaning when he spotted another case file next to it. "Why does being a cop have so much paperwork?" He
grumbled, standing up from his chair and walking out of the office to go get
another cup from the staff lounge. Along the way, he encountered Obsidian, the newest member
of the team; Obsidian had been transferred to the Canadian divisions from the
American in regards to the higher crime rate being on the Canadian side of the
city. Since joining, she had proven herself a capable police officer; Gregory
was glad to have her, and was certain Lieutenant Hernandez liked having another
woman on this branch; nearly all of the officers were men, young and old alike.
He waved to her as she passed, but her nose was in a case file she was reading
and she didn't notice his wave. Shrugging
it off, the chief kept walking up the hall, pulling his wing aside to let
another officer pass on their way out of the staff lounge; he walked over to
the coffee pot sitting on the counter by the sink, and found there was a fresh
batch inside. He filled his mug, adding a sugar cube to it and starting another
batch for the next person wanting a cup before he left the lounge, returning to
his office. But when he got there, he heard his intercom buzzing; a call coming
from the front desk. He pressed the receiver button, and spoke."Vinson,"
he said."Hello chief; it's front desk. I have young
man here who wishes to speak with you?""Did
he say who he is?""Volcan Skilerain, sir."Gregory
blinked after hearing the name, and then, "Send him to my office," was his
reply. He sat down in his chair, setting the coffee cup aside where it couldn't
spill over his computer or his papers, and waited.A
moment later, a large red and gold avian filled the office doorway; Gregory
didn't know why he expected anyone else, as Volcan was the only phoenix in the
entire city besides his mother. Someone like him was unmistakable, especially
since his face was often in a the news anyway, regarding concerts or new album
releases in his music career. Although,
more recently, most of the city knew him for his actions during the gang war,
where he had openly opposed the gangs and criminal syndicates, resisted them,
and even ended one of the most dangerous gangs -a group led by three Super humanoid
criminals called The Mana, who had been on the city's most wanted list for
years, but the police, consisting mostly of regular folk, had never been able
to apprehend them. Super humanoid beings were rare; species born inherent with
such powers, such as Volcan, were equally rare. Even
if Volcan had been charged with vigilantism during the gang war, his actions
having done more good than the entire police force had managed led to him and
his friends being cleared of the charges, mostly at the demand of the city's
population... and Gregory himself had been among them."Good
to see you, Volcan," said Gregory."Hello
chief," said the phoenix, smiling in greeting at the middle-aged hawk before he
saw the stack of papers on his desk, gawking at how much there was. "Oh shit...
did I come at a bad time?""Nothing
that can't wait a moment," lied Gregory; he really couldn't spare much time,
but he needed a break from the paperwork too, and faced Volcan, folding his
hands across his lap. "What can I do for you?"Volcan
sat down in the chair across from Gregory, tucking his wings so that he
wouldn't sit on his feathers. "A little while ago, I jumped in on what looked
like a shakedown by some of the Chained Rims, going after a member of the
Orphans.""You
stopped them?" Gregory asked.Volcan
nodded. "Yeah. No punches were thrown, but they were going after the guy for
information apparently," explained Volcan.Gregory
tilted his head curiously. "Information about what?""Apparently,
a member of the Chained Rims disappeared a while back," explained Volcan,
repeating what he had learned from the Orphans gang member. "The Rims seemed to
think The Orphans were behind it, so they were trying to find out how, but the
Orphans guy clearly knew nothing about it so I stopped them from beating on the
poor guy. Would you happen to know anything about someone named 'Lenny' or
something close to that disappearing recently?""Let's
see," said Gregory, turning to his computer and bringing up a search bar for
the city case files, typing in 'Lenny' to narrow down the long row of ongoing
cases the page revealed. Only one appeared. "Here we are; Lenard 'Lenny'
Frankston, a suspected member of the Chained Rims; he disappeared from his home
three days ago.""Anything
you can tell me?""Well,
based on the case file, the Orphans were probably not involved," said Gregory.
"Did you encounter anyone during the war who had tremendous strength?""Besides
one of the bosses of The Mana, no, and he died during the fight when his heart
exploded," replied Volcan. "Why?""Someone
or something literally ran through the wall of the house from the outside,
through the living room and out the back again. The house walls were made of
bricks, and the hole left was too narrow to have been a vehicle, and no
evidence of a bomb or tools being used"Volcan's
eyes widened. "Even I couldn't do that," he said. "Not without breaking my arm
or dislocating my shoulder anyway.""The
hole was too big to be caused by you anyway, which is why you weren't a
suspect," informed Gregory. "That, and your mother, who I contacted, confirmed
you were at her diner that night, with your friends."Volcan
nodded. "I was," he replied. "So the culprit is clearly someone with superhuman
strength.""Yes.
