Superhero Epic Ch. 5

Chapter 5: The Reveal
An hour after Jessica had teleported to her location, the heroes floated in force cages, being suspended by an antigravity device. Jessica walked into the room, observing the heroes. A technician spotted her and greeted her. She gave him an emotionless nod.
"So what've you found out about them?" she said irritably.
"This one," the technician began, "is named Trixie Thompson. A scan of her revealed that she has power over light. She can bend light around herself to make herself invisible, or simply create it to illuminate a dark room. Other than that, there is little known about her. She has a sister, but we were unable to identify her." Jessica gave him a quizzical look. She shot her eyes to the next cage, in which was someone she did not recognize.
"Who's that?" she said irritably.
"This is Stephen Snyder. Readings from him indicated incredibly high brain function. We originally thought he was a telepath, but after further observation, his brain chemistry is quite different than a telepath's. It appears that he's just incredibly gifted intellectually, which would explain the cyber-suit we found him in." Jessica gave a look of interest.
"Cyber-suit?
"Yes, it's odd, it seems as though it enhances all of his attributes, strength, agility, etc. On the other hand, none of our scientists can get it to work."
"So who's next on our list of freaks?"
"This is Franklin Caiman. The only personal information we could gather involving him came from a police report. The report said that Franklin's family was murdered, and that Franklin was declared missing. Now here's the interesting thing, he has this scepter-like device, which is where his powers derive from, but when we attempted to retrieve it, it knocked anyone who touched it unconscious. It's unaffected by all our technology, nothing can do a thing to it."
"Do you know what it can do?" Jessica said anxiously.
"Other than the strength and agility it clearly gives him, I have no idea what it can do," the technician replied.
"So he could completely destroy us once we wake up?"
"You worry too much. You do the hunting and I'll worry about the details, okay?"
"Be glad I need you, Poindexter, otherwise you'd be on the floor right now."
"All right, if you are done threatening me, then we can get on with this. I saved these two for last. I could gather no information on either of them. Neither of their DNA is on record. Then again, that could be because their DNA structure is abnormal. This one," he said, pointing at Twilight, "greatly resembles a species that went extinct about three hundred years ago."
"And that species would be…?"
"Chiropthians. They were the original inhabitants of Chiroptera. They died out due to poachers. Their pelts are quite valuable, and their skin is used as leather."
"Thanks for the history lesson. What about Jacob?"
"Who?" the technician said confusedly. He looked at Knightbeast for a moment and understood. "Ah, this one seems to be the result of a strange experiment, as seems to be the case with the Chiropthian."
"What gave that away?" Jessica said sarcastically.
"Well, there are small facilities that tamper with DNA and run experiments on humans with the DNA acquired. It just makes sense considering how warped their DNA is. Anyway, this one appears to be a Lupine, he has the same rapid healing ability, the same heightened senses, he's just a bit more human-like than they are."
"What the hell is a Lupine?" Jessica asked, growing more and more irritated.
"I'm guessing you never took zoology in school." He said jokingly. "Anyway, the Lupines are a primitive species, but very intelligent. They have been around since the Aeragnostal period, when man formed into its three separate species."
"So they've been around as long as we have?"
"Yes, the only difference is, they have been isolated on the frozen continent of Lupinus."
"Anything else?" Jessica looked at the technician and grimaced.
"Nope. That's all the info we've gathered."
"Then I can take 'em to the boss?"
"I see nothing wrong with it, but be sure to restrain them before you do," he said as he opened the force cages. Jessica pulled out handcuffs from the pouch she had in her suit, and put them on each hero. She turned off the antigravity device and the knockout ray. The heroes fell to the floor with a thud. Shortly after, they awoke. Knightbeast was the first one on his feet, and immediately, he charged for Jessica, who shot something at him, and he fell on the floor, still awake, but stiff as a board.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that again. It doesn't matter how quickly you heal, the body can only take being paralyzed so many times before it shuts down completely," Jessica said smirking.
"What's going on here?!" Artillery shouted as he and the others got to their feet.
"You'll find out in a minute, but until then, you can all follow me, unless you wanna be temporarily paralyzed like poor Jacob just was." She shifted her eyes to Knightbeast. "Get up, you freak!" she said as she kicked him in the stomach. Knightbeast let out a grunt of pain and anger, and Twilight screamed.
"Leave him alone! What did he do to you?!"
