Superhero Epic Ch. 2

Chapter 2: The Team
Frank awoke in the abandoned house that he had been sleeping in for a few days, since his family had been killed. He had thought of calling the police several times but decided against it due to the outrageousness of the story. The only thing left for him to do was to get his revenge on Carter.
"Why couldn't he have just killed me?" He said with tears running from his eyes.
"Because if he had, no one would be able to stop him," an airy female voice said.
"Who's there?" Frank said while grabbing his scepter and making it a sword.
"Jeez, what's with the sword? I am here to help you, not to like rip your heart out or something." The voice said again as a young woman appeared. She was easily one of the most beautiful women Frank had ever seen. She was wearing a spandex black and orange suit which showed her assets. She had chin length black hair with the back cut shorter and wore the back spiked out. She kept the front parted to show her beauty.
"Who are you?" Frank asked, still clutching his sword.
"Trixie Thompson and I am here to ask a favor of you.""Really? What kind of favor?"
"You hold the scepter of the Draguardium. This means that you have been chosen to be a hero. For only a chosen hero can hold that scepter," she said in a distorted voice.
"What?"
"With the scepter, you are the only one who can stop the evil one from destroying all that is right and just."
"What evil one? Do you mean Carter?"
"What?" Trixie said in her normal voice.
"You said something about an evil one," Frank said looking confused.
"Oh man, was I prophecizing again? That's one of my powers I haven’t been able to control yet."
"Powers?"
"What, you thought your friend was the only one? You have no idea how many of us there are. Neither do I, come to think of it. We're all in hiding. Certain Metahumans among us try to keep it that way."
"So, what? Are you saying I'm one of you too?"
"Thanks to that scepter you are, and luckily for you, there are places our kind can go. Think of it as a halfway house for metahumans."
"Okay, there's still one thing I don't get. How do you know about Carter?"
"Security camera at your house caught him leaving, then the police made it there, I'm guessing after you left. My team listens to police transmissions, so-"
"Wait a minute, what team?
"Well, I belong to a team of metahumans who kind of oversee the city. A team we'd like you to join, actually."
"I need all the help taking out Carter I can get. I'll join."
"Sweet! The sooner we go, though, the better. We're going to have to walk though, my teleporter broke right after I got here."
"If we have to..."
"It isn't too far from here, otherwise I'd call Tech and ask him to come get us. Just follow me and we'll make it." They made their way down the street until they found a street light with a crosswalk button on it.
"Man, those things never work," Frank said, looking at the crosswalk.
"Usually I'd agree with you, but this button is a fingerprint scanner and it opens a door to our hideout," Trixie replied. She held her finger on the button for a moment and a slab of concrete slid away from the sidewalk to reveal a staircase leading down into the ground. "Okay, let’s go." Trixie led as Frank followed down the dark, creepy staircase. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself," Trixie said as she held up her hand and a ball of light appeared around it.
"Well, there's not much to tell you that you don't already know. Um...I'm seventeen, I love listening to music, rock mostly, but I try to keep an open mind. I don't really have much as far as hobbies go, but I love to sing, swordfight, and just hang out," Frank said as they continued down the staircase.
"So you're a musician?"
"Yeah, I've written some stuff," Frank said, turning red and looking away from Trixie.
"Oh my god! That is awesome! I love musicians! Do you think you could sing something for me?"
"I don't know..." Frank said, becoming even redder.
"Oh, come on, please?"
"Well, since you said 'please'," Frank said, smiling as he began to sing. "♫What do I know about the way you're supposed to feel and how am I to know what you're thinking about on a daily basis? What should I know about the way the world should be, and what do I care about the way you think you feel about me? ♫" When he finished, Trixie gave him a round of applause.
"That was awesome! You're really good!"
"You think so?" Frank asked, grinning from ear to ear, still blushing.
"Of course! You've got a very sexy voice," Trixie said smiling.
"I try," Frank said with a smirk as Trixie laughed. They finally made it to the bottom of the staircase, and what appeared to be an elevator sat in front of them.
"Okay this elevator leads to the hideout. It even has speed settings: fast for emergencies, or slow for, let’s say, getting to know someone better," Trixie said as she turned red. She pressed a button, and the elevator doors opened as Frank and Trixie walked in it. She pressed another button, and the doors closed and the elevator began moving slowly.
"It's your turn now, tell me about yourself," Frank said eagerly.
"Well, I had a single-parent family, my mom died giving birth to me. I have a sister, her name is Lacey. She has powers too, and once my dad found out, he kicked her out, I guess he was afraid. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me, so I hid my powers until I could find a safe place to stay. I left home at sixteen, and I joined this team, which I've been a member of for almost a year. As far as my powers go, I have the ability to bend, control and create light. I can create light to illuminate a dark room or to temporarily blind my enemies, I create balls of light which I can explode, I call them flash bombs, and I can bend light around myself to make myself invisible."
"That's pretty cool," Frank said smiling.
"Thanks. Anyway, I'm seventeen too, I love music and musicians. I've been a dancer my whole life, pretty much since I was a toddler. I love hanging out with friends and generally just having fun."
"Sounds good," Frank said as the elevator stopped.
"Well, we're here," Trixie said as the doors opened to reveal the most awesome building Frank had ever seen. The building was circular and had an excellent view of Dragon Lake. It had all the entertainment equipment you could ever want: a big screen TV with surround sound, a huge computer with incredibly fast internet, and a video game console with hundreds of games. In the center of the room, there was a circular table almost completely surrounded by a couch, and there was a good fifteen feet of clearance to the ceiling. To the west, a beautifully decked-out kitchen complete with island in the middle.
"So, the newbie's here, huh?" a gruff voice to their left said. Frank looked and saw the weirdest creature he'd ever seen. This creature was covered in cream-colored fur and looked like a cross between a werewolf and an ape of some sort. "What're you lookin' at, newbie?" he growled.
"I'm sorry, I—"
"Relax, kid I'm just yankin' your chain," the creature said. "So, you ready to meet everybody?"
"That depends, are they all as charming as you?" Frank said with a smirk.
"My brother is, I don't know about Tech, though," he said, also smirking. He walked over to a console behind the couch and pressed a button on it as a PA system turned on. "Tech, Twilight, get to the mess hall, the newbie's here," he said, voice booming over the PA system.
When Tech and Twilight arrived, Frank could tell right away which was which. Tech was covered head to toe in a kind of cybernetic armor, which was giving off several soft beeps. Twilight was much more remarkable. He was aptly named because his body was covered in a deep, dark, twilight blue, except for his hair, which was jet black. He only had two fingers on each hand, and the same thing went for the feet, only the "thumb" was where the heel should be. He had bloodshot eyes, a bat like nose and a mouth full of fangs. The most incredible thing about Twilight were the massive wings on his back. Just to look at them, Frank guessed they were about twelve feet.
"So, what do you guys think?" Trixie said smiling.
"He looks promising," Tech said with a mechanical voice, and Frank smiled.
"I think he's a punk," Twilight's raspy voice said with a sneer.
"Why do you always do that, Twilight?" Trixie said irritably.
"Do what?" Twilight replied.
"You're so rude all the time. This whole 'I hate everybody' act is getting kinda old."
"Well, I don't really care what you, or anybody else thinks about me. As far as I'm concerned, you can take that newbie and shove him up your—"
"Twilight! Calm the hell down! Pixie, you know he's not gonna change, why'd you start somethin'?" Knightbeast said irritably.
"It just bothers me that he won't trust any—"
"I hate to interrupt, but Twilight, I don't know what I did to make you so mad at me, but I'm sorry for whatever it is I did, and I hope we can get past this."
"At least the punk has manners," Twilight said with a smirk.
"Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way," Tech began, "your entry evaluation can begin."
"Entry evaluation?" Frank said, looking confused.
"All the new recruits go through it to see where they're at physically," Tech replied.
"Okay, how does this work?"
"If you will follow me to the training room, then I can show you." Tech and Frank made their way to the Training room, which like all the other rooms, was circular, but this room was completely metal except for the window, which Frank guessed led to the control room, which was now filled with Pixie, Twilight, and Knightbeast. Frank then watched as the window turned into a monitor. "Ok, this is how it will work. A picture of each one of us will rapidly flash on the screen, one after another. When it stops, the picture showing is the picture of the one you are going to face," Tech said as the pictures started flashing.
"You mean I have to face one of you guys?!" Frank said anxiously.
"Yes, but don't worry, it's completely safe. The worst that could happen is you get a few little scrapes and bruises."
"Oh thanks, I feel much better now!" Frank said sarcastically.
"Relax, you'll be fine," Tech said as the pictures started to slow down. "Okay, here we go." The pictures then stopped on Knightbeast, and Frank groaned.
"Man, this sucks!" A door opened and Knightbeast entered through it as Tech exited through it.
"So, newbie, you think you're ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Then let’s do this!" Knightbeast said as he lunged at Frank, who instinctively grabbed his scepter, which then became a warhammer that he swung at an oncoming Knightbeast, knocking him into the wall.
"Rosewhip!" Frank shouted, although he had no clue what a "rosewhip" was, but something told him that it would work. As he said it, a long whip with several thorn-shaped spikes issued from the scepter where a hammer once was. He flung the whip at Knightbeast, whose ankle got stuck in its snare. Frank then used the whip to bring Knightbeast into the air only to slam him back down into the ground.
"That’s it!" Knightbeast said as he grabbed the whip, at great pain to himself, and swung Frank into the ground. Frank however, maintained a strong grip on his scepter. They fought for nearly ten minutes more when Knightbeast dodged a kick from Frank, and delivered one of his own to Frank's head, knocking him out. "Time, Tech!"
"Thirteen minutes, forty-four seconds," Tech said over the PA system.
"It looks like he beat your record, huh?"
"That seems to be the case."
"Well come down here and revive 'im, would ya?"
"Certainly." Tech came back through the same door he exited earlier and pointed what appeared to be a ray gun at Frank. A beam emitted from it and Frank woke up.
"Ugh...what happened?" Frank said groggily.
"You lost but you beat Tech's record."
"What record?"
"Every time a new recruit comes in, I want to get a feel for how they fight. I made up this whole 'random' thing so people wouldn't feel as bad about facing me. Tech lasted the longest against me until you came along."
"I think I'm gonna pass out," Frank said.
"Oh, don't be a baby, you'll be fine. We'll take you back to the mess hall so you can relax for a bit."
"That sounds good. Thanks Knightbeast. I still have one question, though."
"What would that be?"
"When do I get a codename and a costume?"
"Well, your costume is being custom-made as we speak," Tech said
"Really?"
"Yeah, Tech's good with that kind of stuff. Anyway, as far as your codename goes, how about...'Artillery'?"
"I like it!"
"Then it's settled. From now on, we call you Artillery. Now let's go back to the mess hall." They made their way there, and as soon as they made it, Frank plopped down on the couch.
"Make yourself at home, after all, you do live here now," Tech said. "I'm going to my room, but help yourself to the facilities."
"I'm goin' to the training room. Like Tech said, make yourself at home," Knightbeast said as he and Tech left the mess hall. Artillery sat on the couch for a couple of minutes more when Pixie came in and sat down next to him. Artillery could feel his stomach begin to bubble with anxiety.
"So, I saw you fighting Knightbeast," Pixie said, making conversation.
"Yeah, apparently I did pretty good," Artillery said smiling.
"Well, you did beat Tech's record," Pixie said, also smiling. Artillery looked at Pixie and could no longer contain himself.
"Look, I'm just going to come right out and say it, I like you, and I kinda get the feeling you like me too, s-" He was suddenly cut off due to Pixie kissing him. Their lips came apart, and Pixie blushed. "Where did that come from?" Frank asked, also blushing.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you're so cute and funny, I just had to kiss you."
"Don't apologize, I'm not complaining," Artillery said smirking, and Pixie giggled.
"See what I mean about you being funny?"
"So I guess this means we're going out now, huh?"
"As long as that's what you want," Pixie said.
"How could I say no to that?" Artillery said as the two of them began kissing again. Twilight, which had just entered the room, had tears streaming from his eyes as he stomped into his room and slammed the door. "Wonder what's bugging him?" Artillery said looking confused.
"He gets upset pretty easy. I wouldn't worry about it," Pixie replied.
Twilight's room was basically a holographically produced cave Tech programmed so that Twilight would feel comfortable. Being that there are no actual stalactites or stalagmites, and Twilight prefers to sleep upside-down, Tech also installed a pole in the middle of the room. Holographic stalactites and stalagmites, however, littered the room, and a small collection of small, sharp rocks were hidden in the corner. Twilight grabbed one of them, dug it into his forearm, and dragged it to his elbow.
"Why did you have to hurt me, Trixie? Why can't you and me go out? Why do I gotta be such a freak?!" he said as he continued crying. "This isn't fair! I can't have nothin'," he said, tears still streaming from his eyes. All of a sudden, the PA system blared with Knightbeast's voice.
"Everybody to the War Room, we got a situation here!"
"I wonder what's going on?"
"Don't know, but you might get to see some action today," Pixie said.
"I already did, remember?" Artillery said with a smile as Pixie giggled.
"I hate to separate the two of you, but Artillery, you have to have on your uniform before you attend the briefing," Tech said as he entered the room.
"You mean it's ready? Sweet! See you in a bit, Trixie."
"Okay, Frank," Pixie said as Tech and Artillery left to get his uniform.
"So, um... what powers do you have?" Artillery asked Tech, trying to make conversation.
"Well I don't like to brag, but I am a super-genius. I use my keen intellect to give complex problems simple solutions. Nearly everything in this building was created with my design. Not to mention the fact that I created this cybernetic armor which allows me flight, immunity to projectiles, resistance to explosions, and it gives me enhanced speed and strength."
"Jeez, for somebody who doesn't like to brag, you sure are good at it," Artillery said.
"Anyway," Tech began as they made it to the wardrobe room, "this is your custom-made uniform. It may feel a bit bulky at first, but if you press the symbol on the chest, it will become form-fitting. There is a place on your uniform to hold your scepter, and I even put an arrow pouch on the back with a replicating arrow. Walk behind that curtain, get dressed, and we can attend briefing. Artillery went behind the curtain, stripped himself of all but his boxers and pulled on the suit. He did find that the suit was a bit bulky, so he pressed the symbol on the chest and it formed to fit his body, matching every curve, every crevice.
"This thing feels awesome!"
"I hate to rush you, but we do have a briefing to attend," Tech said.
"I didn't mean to hold you up, let's go." The two of them made it to the War Room, and Knightbeast growled.
"Oh good, everyone's here. Now we can start. I've called you here because we've got intel from an informant at DracoCorp Laboratories. He says another DNA merging experiment is about to take place."
"DNA merging?" Artillery said looking confused.
"The kind of experiments that made me and Twilight what we are."
"Speaking of Twilight, what on earth happened to your arm?" Tech asked.
"Must have scraped it on one of the rocks in my room," Twilight said shadily.
"No more interruptions! What we need to do is stop those scientists from finishing their experiments. Or assuming we're too late, we need to stop this thing to make sure it does no damage to the city," Knightbeast said. "All right team, move out!" With that, they all left for DracoCorp Laboratories.