What is more interesting however is that Lenny himself is a suspected Super
humanoid," said Gregory. "He's exhibited signs of being able to throw
projections of light from his hand, capable of blinding people; he's done this
to get away from police officers before. Yet, despite this, there were no signs
of struggle at the scene."This
caught Volcan's attention. "Wait, hold on; someone knocked down the wall of
Lenny's house and he didn't try to fight back?""If
he did, he was beaten effortlessly," replied Gregory. "Absolutely no traces
besides a mild blood spatter -blood that belonged to Lenny, we confirmed, was
found at the scene. It was like whoever broke into his house simply grabbed
him, ran through the back wall and then knocked him out on the porch where we
found the evidence. After that, though, there's not a single trace of where he
might've gone.""How
could someone that powerful simply disappear?" Volcan asked. "Didn't the
neighbors see anything?""They
said they heard a pair of crashes, but not much else; nobody actually saw the
attacker break into Lenny's house -or back out again for that matter, or saw
where they went. It was quick, clean, and left no trail to follow," his
expression faltered somewhat."There's
more, isn't there?" Volcan asked, noticing the grim look on the hawk's face."I
can't say any more," said Gregory, turning to Volcan. "What I've told you so
far would be enough to get the mayor biting my head off.""Greg,"
Volcan stated. "If there's more to this, you should tell me," he said with
insistence in his voice. "You know I'm out almost every night; I could spot
something."Gregory
eyed the phoenix with consideration for a moment, before he leaned forward on
his desk. "Close the door," he whispered.Volcan
looked over his shoulder at the office door, and leaned over in his chair,
reaching back with his wing to push the door shut with a dull click, before he
turned back to Gregory and leaned forward onto the desk as well, listening as the
hawk spoke to him in a low voice."This
isn't the first kidnapping that has taken place since the gang war ended,"
explained Gregory. "There have been two others, very similarly done.""Meaning?""All
of the victims who disappeared are registered Super Humanoids," said Gregory.
"Whoever is doing this is targeting them specifically, attacking them in their
homes or while they're away, leaving without a trace or signs of struggle. The
previous victim was Pyrokinetic, like you; I'm only using you as an example,
but I don't believe it's even possible that anyone could attack a Pyrokinetic
and there aren't clear signs of them fighting back, so whoever is doing this,
they're doing it without their targets getting a chance to even defend
themselves."Volcan's
eyes widened again, this time with realization. "They're attacking super
humanoid citizens," he said."That's
why I'm telling you this, because I fear you may become a target," explained
Gregory. "You, or others..."Volcan
scowled. "My friends..."Gregory
nodded to him. "It may be best if all of you stay together as much as possible,
or if necessary, get out of the city and hide somewhere. Whoever is behind
these kidnappings is worse than the Sylvia's or The Mana; if they could take
three super humanoids already without a trace, they may be too much for even
you to handle."Volcan
was not fond of that idea. At the end of the war, he'd made an oath; an oath
that he would stand against threats like this one Gregory was talking about.
Threats like The Mana and other dangers the police simply could not handle on
their own. This sounded like one of those threats, and he knew leaving the city
was the last thing he could do; even if he got to safety others would be
targeted, others who did not know these kidnappings were even happening, when
he could possibly have been there to prevent them."I
can't," he said, without another thought."What
do you mean you can't?" Gregory asked. "You can't leave the city?""I
can't run away from this," replied Volcan. "Especially not after you told me;
if I become a target, I'm expecting it, and I'll stand a better chance of
stopping it before anyone else gets hurt.""Volcan,
you...""Gregory,
when the war ended, I promised this city I would help protect it," the phoenix
continued. "Threats like this is just what I want to protect it from. I joined
the conflict because my mom and brother were threatened, but when that was out
of the way, I knew I could make a difference, and I still can. Long as that
fact remains, I can't run away, not when someone else could be their next
target. My friends and I will be ready for these bastards when they come
looking for us, and we'll put an end to them then and there."Gregory
eyed the phoenix, and rubbed his eyes in frustration after staring at him for a
brief moment. "I don't know what it is that makes me not want to get irritated
with you, but... I can't force you to do anything or stop you from looking for
these guys, now that I've told you about them, and if these kidnappers attack
you, you'll have every right to defend yourself." He pulled his hand away from
his eyes. "Just promise me you'll be careful; this city really can't afford to
lose someone like you."Volcan
irked an eyebrow at him. "Someone like me? But I'm not that special; I mean...""You're
a hero to these people, Volcan," interjected Gregory. "Not just for your
actions in the war, but you're loved for your music as well. People are
motivated by you and what you represent by both your actions and your songs;
you inspire confidence in others, and you entertain the masses, taking their
minds off of their everyday stresses. If you were lost, I fear the city would
feel its impact as a much greater tragedy than the gang war itself had been."Not
only that, but I depend on you," the hawk went on. "I shouldn't; I'm a cop, you
should be counting on me to protect you, but like you once told me, there are
some things not even I or my officers can handle, yet you can, and you're
willing to do so voluntarily with justice as your only reward. Threats like The
Mana still exist in this city, but I love this place; it's become a home for me
and my family. I don't want to leave, but I want to make sure this city can
remain a safe place for my children -my son and daughter, to grow up in, and I
believe that you are the one who can ensure that. All I ask is that you not
push yourself too far or take on something you're not ready for, so that dream
can be realized."The
two avians stared at each other for a while, their eyes meeting. A silence
stretched out longer than either was comfortable with, evident by how their
wings fidgeted behind their backs. After a moment, Volcan stood up from the
chair, and held out his hand to Gregory, his eyes never leaving the hawk's."For
your children then," he said. "I'll make sure to call you for help and keep you
informed if my team and I find anything."Gregory
nodded back and grasped Volcan's hand. "I can't officially sanction this... but I
hope that with your help, we can stop whatever menace is causing these
disappearances before it becomes worse.""We
will," promised Volcan. "Together, we will."With
that, both released the hand of the other, and with a last goodbye, Volcan
stepped out of the office and departed from the police station. Gregory watched
him until he was out of sight, worried for the phoenix's safety, but confident
that he'd be able to weather the storm the hawk felt was coming. Volcan was
capable and willing to do what was best for others, with his life on the line
-he had even done such, having been killed once during the Gang War, only to
return to life and return to the fight all over again like nothing had
happened. That steely determination and selflessness always served to remind
Gregory of what being a police officer really meant...His
eyes fell back to his paperwork, and then at his watch; it was already an hour
past his shift, but there was still much work to do. Still, Gregory had his
family to consider as well; he couldn't spend all of his time away from them
anymore than he could forsake his duties. He reached for the next case file
report. "Last one, then I go home," he said. "Might still make it in time for
dinner, be able to help Victor with his homework and put Rachael to bed." ~~~~~ Volcan
touched down outside of Brent's trailer after a short flight from the city,
landing on a hilltop property ringed with trees, just outside of city limits.
The property wasn't overly remarkable, consisting mostly of gravel up to the
tree line, but with three separate buildings -including the trailer, a metal
Quonset serving as Brent's workshop with a large garage door, but no windows,
and the covered parking garage, which rested alongside the workshop and was
wide enough for four vehicles, but only two were there at the moment; Brent's
blue Silverado, and a brighter blue Dodge Avenger, which Volcan recognized; it
belonged to his friend Tsume.He
thought back to when he'd first met Tsume; The Mana had been trying to shake
down her father, a wealthy citizen of Unity Falls, for 'protection' of his
properties in their territory. Tsume had no taken kindly to crooks threatening
her father, and so joined Volcan's fight against the gangsters. She had proven
herself a dependable ally with her impressive repertoire of skill and
discipline, although sometimes he wondered if may she'd had a little too much fun hurting them...Shaking
off the thought, Volcan approached the trailer, knocking on the door to
announce his arrival before stepping inside. "Hello?" He called.The
living room, to his immediate left, housed his friends; Pavan poked his head up
from the couch and turned to Volcan. "Hey, what kept you?" The light-brown Wind
Phoenix with red, diamond-shaped markings on his forehead and neck, asked."Stopped
to see Gregory on the way here," replied Volcan. "Some shit going on in town
has the gangsters all riled up."Tsume,
a green and brown earth phoenix, glanced over from the other end of the couch
where Pavan sat. "It's the aftermath of a gang war; what do you expect?" She
asked. "Hostilities will remain for quite a while.""I
know that, but what Gregory told me," the phoenix explained, "it seems there's
some kidnappings happening in the city, and the targets appear to be people
with supernatural powers, people like us.""Except
me, you mean," Brent chimed in from his armchair; the hyena, light brown with
darker highlights around his muzzle and for his scalp hair, was the only one
among the four in the room who didn't have any sort of powers, although he did
possess an inventive mind and an excellent grasp of mechanics and advanced
electronics.Volcan
grimaced at Brent. "You know I didn't mean any offense.""I
know; was just saying, I'm not at risk," he remarked, humorously. "But, joke
aside, the cops have any leads?""None
yet," replied Volcan. "But he wants us to be careful; he's worried one of us
could become a target for... whoever's doing this. At the same time though I
intend to try and find them myself, too. You guys have my back on this?""Always,"
returned Pavan, giving Volcan a thumbs-up. "I didn't run out on you during the
gang war; sure as hell not going to now!""I'm
in too," added Tsume. "I could use a little excitement; it's been pretty damn
boring lately."Brent
looked unsure. "Don't know how much help I could be, but I'll do what I can
too."Volcan
nodded. "Knew I could count on you guys," he said, gratefully. "Although, this
doesn't mean I'm going to go looking for trouble, or...""You
better not," a voice spoke from behind the phoenix, making him jump slightly at
the unexpected intrusion.Volcan
spun around abruptly, turning to face the doorway, where yet another avian,
this one with a body of electric blue feathers, bright yellow eyes, and a very
athletic build to his form, stood, arms crossed facing Volcan. The avian bore
something of a resemblance to the fire phoenix, beside their eye and feather
colours, and the blue avian being shorter, but physically they were quite
similar. Although the blue avian was much more unkempt than Volcan; he wore
tattered, light blue jeans, dirty with motor oil and soil, and a black tanktop
with a tear on the lower right, revealing some plumage beneath, along with a
minor cut that looked fairly recent."Lighris?"
Volcan asked, recognizing his brother in less than a second. "What're you doing
up here?""Followed
you," replied Lighris.Volcan
tilted his head curiously. "What for?""I
saw you coming out of the police station," replied Lighris. "And, I've been
listening in on the conversation a bit; I heard someone mention something about
kidnappings?" His expression hardened. "Are you getting yourself into something
that's really not your problem again, bro?"Volcan
returned his brother's scowl. "If the kidnappers decide to come after me or
you, it'll become my problem," he
said, thought quickly added as he gestured to his friends behind him. "Our
problem. The kidnappers are targeting super humanoids like you or me; with how
well-known my name already is, it's only a matter of time before I fall into
their sights.""When
that happens, be ready but don't go chasing after these guys," stated Lighris.
"It's not your problem; you already did enough of that bullshit in the gang
war, and that's over now, so get on with your life and drop the hero bit, will
you? You're going to get yourself hurt, or worse, killed again, and we might
not be able to resurrect you."Volcan
cringed as he remembered that incident... as a Phoenix he was semi-immortal; he
aged much slower than other species, and even if he was killed, by being
exposed to his element -in his case, having his body burned by a large, hot
fire- would allow him to return to life, but only if his body was not mutilated
or badly decomposed. It had to be fresh, and Volcan had been lucky the first
time; dying in the aftermath of his fight with The Mana and falling through
darkness until he felt himself return to his body.And
when he woke up, he'd been in excruciating pain; the act of coming back had
been worse than dying, but despite how horrific it had been, nearly causing
Volcan to give up on his vendetta against the gangs of Unity Falls, he
eventually bounced back when the opportunity to end the gang war presented
itself; the opportunity to drive off the Syndicates and stop the street crews,
and rather than cower, he took the initiative, and returned to the fight. He
beat the leader of the Chained Rims, and with help from his friends, he took
down all of the top lieutenants of the Sylvia Syndicate and the enigmatic
Organization.It
had been a long, harsh road, but he had done some real good. In the end it'd
made his death and return to life worth the excruciation. "Sorry bro, but
despite your insistence, I can't just hide from this," he stated, defiantly.
"If the opportunity to find these kidnappers and put foot-to-ass on them
presents himself, there's not a force on Earth that's going to stop me. I did
some real good in the gang war; I want to keep doing my part to keep Canada
safe, even if it's only this one city. And that's final."Lighris
groaned, rubbing his eyes in frustration with his brother's stubbornness; he
respected Volcan's wanting to do something good with the gifts he had been born
with, but it still worried the Lightning Hawk. "One of these days bro, you're
going to get yourself into something too big for you to handle," he stated."Not
if I have a good, reliable team at my back," replied Volcan, looking over his
shoulder. "As I found out during the gang war, nothing's impossible if you have
the right people at your back."Lighris
looked past Volcan, eyeing Pavan and Tsume. "If that's your definition of the
right people then I'm even more scared.""Hey!"
The two phoenixes barked, glaring at Lighris."So,"
began Lighris. "When some real danger comes your way, like a demon or a big
damn robot, or even just a pissed off phoenix," he smiled at his brother. "You
better make damn sure you call me, because nobody's going to mess with my kid
brother."Volcan
stared blankly at Lighris for a moment. "First you try to talk me out of being
a... crime fighter or whatever... and now you're saying you'll back me up?""If
I can't stop you I might as well get your back," returned Lighris. "About the
only way I can think of to keep you from getting killed again."Volcan
frowned at Lighris. "I lived with you for fifteen years and I still can't
always figure you out, bro."Lighris
shrugged. "Back at you.""Well,
long as you're here," said Volcan, and stepped aside as he looked at Brent.
"Mind if he joins us for the movie night?"Brent
shrugged. "Okay by me, long as he doesn't raid my fridge and drink all of my
cola again.""Aw,
would I do that?" Lighris asked sarcastically. ~~~~~ Into
the darkness of the strange, metal, Lenny was dragged by his arms, too weak to
resist his captors as he was hauled against his will. They had beaten him,
drugged him, even broken one of his legs to keep him from trying to flee, and
blindfolded him for their journey to the unknown place. Even if he were to
fight back now, he had no idea where he was or where to go to get out of there.
Not to mention, with one broken leg, he'd never get far.Suddenly,
he was thrown to the floor, one guard standing with his gun pointed at Lenny's
head, while the others hoisted him up once more, forcing him to eye level with
a human standing in front of him; an elderly man with balding white hair, a
neatly-combed full beard, light brown eyes, and a frail figure, forcing him to
lean on a cane as he stared daggers into the young anthropomorphic male wolf
standing before him. The wolf looked at the man, a pleading expression on his
face. "Look man, if you work for Sylvia, I was just comin' to pay her back!
C'mon man, let me...!" He was interrupted by a fist striking him across the face
by one of the guards. "God dammit, I'll pay her already; just let me go!" He
cried. "I'm not here to collect for some gang boss, boy,"
returned the elderly man. "And, you need not worry about those anymore, because
as of now, you no longer exist." "Say what?" Lenny asked. "As of today, you are nothing more than a test subject
for the Intelligence Team of the Unnatural and Extraordinary; forget your old
life, because you no longer have one," stated the man. "Whoa what the fuck, man, why do you want me?! I'm
nobody; I'm just a fucking street racer, not some mutant!" "You're a super humanoid; you have unnatural powers,"
said the man. "And our mission is to rid the world of people like you. Now,
you'll assist in that endeavor." He stepped aside. "Cells." "On our way," returned the guards as they dragged away
Lenny, the wolf kicking and screaming through the base; his struggles became so
enthusiastic that one of the guards bludgeoned him again, knocking him unconscious
to cease his struggles. "Another piece of filth off the street," stated the
elderly man. One of the retrieval team members, Observer One, he was
called; the second-in-command of the first retrieval team, and the eyes and
ears of Jacob Rex for the squad, turned to the man. "What is our next
objective, sir?" "I'm glad you asked, Observer One," replied Rex. "There's
a phoenix in the city; one that could pose a threat to our work." "You are referring to Volcanoran Skilerain, sir?" "Correct; you are indeed worthy of your title
'Observer'," complimented Rex, turning to the masked figure fully. "You're aware
of his 'hero' title, I presume?" "Of course; he's been in every newspaper, web site and
local networks for weeks," returned Observer One. "Well, we both know it is a façade; he's poisoned their
hearts, making them trust him so that when the E.B's make their move, the good,
normal people of the world will never see his betrayal coming," he tapped his
cane on the floor. "The police will be watching for us, so we must bide our
time for the moment, but in one week, maybe more,I want you to round up a standard
squad, and retrieve him; I want him here laid across a lab table for dissection
where his kind belongs." Observer One nodded to Rex. "I will do so, Doctor. I'll
personally make certain we bring in the phoenix." Rex nodded. "To a purified world," he said. "May the day of the purge come swift, and thorough,"
returned Observer one.