"You'd rather I beat the crap out of you? Don't tempt me." Jessica replied. "Just get in line and follow me. Jacob, get your sorry ass up, and get in line!" Knightbeast grudgingly did as she said, if only so he wouldn't be paralyzed again. As he walked past her, he shot her a look of contempt, and growled.
"You'll pay for this, mark my words."
"Shut up and get in line!" she barked back, as she shoved him. Knightbeast spun on his heels, and got in Jessica's face.
"Don't think that just because you captured us that we'll be your slaves! Trust me, Well get outta this, and once we do, you're gonna regret the day you crossed me!" Knightbeast then gave her a look of contempt.
"Get in line now!" she shouted, pointing the paralyzer ray at his stomach. Knightbeast let out a growl and did as she said. "Follow me; you're in for some fun." They all followed her down several hallways, until she stopped in a large circular room, in the center of which was settled a chair. The chair spun around and was filled with a large muscular man. He was dressed in a suit and tie, looking way too formal for the surroundings, which were unfinished at best. Wires poked out of the wall, pipes and metal framework were visible, and the roof looked like someone had just begun painting it.
"So these are our guests? Excellent! I see you have been stripped of all those cumbersome garments, and have been outfitted with our attire." The man looked at them, eyeing their dull, grey, pajama-like jumpsuits.
"Can the whole 'charming' thing you dirt bag," Knightbeast shouted.
"What's the matter? Not feeling friendly?" the bulky man said smiling. "You won't go free if you keep that attitude up." The entire team gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean, 'go free?'" Knightbeast said, glaring at the man.
"Before we discuss that, allow me to introduce myself. I am Nolan Sphinx. I run this little organization, to capture, and/or kill metahumans."
"Why? What have we done to you?" Pixie said angrily.
"Nothing, really, it's just that I find it sporting to hunt things that are stronger than me. Very few things are stronger than me, but metahumans are such good sport. They always put up such a good fight."
"So why not do it yourself? Why have her do it for you?" Knightbeast grumbled.
"Ah, that's where the 'setting you free' part comes in. You see, occasionally, I have her kill targets that are no sport for me, but whenever she brings them here, they're obviously for me. Anyway, what I'm proposing is to set you free. Once you're free, however, I will hunt you down. I'll even give you a five minute head start. Sound fair?"
"And if we refuse to play along?" Artillery said irritably.
"Then you can go back and rot in your cells. If you really value your freedom, then you will take me up on my offer. But you don't get the added benefit of your teleporters, or in the case of Mister Snyder here, your cyber suits. I want you to be at your natural best. Jessica, release them." She angrily walked over to each of them and when she unlocked his handcuffs, he quickly pulled her body to him, flipped her around so her back was to him, and put his arm around her neck.
"Give us our stuff back, and let us go quietly or I'll rip her head off!"
"Let me go!" Jessica choked.
"Dear Jacob, you wouldn't harm your own sister would you?" Nolan said, ignoring Jessica.
"Don't tempt me!" Knightbeast roared. Jessica kicked Knightbeast in the groin and he fell to the ground. She then pulled out her gun and pointed it at Knightbeast. Artillery, just now realizing he still had his scepter, turned it into a sword, and cut the gun from her hands. Then he held his sword to her throat.
"Take us to our things, now!" he shouted, brimming with confidence.
"My my, aren't you just full of surprises? Jessica, dear, I thought the technician said all of their personal effects had been removed."
"They couldn't get that thing off-a him, it knocked out anybody who touched it," she replied softly, wary of the sword at her throat.
"Well I'm sorry to say, friend, that you have forced my hand." He grabbed something from his waist and put his thumb on a button. A large blade shot out of it, and electricity crackled around it. "En garde, cad!"
Artillery whipped his sword away from Jessica's throat and pointed it at Nolan. Knightbeast got to his feet and watched as Artillery swiped at Nolan, only to miss.
"What do you think you're doing?!" he roared at Artillery.
"I'll be fine! Just go get our stuff! Then we can get out of here!" he replied. Nolan slashed at Artillery's chest, but Artillery parried it. Knightbeast realized what Artillery was doing. He was creating a means for them to get their belongings, without being hunted for it. "Go, now!" This time, Knightbeast ran and the other teammates followed.
"Jessica, after them!" Nolan ordered. She did as she was told, and ran down the same hallway that the heroes did.
"Now it's just you and me," Artillery said grinning.
"Very well then." Nolan thrust his energy sword at Artillery, who spun away from it.
"Do you have any clue what you're doing?" Artillery chuckled. Nolan let out a growl of anger and lunged at Artillery. Artillery then ducked and flipped Nolan over his head. When Nolan was on the ground, Artillery put his sword at his throat. Nolan twisted his body and kicked Artillery's legs out from under him. He picked himself up from the ground and stabbed downward at Artillery, who rolled out of the way. Artillery breathed for a moment. He could feel his opponent's irritation and frustration. From the floor, he swiped at Nolan's feet. Nolan jumped and did a front flip, and Artillery jumped to his feet. He could almost sense the next move coming: a large swipe at his left. His style of sword fighting had always been much more evasive, causing him to expend more energy than he needed to. Being so, he quickly leaned to his right, and spun in a circle, catching Nolan off guard.
"Your theatrics are getting you nowhere!" Nolan took his blade in one hand and began repeatedly slashing at Artillery, who dodged every single slash. "Fight back!" Artillery looked at Nolan and merely smiled. Nolan was being far too obvious. He had used nothing but brutish, clumsy moves beforehand, and now he was ready to swing again. Artillery slid underneath him, got to his feet, grabbed him from behind, and held his sword at his throat.
"Had enough yet?" he said smiling.
"That's quite impressive for someone your age," he replied, also smiling, "but not impressive enough!" Nolan thrust his head backward and knocked Artillery in the forehead, who then lost his balance and stumbled backward. "You are a fool. Do you really think a child such as yourself can defeat me?" Artillery ignored him. He felt something flow through him that hadn't been there before. He suddenly had the urge to deliver a flurry of offensive moves. Contradictory to what his brain was telling him, he lunged at Nolan and threw a barrage of quick short sword strikes at him. Nolan blocked all but the last one, which caught him on the arm. Artillery watched as the blood began to slowly trickle from the now open wound. Seeing his own blood, Nolan became enraged. He took his energy sword and thrust it at Artillery who turned away from it, and gave him a swipe of his own.
Knightbeast and the team were running through the halls, trying to find where their gear was, when Jessica pulled out of a hallway, and headed them off.
"Stop where you are," she said grimacing. "You think you're clever, don't you?" She pressed a button on her wrist, and a small crossbow popped up out of it.
"Pixie!" Knightbeast shouted.
"On it!" she shouted. She held out her hand as a ball of light formed around it.
"What are you doing, freak?! Stop it now!" Jessica screamed.
"Sorry," Pixie said with a smile, firing the ball of light at Jessica, when it exploded and knocked her out.
"Let's go!" Knightbeast said as they continued down the hallway.
Artillery was beginning to get worn out from the constant dodging and flailing. He paused for a moment, thinking that Nolan would be just as tired, but Nolan was much more built than he was. Nolan came after him with a quick swipe of his energy sword, which Artillery blocked.
"You're growing weak!" Nolan said smiling. Artillery looked at him with eyes that were slightly out of focus. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He thrust his sword at Nolan, only to get blocked and elbowed in the face. He fell to one knee, head bowed down. "That's right boy, bow to me like the sniveling worm you are!" A smile of satisfaction spread across Nolan's face as he raised his sword to strike. A sick feeling began to percolate in the pit of Artillery's stomach as something came over him. With a lightning-quick slash of his sword, Artillery removed Nolan's hands from his arms. He spun on his knee, and shoved his sword upward into Nolan's stomach. Knightbeast and the others made it into the room as Nolan fell to the floor.
"What did you do?!" Knightbeast screamed. Artillery turned and suddenly felt incredibly guilty. His face was drenched in blood from Nolan's wrists.
"He… was… going…to… kill… me," Artillery said breathlessly. "I couldn't fight any more. I don't know what came over me."
"Don't beat yourself up, he was an ass, who wanted all of us dead for some sort of sick game he was playing," Twilight said, though he was a bit afraid of Artillery currently, due to all the blood.
"Anyway," Knightbeast began, "we got all of our stuff, figured we'd change too, so we could hurry up and get out of here." Artillery found he couldn't speak. He merely looked at Knightbeast and nodded.
"You okay, Frank?" Pixie asked looking worried. Once again, Artillery said nothing. He just put his head back down and stared at his blood-soaked body. "Frank, it's ok, you were only defending yourself. He would've done the same thing, and you know it." Artillery was struggling with himself. He felt an incredible amount of guilt and shame for what he just did. He knew in his heart that killing was wrong, but something about standing over his vanquished foe seemed almost natural to him.
"I know you guys are just trying to make me feel better, but stop, okay? I did something I promised myself I would only save for one person, and I just broke my promise. I'm just as bad as Carter is!" Artillery said, tears mixing with the blood on his face.
"Listen, your ex-best friend is starting a war, he attacked the city today, and he'll stop at nothing to make sure we're out of the way. The only way to combat that is to fight fire with fire. Hit him where it hurts, combat him the way he's fighting us, do you get what I'm saying?" Knightbeast said, hoping to reassure Artillery.
"No, Knightbeast, you listen! I refuse to become what Carter is! I refuse to stoop to that level! He may be starting a war, but rest assured, I will finish it, and I'll do it without becoming a sick, twisted, murderous animal!" Artillery was seething now; he could feel the anger boiling up from deep within him.
"Please calm down, Frank. You have to, for all our sakes!" Pixie looked at Artillery, nearly sobbing, afraid that she couldn't help him.
"I'll try to calm down, but it just scares me, that's all. If I'm capable of doing this, then what else am I capable of doing?" he said, the fear being clear in his voice. Pixie wheezed all of a sudden as her eyes rolled back in her head. She pointed a finger at Artillery. In a raspy voice, she began to speak.
"The time to act is coming fast, before we are in evil's grasp. Prepare to fight, or be destroyed, thus ultimate evil be deployed." Upon finishing, Pixie fell to the floor, her eyes closed, and her mouth open.
"What just happened?!" Knightbeast said worriedly.
"She must've been prophecizing again! Tech, can you wake her up?" Artillery shot a panicked look at Tech.
"I can try, hold on a moment," Tech replied, fidgeting with his cyber-suit. He finally found the button he was looking for, and pressed it, shining a beam of light at Pixie, who began stirring slowly. She looked up at the team, confused as to what was going on.
"What happened? Why am I on the floor?" Pixie picked herself up, and gave everyone a quizzical look.
"You went all weird and started talking in rhyme," Knightbeast said, glaring at her.
"I…what?" She shifted her head to the side, similar to the way a dog does when they're confused.
"Yeah, your eyes went back in your head and everything. It was kinda creepy, to be honest." Twilight looked at her and smirked a little.
"You're calling me creepy?" Pixie smirked back, and Twilight gave a little playful snarl. "Anyway, must've been one of my fits. That's the second time this week!"
"Fits?" Artillery said curiously. "I thought you were just predicting the future or whatever."
"That's what I call it when it happens. It kinda makes me go all loopy, and I don't remember anything I said, so I just call it a fit." Pixie looked up at Artillery and blushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed that she had let him see her that way.
"Can we get out of here please?" Knightbeast said, the impatience clear in his voice.
"Hang on, lemme change first," Artillery replied, motioning for his uniform, which Tech was still holding.
"You can change when we get back. The less time we spend in this damn place, the better." Knightbeast growled in a "that's final" sort of way, and Artillery held Pixies hand as the entire team teleported back to their headquarters.
A dark chill filled the air around a small building, in which the lights were off, though curiously, the sound of a television could be heard from within.
"Reports today of several disasters, all striking the town at once. The first incident was the destruction of the Draco City Police Station. We take you now to a clip from a live feed from earlier today." The video footage played, as a now visible Mindbender, Shadowcaster, and Dracosaur watched. Dracosaur, however, was more pacing than watching; stepping over the bodies of the family they had killed in order to use their facilities.
"You really did it, huh?" Dracosaur grunted at Mindbender, Who kept his eyes glued to the television and said quietly,
"Will you be quiet? I'm finding this entertaining." The T.V. continued to blare on.
"…killing several officers. Our hearts go out to those brave men and women. The police commissioner, who, was quoted saying he was 'attending to matters elsewhere', had this to say: 'I don't know who did this, but I can guarantee that they will be punished severely!' The second of these three, heinous acts was DracoCorp laboratories, which was majorly damaged by an explosion, caused by a fuel tank being lit on fire. The final act is perhaps, the most deplorable act this city has seen in some time. I am, of course referring to the destruction of the Dragon's Burrow Bridge, which has, for as long as many of us can remember, been the only way in or out of the city, aside from the Dragon's Fire Airline. Thankfully, and surprisingly, not one life was lost at the bridge, though several were severely injured. We take you now to a live feed of Emperor Gareth Lignum's press conference, where the Emperor is explaining his plan to combat this new threat."
"Don't you just love how quickly things happen under Emperor Lignum's watchful eye?" Mindbender said happily.
The screen flashed to reveal a young man, who seemed to be quite young for his post, perhaps in his mid-twenties, dressed in elegant red robes and a fez-style hat. He walked up to the podium, and began to greet the reporters who were there.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, if you would all be seated so we can begin. Now, before I address any of your questions, I have to say that these terrorists will be punished, that I can assure you. Now if we could get on with this, yes, you sir." He directed his gaze at one of the many reporters with their hands up.
"Yes, Emperor, I'm George Kiplen from the Daily Gazette. I was wondering—"
"George, I would appreciate it if we could all escape the pleasantries, and just get down to business, okay?"
"Very well, Emperor, what are you planning to do about these attacks? How will you repair the damage?"
"I am going to make this simple and short. These terrorists will be dealt with, and I already have an organization that is more than willing to provide me with whatever I need to destroy them. As to how I will repair the damage, a complete lockdown of the city must take place in order to: one, repair the damage done to the bridge, and two, contain these terrorists so it will be much easier to find them. Next question, please." Jeers then came from the crowd; people got up out of their seats and began becoming irate. "Can we please keep this civilized?! Yes it will inconvenience you, but it must be done for the safety of our citizens! Now can we please get on with this?"
"Yes, Emperor, is there any word on who's behind the attacks?"
"Since the attacks just happened, there is little word on exactly who these terrorists are, but I have received intel that they may be carriers of the Metahuman Virus."
"Metahuman Virus? I thought that had been eradicated after the last War of Ages."
"There was one recorded case, after the supposed 'eradication', in which the victim in question escaped, and he must've spread the disease to others. The disease has since evolved. It can pass dormant through one individual's system, but be fully active in their children. It no longer creates the hideous, hulking beasts or the pale, sickly, barely alive humans of days past, now it affects each individual differently, turning into superior versions of their former selves."
"How is it possible that we didn't know about them?"
"They have done quite a good job of hiding themselves, considering that I have been searching for them since I have been Emperor."
"Why, if you knew about this, would you keep it a secret from the rest of the general public?"
"It is my duty to keep my people safe and flourishing. Don't you think if I were to reveal them any sooner that there would have been widespread panic?" Mindbender turned off the television as an enormous smile spread across his face.
"You see?! I told you this would happen! I couldn't ask for anything more! Though we were known to the government, it seems they could've cared less until we became a threat."
"So what? We're out in the open now, but we're no closer to ruling now than we were when we started!" Shadowcaster looked at Mindbender, beginning to doubt her place in this little "team."
"Relax, my dear Shadowcaster, all good things must come in time. But perhaps we do need to move things along a little. Dracosaur!" Mindbender turned his attention to the scaly creature, and Dracosaur flinched.
"Yeah?" he said emotionlessly.
"Why didn't you tell us that you were a Metahuman before you were made into the magnificent specimen I see before me?"
"How did you know that?" Dracosaur said nervously.
"My dear boy, do you forget that I am a telepath? Your mind's deepest darkest secrets are like the pages of a book to me." Mindbender gave a little chuckle and continued on. "You did an excellent job of hiding the fact that you are in contact with other Metahumans, but I have just one question: why did you have the desire to hide it from me in the first place?"
"I… didn't really find it important." He said, beginning to get a little angry that his mind was continually being read.
"Well, Dracosaur, it is very important. We can gather many metahumans this way. The fact that you didn't care enough to tell me hurts a little, but anyway, do you know where these Metahuman friends of yours are hiding now?"
"Why don't you just read my mind and find out?!" he snarled.
"Because I could see that it was beginning to anger you. If you'd rather I did…"
"Fine, I'll tell you. They're like a family kinda thing, but they move around a lot. For now though, they've settled in the Serpent District."
"The Serpent District? That's a hotbed for crime lords!" Shadowcaster turned her head and began to get very irritated.
"Why does it matter, Shadowcaster? Are you frightened?" Mindbender chuckled to himself.
"No!" She shouted. "It's just that I might've crossed a couple of them before, and I'm not all that eager to see any of them again."
"Oh, is that all? Dear, you need to relax. Why be so tense about it, knowing you have the power to crush them?" Mindbender walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You are truly a gifted woman, my dear, and don't ever let anyone tell you any different."
"Whoa, Mindbender, were you just being sentimental?" Dracosaur laughed, and a bit of smoke issued from his nostrils.
"Just because I can be ruthless, doesn't mean I can't also be kind," Mindbender replied, in a kind voice, unlike his own, normally dark tone. "I may be fierce, but that just makes me fiercely loyal."
"If you say so." Dracosaur looked at Mindbender, looking just a bit creeped out. Shadowcaster, however, looked at Mindbender with a sudden adoration. She was not used to being treated in such a manner.
"Enough of this idle chatter! Let us go to the Serpent District." Mindbender began briskly walking to the door of the home, and blew it off its hinges. Dracosaur and Shadowcaster followed as Mindbender flew off into the early night sky.
Back at hero central, Artillery had just put his uniform on and walked back out into the mess hall, where everyone was situated.
"Hey Artillery, nice to see you got the uniform back on, and not those dreadful gray pajamas they had us wear." Tech was being oddly talkative, considering that he was usually more shy and reserved. Artillery looked around the room and mostly everyone, aside from Pixie, was watching television. Artillery turned toward Tech, and gave him a smile.
"Yeah, those things were terrible. So, um, what's everybody up to?"
"Damn it!" Knightbeast shouted in outrage. He nearly broke the table in front of the couch from hitting it so hard.
"What? What happened?" Artillery replied, ready for action.
"Mindbender ruined our secrecy! The damned Emperor knows about us all now! He had a damn press conference, and it's gonna be all over the news! Now everybody's gonna know that the "removal" of the Metahuman Virus was a hoax, and now nobody's gonna be happy until we're all gone!" Knightbeast gave another snarl and pounded the table again.
"What?! So we're out in the open?!" Artillery yelled.
"It seems that way," Tech said. "They're going to call for a complete cleansing of the continent soon, destroying everyone thought to carry the virus, or anyone who has had contact with an infected human."
"There's another thing I don't get. I mean I'm sure you all knew I didn't know about Metahumans anyway, so could someone please tell me what this 'virus' thing is about?" Artillery looked confusedly around the room.
"What, have you been living under a rock? That's big part of not only Draguardium history, but of our planet's history! How do you not know about that?!" Twilight looked at him and smirked, almost mocking Artillery.
"I was homeschooled, and my parents never were big history buffs, so they just avoided teaching me about the planet's history." Artillery looked at Twilight, and shot another smirk back, in defiance.
"The ignorance! How could your parents not even attempt to teach you of these things?"
"Calm down, will ya, Tech?" Knightbeast grumbled. "Since you're such an expert, why don't you tell him the story?"
"Very well. It all began long ago, over two thousand years ago, in fact. A ruthless tyrant known as Khylor was destroying the planet. He enslaved millions using his mage-like abilities which it is said were given to him once he made a deal with demons from Drek. He used his power so frequently that it became boring to just enslave people, so he began killing in mass quantities. One day, his slaves led a rebellion against him, which failed, but convinced him that slaves were no longer an option. He then resorted to only killing. He killed hundreds of millions, until a former slave named Draguardium, for whom our continent is named, rose up to challenge him. Khylor laughed at Draguardium, until Draguardium nearly defeated him in combat. It is said that the gods were greatly angered that someone had rivaled their power. They could not remove powers created by a demon, so, rumor has it, they placed powers to rival Khylor's."
"But why Draguardium?" Artillery asked quizzically.
"It's not known. Perhaps because he was destined for it. Who knows?" Tech took a small breath and continued. "Then, Draguardium began gaining popularity up to the point that nearly the entire planet supported his cause, with the exception of Khylor's small group of followers. Khylor developed the Metahuman Virus as a means to either wipe out or convert Draguardium's followers. The virus did one of two things: either transformed the victim into a hulking deformed beast, called a Nylock, or made the victim pale and sickly, and grossly underweight. Though it is rumored that the Metahuman Virus had spread to Draguardium himself, and he had a strong enough immune system to fight it, or that it affects him in a similar way it does us, it is merely rumor, no one can indeed prove it. Whether he had the virus or not, Draguardium became incredibly powerful, and though many of his followers had died of the Metahuman Virus, he still found the power to defeat Khylor. After Khylor's death, Draguardium supposedly wiped out the remainder of the Metahuman Virus, so that no one would be victim to this plague in the future."
"Wow, so all that happened two thousand years ago? That's really cool. There's one gap in that story though." Artillery looked at Tech and smirked.
"Really? And what's that?" