Book One: Monster

Story by WerewolfWright on SoFurry

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#1 of Heroes of Empire


My first story Submission in nearly three years.

19 year old Finn O'Malley, a human boy lives an average life in a world of heroes, villains and monsters. Now that normal life is crumbling and something in the shadows seeks the youth for it's own ends, but the human is not without his allies.

10491 words

Finn lay awake in bed, his face illuminated by the glow of his phone, and the heavy bags under his eyes that were visible even in the dim light suggested this ways not his first night lying awake. The young man swiped his fingers across the screen of his phone, alternating between the breakup text he had received from Trevor, his now ex boyfriend, images of the two together, and the recent flood of Facebook posts that showed Trevor together with his new object of affection, Tanya DeWinter, a popular girl, cheerleader, and all around Bitch as far as Finn was concerned.

What hurt Finn the most about the whole situation though, was several of the images now flooding Trevor's Facebook. Like the picture of Trevor and Tanya kissing on the Ferris wheel at the state fair, nearly two months ago. It was the very same thing Finn had asked to do with Trevor, who had replied he was "too sick" that week. In fact, he had been "Too sick" often, and many of Trevor's more romantic outings with Tanya all seemed to have been Finn's ideas, stolen and used on someone else. Finn's eyes puffed up and he tried to stifle the tears. He fought well but a few shimmering droplets rolled down his cheeks into the darkness below, and he knew it wouldn't be long until he was bawling.

The lithe 19 year old turned in his bed, clutching the phone close and stared at his clock. The flashing red face of the clock flicked from 1:59 to 2:00, taking what seemed like an eternity to do so. Rolling over, Finn sighed heavily and pulled the covers off of his body and sat up. The young man was still mostly dressed and he had only moments before the flow of tears became an unstoppable deluge. He stood up, grabbed his warm bomber Jacket from it's resting place on his chair, and slowly and quietly slinked his way through his apartment, trying hard not to wake his parents as he reached the main door and shut it silently.

The door to the building's roof swung open, Finn stepped over the threshold and into the September night, from his pocket he pulled a roll of duct tape, he used it to tape over the door's latch, ensuring he'd be able to reenter the building after the door had closed. he slipped the tape back into one pocket and from the other he pulled out his phone and a pack of cigarettes. The teen made his way across the roof and slumped himself down next to one of the chimneys that led from the the old building's boiler room to the roof 15 floors above. For as long as he could remember this corner of roof had been "His" place, it was his sanctuary. With it's commanding views of Empire City and relative solitude the teen had often made use of it when he was upset, or when his parents fought. He brought the cigarette up to his lips and dug around for his lighter, it only took a moment before he realized it wasn't on him. He spat the cigarette onto the ground and pulled his phone out again.

The tears came freely this time, no holding back now. He stared once more at the breakup message on his phone, feelings of anger and betrayal welling up inside him "I bet he was playing me from the start, Bastard" Finn spat, between sobs. He didn't want to look at his phone anymore, the contents, all the loving messages, the photos of his time with Trevor, the lies he was sure now hid under the surface of every single recorded moment of their relationship, it made him sick. It was all too much for Finn to take, he threw the phone, wanting to be as far away from it as possible, hoping that it's impact with the ground 15 floors below would shatter both the phone and his memories. The teen buried his head in his arms, hoping he could at last shut out the world that always seemed to be screaming at him when a voiced pierced the darkness around him.

"Hey Kid, you dropped this."

There was a thud as something landed at Finn's feet. He looked up to see his phone, lying at his feet. Finn raised his head, looking for the source of the voice, when his eyes met their target his jaw dropped and his sadness and anger subsided and were replaced by awe. There, hovering not 10 feet away, was Captain Incredible.

Captain Incredible, sworn protector of Empire City, it's shining son, hovered in mid air in front of Finn, his arms folded across his red and gold spandex uniform, his golden cape billowing in the wind. Finn was starstruck. He had grown up idolizing the superhero known as Captain Incredible, he had read the comics feverishly in middle school, owned the DVD collection of his Saturday morning Cartoon, he had even been lucky enough to watch him fight one or two villains. and now, here he was, face to face with the real deal, one of the world's greatest heroes.

"You should be Careful, you never know who you might hurt down there." The super said. Finn just nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again and he looked away from the hero.

"But, i think there's someone up here who's already in a great amount of pain." Finn looked up, but the super wasn't hovering in front of him. His heart was about to sink again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I saw the text, the coward didn't even have the guts to do it to your face." the hero said as he sat down next to Finn "But i doubt that's all." Finn nodded his head

"Go on, tell me what's really hurting you." the hero said, placing a hand on Finn's shoulder.

"I...I just feel so used. He was cheating on me, and doing everything i wanted to do with him, every suggestion, every date i wanted to go on, he took with her instead." the 19 year old said between sobs.

"What a lowlife. Do your parents know?" the super asked. Finn just shook his head "So there's no one you can talk to?" again Finn shook his head. Captain Incredible frowned "Well, here I am, By the way, what's your name Kid?" He said.

Finn was taken aback "It's Finn. and don't you have villains to beat, or a city to save? Why me?" The super just sighed and looked out across the skyline.

"Because Finn, in all my time protecting this city, finding a young person in the throes of depression, perched on a rooftop has seldom ended well, and what's the point of protecting this city, it's structures and monuments if I can't make time for her people? We, people like you and me are the beating heart and the soul of this place, without us it would be nothing." Finn nodded, what the captain said made sense.

"I know you're feeling alone and betrayed right now, but that will change. Now promise me you'll be alright, that you'll get through this." the super stood. Finn looked up as he did, the spandex suit hid nothing, it clung to every contour of Captain Incredible's rippling muscles. Finn caught his eyes wandering down to the Hero's bulge. He blushed and snapped his gaze to the hero's hand, which lay open and flat in front of Finn. the teen reached out to grab it and was pulled to his feet. He let go and Captain Incredible drifted back out over the street.

"Remember Finn, no matter how dark the night gets there will always be a dawn." he said as Finn wiped the few remaining tears from his eyes

"Thank you" Captain Incredible just nodded and flew off into the night. In just a few minutes the hero had managed to calm Finn down and for the first time in days he was thinking clearly again.

For a week Finn had been avoiding Trevor, Tanya and everyone else, he had faked being sick the last week to hide the tears, but after his talk on the rooftop with Captain Incredible had boosted his confidence, he felt like he could take on the world. That is until he walked through the doors of the school, and everybody stopped.

They were all staring at him. He could feel the knowing glares of his classmates and he instantly knew why. "Trevor" he grumbled as he moved down the hall "Of course everyone would know, Tanya's such a raging homophobe." Finn walked to his locker, somebody had sprayed the words "Faggot" across it in big bold red, they had even used a stencil to do. "Of course" Finn thought. He just sighed and collected what books he needed for the day, resolved to not go back to his locker until after last period.

The rest of the day progressed about as well as Finn had expected, in the space of the week it seemed that Tanya had managed to turn the whole school against him, there were jeers and shoves from random students as he walked the halls, every class it seemed one of Tanya's loyal goons was there, throwing something at the back of the young human's head whenever the teacher wasn't looking. Lunch couldn't come soon enough for Finn. when the last bell of the morning rang Finn was the first to pack up his bags and bolt out of the room. He was halfway to the cafeteria when he was pulled into one of the disused halls by a strong pair of arms.

Fear, it's all Finn could process at first, he wanted to shout, but then a large furry digit pressed against his mouth "Shhh, we must be quiet." came a thick, familiar french accent. Finn opened his eyes to see the beaming face of Arnaud, a rather tall German Shepard from France who had moved here several years ago. Finn, overwhelmed with relief hugged his friend and sobbed. "Mon frère." the Shepard said sympathetically "It's ok Finn, Susan and I, we 'ave a special lunch planned, just the three of us."

"Jesus, he's not taking this well at all." Came the concerned observations of a frumpy looking human woman. In an instant she was hugging her friends. Finn was the first to speak up "So, can we not eat here at the cafeteria?"

"We're way ahead of you Finn." Susan said as Arnaud nodded.

"So put your bags in your locker, ok, We are going to lunch."

The small group didn't just go to lunch, they skipped the rest of the afternoon, Susan and Arnaud treated Finn to lunch, true to their word.

"Trevor, he is how you say....A douchebag" Arnaud said between a mouthful of fries.

"And that bitch Tanya, she's had it out for the rest of the students, i mean when she found out Trevor was bi she practically threatened to expose him to his parents."

"So that's why..." Finn felt sorry for Trevor, more than he felt he should, but at least he was another victim of Tanya's manipulation.

Susan nodded "Tanya may technically be the most popular girl in school, but she isn't the most popular student, well not until she outed you as the "Homosexual demon" who tried to seduce her boyfriend." Finn nearly spat out his pop, a look of pure malice crossing his face.

"That lying, manipulative whore." he spat angrily

Susan just sat there nodding "Everyone at school likes you and trusts you more than her, but now she's completely destroyed your reputation." Finn leaned forward, his mind filled with thoughts of the night before.

"Let her." he said before taking a bite out of his burger "I don't care anymore." he shrugged. Both Arnaud and Susan smiled at their friend's change in attitude.

The trio spent the rest of their afternoon at the movies watching a genuinely funny c-list comedy. To Finn it felt like an eternity since he had smiled, but here he was, in the nearly deserted theater actually feeling like he did before he dated Trevor, he had his two best friends, the frumpy, nerdy girl and the big sweet and gentle french German Shepard, he had gotten support from the world's greatest hero, and he was finally happy again.

Finn Sighed as he, Susan and Arnaud watched the sunset from the old south pier, they had wandered around Empire City all afternoon and well into the evening and the human was more than a little sad that the day was coming to an end. "Hey man" Arnaud said "Susan and I, we are going to head back to her place. Her parents are not home, and mine will be in a 'orrible mood all night, you sure you don't want to come with us?". the big dog said in his thick french accent.

"Nah, it'll be better if i sneak in while my parents are asleep, and start my weekend after they've both gone to work. If i don't see them again till Monday maybe they won't notice i played hookey today." Finn said, a look of doubt washing over his face. He knew full well his dad could stay mad for days and that he would only be worse if they crossed paths.

It was with a heavy heart he had to separate from his friends, and at the last second he felt the urge to run after them, but the doors on the express train slid closed, and Finn was cut off and in ten minutes he'd be whisked back uptown. He sighed and crumpled into a seat, at least maybe tonight he'd be able to sleep. he watched the city speed by, the lights on the skyscrapers popped on one by one as the sky darkened, each building filled with the people who made Empire City the world's greatest.

Finn glanced down at the paper beside him, someone had left it there, the evening edition of the Empire Times. On it was a large front page spread about the new incarnation of yet another classic Villain, The Siren, who was now targeting banks and jewelry stores around Empire City, Finn remembered the old Siren from reading comic books. The last one had to be taken in by a woman, because no man could resist her charms, that was why she was called Siren. That had happened just a short time after he was born. He stopped paying any attention to the paper as the train slowed to a stop.

The ride uptown never took long on the express train, it always seemed to glide past the 20 stations that sat between downtown and uptown, even with it's singular stop in between at the midtown station. Finn watched half the trains occupants leave, only to be replaced by the last throngs of office workers, the ones who had stayed late or had gone out to drink or have dinner after work. One person though, out of the dozens that boarded the train caught his eye. It was a man dressed in a dark black coat, his long brown hair was unkempt and his face wore what was either a scowl or sneer. He caught Finn staring and their eyes met. A shiver went up and down Finn's spine and suddenly he felt extremely uncomfortable. He quickly looked away and left his seat for the next compartment, not noticing the man's cold predatory gaze following him.

Finn spent the rest of the trip uptown settled into the next car of the train, when it came to a stop he got off as he had done before, never noticing the man in the black coat had done the same. He kept his distance, following the young human no less than 50 feet. "What perfect bait." he thought. "This boy has the protection of a living god, and i can use that to draw him out." he watched as the boy entered one of the neighborhood's finer apartment buildings. He didn't know what apartment the boy lived in, but was confident he could sniff him out. The man quickly ducked into an alley way and began to shed his clothes, he looked to the sky as the full moon rose above the skyscrapers, then the change started. In moments the human was replaced with a large, snarling bipedal wolf. The creature turned, one of the city's many homeless stood there, mouth agape. The wolf man smiled darkly and licked his lips. The hobo didn't even have time to scream.

Finn slumped himself against his usual spot on the roof, all he had to do now was wait for his parents to go to bed. It was nine pm when he had snuck up to the door of his apartment, he could hear his father berating their "Delinquent" son while his mother just worried.

"Where did we go wrong Alice? first he fakes being sick all week, then he skips out the last half of his first day back! I know he's deliberately avoiding us too. He's got a belting coming when he does get home!" he could hear his father shout.

"Gerald, he's a teen, he's almost ready to graduate, Just give him his space." he could hear his mother pleading, and the obvious worry in her voice. His parents argued often, and usually over him, his father thought he was being too lenient, his mother always trying to stay his hand. Finn had silently snuck away from the door, knowing it would be a few hours until his dad's anger wore itself out. Now here he was, sitting on the roof, once again avoiding his problems.

"No, you're not avoiding your problems, you just need a calm place to meditate on shit before it drives you crazy." he said to himself

"Why not embrace insanity?" Came a voice from behind him. he scrabled to his feet and turned, looking for the where the voice had come from. He froze instantly.

Finn stood, scared, on top of the chimney sat a great big wolf, it's green eyes staring at him with the same predatory intensity he had felt earlier. Finn new he couldn't stay there, his eyes darted from the creature to the roof access door and he bolted, his instinct to run stronger than the fear that threatened to root his feet to the ground. "yes, the door, If I can get inside I can hide on some floor." his heart sank when he tugged on the door. Locked.

He felt the building shake and knew that the creature had left it's perch "Looking for this human?" the creature growled and held up a piece of duct tape. Finn's eyes went wide as the creature balled up the tape in it's paws and tossed it aside. there were only two ways off the roof now, the exterior fire escape or jump, Finn thought about jumping, but his self preservation instincts told him to try the fire escape. He ran towards the edge of the the roof, but the creature was faster.

Finn screamed and fell forward as the creature's claws slashed at his right leg. Finn turned over, crawling backwards away from the monster, a trail of blood running from his leg and staining the roof. This was the first time he got a good look at the monster, and if it wasn't for the terror and the blood loss Finn was sure he'd have a raging erection. The wolf must have been at least 10 feet tall, under it's dark brown fur he could clearly make out the thick slabs of muscle, perfect abs, giant biceps and then, his eyes darted downward, and he realized the monster was completely naked, the pink tip of it's cock poking out of it's sheath and two heavy balls swinging freely underneath.

Finn closed his eyes and braced himself "This is it, i know it" he thought. His back was against the wall of the elevator penthouse, he braced himself for the end. He could feel the beast's breath on his cheek.

"Here i was thinking I'd have to do this the hard way, but now" It chuckled "I get to do this the fun Way."

"Get away from him, monster!"

Finn recognized that voice, it belonged to Captain Impossible. He heard the punch, the crunching noise as the Super's fist connected with the monster's skull. "So, i guess it will be the hard way." the beast said as it sat up, cracking his neck.

"Finn, you're bleeding!" The captain said as he pulled Finn to his feet. "We have to get you out of here, can you walk?" Finn nodded as he stood, his leg almost gave out but he took a step forward. "I'm sorry Finn, there's no time." there was regret in the Hero's voice.

"Wait...what are..." Finn felt his feet leave the ground and his body sail through the air, then the landing. He landed hard on the roof of a nearby building, the impact left him winded, but unharmed. he sat up, his head spinning, he could see Captain Incredible and the creature throwing each other around on the other roof. He scrambled to his feet, wincing at the burning pain in his leg. the teen took the torn remains of his pant leg and tore it off. He tied the denim fabric around the wound "Gotta stop that bleeding." he said to himself.

Captain Incredible threw a a punch that sent the creature flying back into the wall of the next building, the stone work falling onto it's lupine head. The Super smiled, the force should have stopped the Wolf and he could go and get Finn some medical attention. He stopped and stared as the beast rose back on it's feet, wiping a small trickle of blood away from it's mouth

"Come on, you call that a punch?" the beast roared as it lunged towards Captain Incredible.

The door to the roof top burst open, Finn slumped against it, blood staining his hands, making them slippery as he tried to grip the railing of the main stairs. He had to get away, as much as he wanted to watch he knew Captain Incredible was buying him time to escape. The teen lurched his way down through the building, never stopping. There was a loud crash and the building shook, bricks abd bits of stone began falling down the shaft that the stiars circled. Finn looked up to see the stairwell penthouse and several flights of stairs collapse. someone must have been thrown though the sturcture above. Finn stubled forward, he had to get to the street, get someone to take him away, get to a hospital. His hand slipped suddenly, and the young man's frame tumbled down to the Landing.

Captain Incredible's head spun from the throw and he surveyed the whole where there had once been a stairwell. he recognized this as the building he had tossed Finn to, now the roof was covered in dust. He heard a roar, the dust cloud split, the Wolf's immense figure, mid leap, his arms extended above his head, ready to bring both fists down on the hero. Captain Incredible riased his legs and pushed as the creature's weight fell aganist him.

It took Finn a few minutes to pull himself up. Between the shaking of the building and, his bloodied hands that kept slipping on the metal railings, but he persevered and finally managed to stumble down the last few flights of stairs and out into the alley. Above him came the sound of several loud thuds and shattering glass, Finn looked up in time to dodge the falling shards and to see the monster jumping between buildings to slow it's descent to the ground. The teen looked on in terror as the creature landed on the ground only a few feet away. He turned and tried to limp away but again he felt the claws tearing at his back, sending him tumbling forward into a pile of garbage bags.

Finn screamed, he felt the beasts teeth around his side, tearing into his flesh, and then it pulled back. Finn writhed on the ground in pain, he tried to crawl away from the monster but his strength was failing.

"Finn! FINN!" he heard Captain Incredible calling out. "What have you done to him?"

"I've done enough." The beast said. "Now I have Business elsewhere, Goodbye Captain Incredible. I Suggest you don't follow me, the boy looks like he needs immediate medical attention." And with that the beast darted out into to the night.

Finn stood up, slowly, his head spinning "Don't try to stand Finn." he heard the super saying, it was like he was talking through a tube, he seemed distant and muffled. the human looked around the alley, his vision fading and the lights merging into a mass of oppressive white nothingness, he vaguely recalled falling, then the sensation of flying. He could hear what sounded like a hospital, but everything was in bits and pieces, like he was in a dream.

"He needs immediate help!"

"His blood pressure is dropping, massive external bleeding."

"He's pulling through, I've never seen anyone fight like this!"

Finn's eyes slowly opened, his friend Susan was standing over him, he could feel tubes poking out from everywhere, she turned and shouted for someone, but he couldn't make out any of it, it was like his ears were stuffed with cotton. Suddenly Arnaud's face popped into view, it looked like the big Shepard hadn't slept in days. Finn blinked as the room became clearer, he could make out more shapes, people. At the end of the hospital bed stood Captain Incredible, the hero who had saved his life. As soon as the super noticed the young man was awake it looked as if the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders.

"How long?" Finn asked weakly

"Two weeks, you were lucky capitaine incroyable here is such a fast flyer, no?" Arnaud said as he knelt down next to his friend's hospital bed.

"Mom, dad?" Finn asked again.

"They're in the hall, they figured it would be better if they weren't crowding you, i could get them if you..." Susan said, but Finn shook his head and interrupted her "Not yet."

"I thought you would never wake up Kid, but you have a will and determination that could put most Supers to shame." The Captain said. "Susan, Arnaud, I leave him in your capable hands, look after him, ok?" Both of the teens nodded as the super hero turned to leave the room "I've neglected my duties for too long, I owe it to Finn to find the beast responsible and Gods willing, bring it to Justice."

Arnaud and Susan turned back to a now fully conscious Finn "Dude, that was THE Captain Incredible!" They both said in unison, gushing over the fact that the world's greatest hero had praised them both. "You know he was here every day, guarding you." Arnuad said. "Yeah" Susan joined in "How'd you get to be so popular with a hero like him, I mean i could see the Wasp taking a liking to you." she joked "I Kid, it's lucky he was looking out for you." she said as she hugged her weak and dizzy friend. "We're just glad you're finally awake."

Over the next few days Finn told them everything, the week after the breakup, his first encounter with Captain Incredible, the attack on the roof. Both of them just stood in shock. Arnaud broke the silence

"One hell of a shitty month." Susan stood there, nodding in agreement.

It took almost a week for Finn to be discharged from the hospital. During that time Captain Icredible had stopped by to see Him at least once every day, He had begun looking forward to seeing the Hero. Over the concious part of his stay Finn had learened more about his injuries. His leg was pretty beat up and he had required dozens of stitches to repair where the creature had clawed at him. He had also discovered that walking on his right leg was difficult, though not impossible, so the hospital gave him a crutch to help him walk, as he was adamant that he not use a wheel chair. "Recovery won't come any faster if I'm stuck sitting down." he had told a nurse when she tried to force him into a chair.

Now came the day of his release, Finn's parents had brought him some clothes to wear home and had called him, Arnaud and Susan a cab to take them home, normally they didn't let Finn have friends over, but they didn't want him going anywhere after the attack and felt having his friends around would help him. Even his dad seemed to have removed the stick from his ass. Then there were the police, he was interviewed several times by detectives from the ECPD, and came to learn he wasn't the first person to be attacked, but he was the first one to survive. Finn gave them everything he could, a description of the monster, it's strength and abilities. They thanked him for his services and left. The next day Finn returned to school.

He found the attitudes of the other students mostly changed, his locker was stuffed with get well cards and gifts. most of the students had returned to treating him like one of them instead of some leper, the only one who hadn't changed, were Tanya and her inner circle.

Normally Finn would avoid the table where she held court at lunch, but since she sat on the widest isle in the cafeteria, and he had a crutch hampering his mobility he was forced to walk right by her. He tried to focus on his friends on the other side of the room, ignoring Tanya and Trevor. He was worried when their smiles changed to a look of absolute horror, and then he felt it. The world had been kicked out from under him. Frank, a cheetah on the basketball team, who frequently held court with Tanya had kicked his crutch away, the whole room fell silent and Finn turned as he hit the ground. He could see Tanya, scowling at him, her whole court was, except Trevor who looked Horrified like everyone else actually.

"Tanya, stop, Hasn't he been through enough?" he heard the dragon say. Tanya just rose from her seat, the Fox scowling down at the human.

"Listen here Faggot, this is MY Cafeteria, My Shool. I don't care what happened to you, but you will never come between me and my posessions ever again!" She said, her eyes darting to Trevor. The dragon looked hurt being regarded as little more than a thing and Finn, wincing in pain, raised his middle finger directly at Tanya and scowled.

"Hey Tanya. Fuck. You." that was all he said, and the entire Cafeteria gasped. No one ever talked back to Tanya. There were rumors about her family, none of them good, most were that one of her relatives had been a notorious supervillain, and since no one wanted to be on the end of a disintergrator or a hypno beam they had all kept quiet.

Finn watched the rage boil over in Tanya's eyes. "Frank, Mark. Toss this little faggot out!" she growled.

Finn felt himself being lifted from the floor, two of the school's strongest Jocks were dragging him out back. he cried out in pain as he was thrown against a dumpster, he could feel the warm trickle of blood, one of his stitches had popped. "What the fuck do you meat-heads see in that bitch?" He asked, the only answer he got was a firm punch to the jaw.

"Hey Frank!" he heard Trevor call out, the jock turned around and got a face full of the dragon's fist. "You suck at Basketball." the distraction gave Finn some time to react, and with his good leg he swiped at Mark's legs, knocking the human off balance and sending him head first into Frank's crotch. The Cheetah cried out in pain as his nethers were struck by his teammate, both of them writhing on the ground in some measure of pain.

Trevor extended his hand and pulled Finn up "Lean on me man." the dragon said as he supported the injured human. "Look, I'm sorry for everything Finn, i was a Shitty Friend, and an even worse Boyfriend." he said as he guided the limping teen back towards the school building. Both of them froze when they heard the Vice Principal's high pitched Whistle. Human and Dragon looked at each other both opening their mouths to speak in unison "Fuck"

"Patrick Finnegan O'Malley and Trevor Durant, you are in deep trouble." Vice Principal Edward Greene said in his typical, hardass tone. "For what?" Finn said, his whole body burning from pain.

"Fighting." The vice principal said matter of factly

"You really think I can fight anyone in my condition? I can't even walk without a crutch!"

"Tanya DeWinter, Frank Stearns and Marcus Benson all corroborated that you used said crutch to injure Frank in the Cafeteria, then Mr Durant here poured his drink all over Mrs. Dewinter and fled the scene with you." Finn was livid, the bitch was lying through her teeth again.

"The Cafeteria was full, there were hundreds of others who saw what happened!"

"And none of them have come forward, none of them seemed to see anything." the VP shot back. Finn was getting angrier the longer this went on.

"What about Susan and Arnaud? they were there." Finn said, smiling.

"Ah yes, your fellow delinquents Susan Webber and Arnaud Bourdelle. Both of them came to your defense, as i would expect truants to do for one another. Covering your Ass so you'll cover theirs. I've made my decision. Mr O'malley, in light of your recent behaviours, absences from school and violent outbursts towards other students, i have no option but to suspend you for the next week."

"That's Bullshit!" the dragon huffed.

"You too Mr. Durant, effective immediately you are both on one week's suspension. Your friends Arnaud and Susan, accomplices to your truancy, will be joining you shortly, Good day."

Finn Grabbed his crutch and hobbled angrily out of the Vice principal's office, followed closely by Trevor. "God, is there anyone in this school that bitch doesn't have wrapped her finger?"

"Well, there's you, Me" the dragon Pointed at himself. "Susan, and Arnaud. So, currently Four."

"That's not encouraging when our student population is 3500." Finn huffed as he sat down, waiting for Greene to finish with his friends.

"Dude, your shirt! You're bleeding!" Trevor's eyes were wide.

"Oh, yeah. I guess i forgot about that while Greene was being a conceited douchebag." he said as he pulled up his shirt to check his stitches. To his relief none looked popped. "Must not have been mine." Finn shrugged as the door to the office opened and closed, Susan was out first, looking pissed and Arnaud came out after, Cussing out the Vice principal in french.

"What a 'orrible little man." The Shepard grumbled.

"SO" Finn exhaled "Since we're all delinquents, want to hang out on my roof?" the other three stopped and stared at Finn.

"What? No point in suffering though this bullshit alone!"

"Are you sure you want to go back there after what happened?" Susan asked

Finn closed his eyes "Look, it's been my sanctuary for years, there was only one night where i ever suffered there, I'm not gonna let some monster ruin it."

Twenty minutes later all four were assembled on the Rooftop of Finn's apartment building, there had still been bits of police tape clinging to the door-frame from the attack a month earlier, much to Finn's surprise the building's owner hadn't changed the locks on the rooftop, whether they were too lazy or too cheap he couldn't say. The four sat around a space heater, that Finn had brought up, the fall air now noticeably colder than when Finn was last up on the roof. There was also a sense of unease in the air. Despite everyone being in the same boat Finn sensed that Arnaud and Susan were more pissed at Trevor than he was.

"So, Trevor. What happened back in the Cafeteria man?" Finn asked.

"OH....well, I dunno, i guess i just got tired of seeing Tanya hurt you, and then i thought about how i was a part of it, and I just realized How much more I like you." Arnaud and Susan relaxed a little.

"But you 'ad everything no? Ze most popular girl in school, you could 'ave been homecoming king." Trevor just shrugged. Arnaud was right in a way but Finn could tell there was something else beneath the Surface of Tanya the Bitch.

"It's seriously not as great as you think, really it's not. Tanya doesn't laugh, unless it's at someone else's misery." The dragon shot an apologetic glance at Finn. "She expects the her suitor or the people around her to pay for everything, despite her having more money than any of us combined, and everything you do is to please her, she never does anything for anyone else, and somehow people flock to her." Trevor rested his head on his knees as Finn just stared and lit one of the cigarettes he kept in his jacket.

"I heard, she threatened to tell your parents about your sexuality." Finn said between puffs of smoke. Trevor just nodded.

BZZZZZZZZ

BZZZZZZZZ

Everyone's eyes were on the dragon as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Crap, i guess the cat's out of the bag now." he said as he looked at the screen and began reading the message out loud. "Trevor, we need to talk. - Mom." he sighed "Think i should call her?" everyone nodded, the dragon was resigned to his fate "Better now than later i suppose." he said as he dialed in his moms number.

"Hey mom......Is it true?......Yeah, it is......No, God No......I'm with some friends.....no, were just hanging out.....that's gross mom.....ok, TMI.....Love you too Mom." the dragon ended the call, a grin spreading across his snout. "That went better than expected, apparently bisexuality runs in the family, through dad of course. Apparently, he likes to spend his Friday afternoons sandwiched between mom and another guy." Arnaud was the first person to burst out laughing, followed by Finn, Susan and then Trevor himself.

"You're far too overprotective of that human boy Drake." Captain Incredible spun around in his seat to face the hooded figure that had strode into his sanctum. "Maybe I am Faust, but i just can't back out now. First there was the attack a month ago, now this incident at the school, Attacking a defenseless student, and the Perpetrators just walk" Drake buried rubbed his temples and sighed "No matter where he goes the forces of darkness just seem to want to knock him down, It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe you're thinking about this too hard Drake, you do always over think things." The hooded figure replied calmly and impartially, his voice seemingly devoid of emotion.

"My gut is telling me there's more to this, Faust. Need I remind you it was through your deal that the creature that attacked Finn and his ilk were released into this world." The hooded figure of Faust paused, visibly hurt.

"And I have spent every day of my life thereafter in atonement for that Sin, It is My duty. I hope that in your desire to protect this boy you do not forget yours."

Captain Incredible paused, remembering what he had told Finn almost a month before "What's the point of protecting this city, it's structures and monuments if I can't protect her people? I said that to him when i found him on that roof. And i feel now, even more than I did then, that protecting that boy is the most Important thing I can do right now."

Faust stood there and removed his hood revealing his aged features, gaunt face and black hair with streaks of grey running along the sides. "In all my centuries Drake, I've never met a man who's gut instinct i trust more than yours. If you need any assistance in this matter, i shall aid you." Captain Incredible just smiled as the Dark Magician vanished into an ethereal mist and he returned to his work. He poured over the Monster's case file.

Nothing made sense about the Beast he was hunting. Everyone else it had attacked It had killed, Finn was the exception, they had even found another body, not five feet from where Finn had fallen, torn to shreds, just like the others. Had the beast already satisfied it's blood-lust when it attacked Finn? No, it couldn't be that, if it was driven purely by blood-lust it wouldn't have gone to great lengths, like climbing a whole apartment building, just to get to one teenager. This was far too deliberate.

"No, he wanted me to watch, he wanted me to be there." Drake was sure of it, the creature had wanted to be seen, he wanted someone to witness him hunt, and not just anyone, But the symbol of the city. Drake's heart fell, If he, as Captain Incredible had just been there, then maybe the others would have been spared like Finn. "I'm still missing something, but what? Maybe Finn knows, he was there through it all. There has to be something more to this, it goes beyond Sadism."

It had been an uneventful week for Finn, even with the the suspension, he found his dad to be unusually supportive, and instead of directing his rage at Finn, it was instead directed straight into the phone of Edward Green, vice principal of Edwin Carpenter High School. Though even his father's rage seemed to have no effect on whatever influence Tanya DeWinter had on Greene.

"God, I can't Believe that man!." Gerald O'Malley roared at the rare family dinner Finn had actually managed to attend "I have three people to counter whatever that spoiled little brat has on you, I can even get a goddamned Character reference From Captain Incredible him-fucking-self, but I can't get through to that Drooling Neanderthal your school has the balls to call a Vice Principle!"

"Really Dad, it's fine." Finn said looking down at the vegetable casserole his mother had made, absently twirling his fork through the dish.

"Look, Gerald, Finn doesn't seem too upset by it, and you know he can make up all the work he's missed like it was nothing. He and his friends are all capable of that." his mother said as she placed her hand on Finn's arm. "Honey you should eat your dinner, i Haven't seen you take a single bite."

"It's the Principle of the thing, Alice." Gerald said, gesturing with his fork "If he lets assholes like Greene and this DeWinter kid walk all over him now he'll fail later in life, I mean look at him, he can't even eat, he's so upset!"

Finn sat there wondering why he couldn't eat, it wasn't that he couldn't, he was starving in fact, but the distinct lack of meat in the vegetable casserole was gnawing at him. he didn't know why it would bother him now, it never had before.

"Maybe this whole thing is getting to me more than I'm realizing" he thought.

"Mom, Dad? May I be excused from dinner? I think Dad's right." Gerald nodded at his son and turned to his wife "See, I told you." he said somewhat childishly as Finn Cleared his place and went to his room.

The teenager locked his door and fell face first onto his bed, he was still incredibly hungry and now a new problem rapidly arose, the heat. It had started as a little prickle on his neck at dinner, but now there was heat radiating from his wounds. soon it had spread to his entire body, it forced the 19 year old to strip, he pulled of his shirt, already wet with sweat. When that didn't work he turned off his heater, and when he found himself getting hotter he opened his window. The cool October night should have been enough to cool his aching body, but it wasn't.

Suddenly Finn felt a sharp pain in his side, it jolted though him and he instinctively reached down to clutch "Fuck, I Can't have popped another stitch again?" he said as he gripped the source of the pain, finding not the raised flesh of scar tissue, but hair. "What the fuck?" the teen looked puzzled, at the cluster of thick black hairs that clung to his side where the creature had bitten him a month ago. he didn't have long to process what was happening as simultaneous jolts of pain erupted across his back and down his right leg, exactly mirroring the sensation of being slashed by the monster wolf's claws. Finn arched his back and writhed on his bed, rolling himself onto the floor where he tried to stand.

He only managed to get to his knees before another surge of pain hit him like a lightning bolt. It caused him to double over and he dropped, letting his hands catch him. Finn moaned as more waves of heat and pain pulsated through him. then came the first sickening crack. Finn felt his whole back arc, the spine rising in bumps across his back.

CRACK

His right hand had broken and was now swelling, he should have fallen over, but he some how managed to hold his weight.

POP

Finn moaned as everything went quiet, too quiet, there was another pop and everything came back, louder and clearer than ever, it was like everything within five blocks was screaming into his skull. T.V.s, cars, arguing couples, he tried to shut it all out but there were too many sounds.

CRACK!

More agony, Finn's feet broke at the same time, but he could feel them moving, his legs were being pushed upwards, changing. "Oh God" Finn thought "I'm changing."

More heat washed over his back, and Finn realized the hair had spread up and down his entire spine, thick and black, and strangely soft, it reminded him of Arnaud's Fur....then it hit him. he was sprouting Fur. That wasn't the only thing that hit him though. Another intense wave of pain shot through the human's body. There were a series of pops as Finn's muscles contracted all at once and then swelled outwards, bulging and growing at an exponential rate with each heartbeat.

RIIIIPPP

The bulging mass of Finn's legs split the seam on his jeans, the material falling away to the floor and leaving only his boxers to cover his rapidly changing nether regions. he could feel the blood surging to his cock, the hot rod of flesh swelled and grew plump, but something was also holding it closer to his body. A sheath, he had a sheath. again none of his changes took time to register as a sudden wave of pleasure hit Finn as his balls expanded suddenly, the half formed beast man let out a moan of pleasure as hot jets of cum erupted from his changing cock.

Semen soaked into his underwear and his fur, but most of it just poured out the end of his cock and onto the floor. With the sudden orgasm the change stopped being painful, suddenly it felt good, the pain was replaced by a numbness, and the stifling heat faded into a gentle warmth. The monster that had been Finn moaned in pleasure as a tail pushed out from his backside and his face reformed into that of a powerful wolf. His human teeth growing into sharpened and deadly fangs.

Finn stood on his two shaky Digitigrade legs, his head bumping into the apartment's twelve foot ceilings. He flexed his hand paws, sharp and deadly claws adorned the tips of each digit. Inside his head he was screaming, unable to make sense of what had just happened. Before he could think however, another sensation overcame him, hunger, intense hunger the likes of which he had never felt before. He needed meat. Finn turned to his window and climbed out onto the ledge, his gigantic form clung to the wall and he dug his claws into the brick and climbed using every ounce of strength his new muscles could spare.

The monster jumped the last floor and landed in front of the chimney he normally sat at to think. Finn threw back his massive Lupine head and let out a loud, blood curdling howl and began to run. He leapt over alleyways like they were cracks in the sidewalk, cleared streets like they were nothing, he darted off into the night in search of the meat that would quell his hunger.

Captain Incredible heard the howling, it was impossible for him to miss, in the dark he spotted Finn's building. The super dove, flying straight towards the Apartment. He arrived just in time to see a dark, shadowy and immense figure leaping away into the night.

"Finn! FINN!" the super yelled as he hoverd outside the young man's bedroom window. He didn't even need to go inside to see the damage that had been done, and he could smell the cum and sweat from outside. The only thing he couldn't see, was Finn. The signs of a struggle were all there, the room was trashed, claw marks were everywhere, Finn's clothes were torn on the ground, and there were clear signs of Violation, that evidence had pooled into the carpets in the bedroom.

Captain Incredible's eyes began to glow green with anger. That monster had struck again. Another Innocent had been caught in it's crossfire, not just that, but a person the superhero had started to care about, and his only lead was currently escaping. There was a loud crack as the superhero shot to the other end of the block, trying to trace the creature's path.

Finn gorged himself on a large cow hanging in the cold storage room of a deli four blocks away from his apartment. One of the perks about turning into a monstrous carnivore in the middle of the city was that there were no shortages of Delis for the hungry monster to ransack, of course he still had to deal with the noisy alarm. He had to be quick if he wanted to eat his fill. His fangs made tearing the cold carcass apart so easy, and soon it was nothing but bones, only a few sinews dangled from Finn's muzzle. he regarded the rest of the hanging meat with his bright golden eyes, but his hunger seemed to have abated. Then his nose picked up another scent. "Tanya" the beast growled as it ran out of the shop and into the night.

Captain Incredible could hear the shop alarm going off and immediately flew to the scene. When he arrived the deli had already been hit, he traced the claw outlines in the walls, and saw that the freezer door had been ripped off. The hero Gulped hard, bracing for the worst. "Finn, are you in there?" he cried out into the darkened freezer as he poked his head around rows of hanging pigs and cows. he moved through the meat, until he came across a cow that had been stripped bare. There was still no sign of Finn, which as frustrating as that was for the hero, still left him with a ray of hope "At least Finn's not dead" his happy moment was interrupted as several police cars sped by. "Great, just my night." he sighed.

Another five blocks away from the Deli an alarm blared, the deafening noise coming from a small but rather exclusive jewelry store. Inside three people ransacked as much as they could, two Men dressed in black hoodies and masks, and a female dressed in armor and wearing a golden mask. A Villain and her henchmen. Outside were two or three cops, their guns drawn. Finn waited across the street, his monstrous form hidden by the buttresses of the church he was standing on.

The trio left the jewelry store, the female spoke, her voice sounded distorted "Alright boys, why don't you drop the guns for me. You wouldn't hurt a Defenseless woman out on a shopping trip?" Finn watched as the cops Lowered their guns, he could tell that the familiar scent was coming from the woman, but the voice seemed different, the beast couldn't understand it. The beast watched as the woman laughed and tossed a strange canister into the air, it exploded in a puff of pink smoke, if it was designed to clear a path for her to vanish it did a poor job, the Woman and her two Lackeys were still standing there. "Alright boys, how about you give us a ride home?" the masked woman said as the cops holstered their weapons.

Finn's rage boiled over, here was yet another rotten person, about to escape without consequences He had to stop it. The monster roared and lunged out into the street, its black fur shining under the lights. the cops drew their guns, but it was too late, the beast was upon them.

WHAM!

It landed on one Cop, knocking his head against the door of his cruiser. One of the other cops aimed a Gun at the massive Wolf's head, it just snarled and grabbed the gun by the barrel, crushing it and making the Cop drop to his knees in fear.

BANG!

The last cop got a shot off, the bullet struck Finn in the shoulder blade and barely registered as a bee sting. The giant wolf was already seeing red, all it had to do was turn around and the last cop dropped his gun and cowered. "Useless cops, Come on you mutt, time for a new master." the masked female said as she tossed another canister at the wolf, the gas bursting right into the wolf's face. Finn Emerged from the pheromone cloud and roared.

It didn't work, It always worked, Siren's gas was guaranteed to turn men into slaves to her will, at least for a little while, but now this big monster was coming towards her, unaffected by the gas. "This is Impossible." she said as she and her Lackeys were backed into the jewelry store. "I command you to stop." her voice started to waver. "P...Please?" The beast just roared.

"Captain Incredible, this is Sentry, come in Captain." Captain incredible raised his wridt communicator up to his mouth "This is Captain Incredible. Sentry, have you discovered the whereabouts of Finn O'Malley?"

"Negative Captain, there has been no sign of him on any Channel in the last hour."

"Well what are you calling me about?" The super was visibly annoyed now, his search was getting desperate.

"There is an Uknown Super engaged in battle with Siren and some police under her control, I'm uploading the location to your communicator."

"And you want me to check it out?"

"From what i'm seeing it's a large, black lupine, approximately twelve feet in height, It's attacks are Savage and There's an 85% risk of causing serious harm to involved parties."

A massive, black furred Lupine, it sounded just like the one that he saw leaving Finn's apartment. the hero looked at his communicator watch, the location was just five blocks away, if he was quick he could make it. he could hear more sirens heading towards the location as well, if this creature was as savage as Sentry said. The hero took off, he had to find finn, but he also had to protect those cops

Captain Incredible gently landed outside the jewelry store, on the pavement, by his feet lat the crushed and broken mask of The Siren, roped off by police tape were two cruisers, their occupants being tended to by a waiting ambulance. He surveyed the scene, the Wolf was ong gone. In frustration the super punched and crushed in the door on one of the roped off cruisers. "Captain Incredible!" one of the Officer's called out. "You are not going to believe this, Siren was caught!"

"By who?" the super demanded.

"We don't know, those three over there they were hit by some kind of gas attack, they only remember getting hit hard by something big." the cop said pointing his pen at the three cops huddled around the ambulance "But those three." he said pointing to a squad car, containing three figures "They won't stop babbling about a giant wolf."

Captain Incredible raised his eyebrow. This was new, the other Wolf he had encountered was a killer, he didn't go easy on his targets. This one had left all six people alive, shaken up and savagely beaten, but alive. "Curious." He thought as he walked over to the car, only to be greeted by the terrified faces of Frank Stearns, Marcus Benson and Tanya DeWinter, the New Siren.

Finn awoke in an alley way the next morning, his cum covered boxers barely clung to him after the stretching they went through. As he stood up a rush of broken memories flooded his head. He remembered the deli, then attacking some cops, then the faces of Tanya, Mark and Frank, and blackness. He brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes, he could still smell the faint scent of dead flesh on them. "Oh god.....I'm a monster!" Finn cried. there was only one thing he could do, he had to get home.

The door to Finn's bedroom swung open, and immediately the teen was hit by an overpowering musk, his musk. He looked on in dismay, his forming claws must have torn his bed apart, the remains of his jeans lay on the floor, under a pool of cum. Finn gagged a bit and dressed himself, most of his clothes felt tighter and he gave himself a pat down upon realizing he had bulked up quite a bit, even now that he was human again.

Finn could still taste the flesh in his mouth, he felt sick and he ran out of the apartment and up to the roof, the physical exertion exacerbated his nausea and he puked as soon as he was on the roof. The teen made his way to the edge, but his chimney and peered over into the street fifteen floors below. He was a monster, and there was only one way to cure a monster. Finn Closed his eyes and took a deep breath, it would all be over soon, then he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else. he was about to step toward the edge when he heard a familiar voice.

"FINN! You're safe!" Finn opened his eyes, once again, hovering just off the roof like the night they first met, girded in rich shades of red and gold, his cape flowing in the wind, was Captain Incredible. Finn quickly averted his eyes, feeling too ashamed to look at Empire City's greatest champion, when he had fallen so far.

"No.....I'm not safe!" Finn shouted

"What do you mean? You're alive, you're home."

"I mean I'm dangerous!"

"Come on now Finn, just because a super villain or two have come gunning for you doesn't mean you're a danger...."

"I'm a monster! I became something else last night. I think i killed someone! Oh god i think i killed someone!" at that realization Finn broke down crying and took a step towards the ledge.

"Finn, what are you doing?"

"Only one way to cure a monster of it's curse right?" Finn said taking another step.

"Finn, you don't know that! Look, whatever you think is happening to you I know someone who can help. His name is Faust, and he's been around monsters for a long time." Captain Incredible Moved forward, his heart was sinking rapidly.

"Get Back! Please." Finn stood at the very edge, a small crowd had developed on the street, staring as Captain Incredible tried to talk down another jumper. Down on the street Arnaud, Trevor and Susan ran towards Finn's building with news of Tanya's capture by an unknown vigilante but were stopped by police keeping spectators away.

Back on the roof Captain Incredible had moved back, but Finn had made up his mind. "I'm sorry, i can't let myself become a killer, a monster." he said as he stepped off the roof

"FINN NO!"

The crowd gasped.

Finn felt the sensation of falling, then he was being lifted, there was warmth and the crowd below cheered. He had been saved, he didn't want to be saved. "Let me go, I'm a killer!" His fists pounded against Captain Incredible's chest while the hero held them both floating in midair like it was nothing. His surprisingly strong arms wrapped tightly around Finn.

"Who did you kill last night as this monster?"

Finn sobbed "Tanya DeWinter." he said

"And you still feel remorse for her death, even after the way she treated you?"

Finn nodded.

"Then you're not a monster, if even the most meaningless life means enough to you that taking it cause you such pain, even if they've made you suffer, then i believe you aren't a monster. And what if I were to tell you, that Mrs DeWinter and her two accomplices are sitting at ECPD headquarters awaiting charges in connection with a failed heist. A heist, that you remember stopping, though most of the details are lost to you. Would you call yourself a monster?"

Finn shook his head between sobs.

"Then you're not a monster to me."

Finn looked into Captain incredible's eyes. the pair had drifted back over the roof, away from prying eyes, and for the first time the two men were actually looking at each other, and not just as hero and civillian.

Finn leaned forward, Captain Incredible leaned forward too. their lips connected , their bodies suspended in the air and all time seemed to stop. The two mean were soaring, they could have been a million miles out in space, or three feet off a roof top, it didn't matter. The only thing they cared about was that moment, that kiss, When they finally pulled their lips apart Finn was smiling, reflecting Captain Incredible's own smile, their muscular boidies still held close together by the super . "Hello Finn, I'm Drake."

"Hello Drake"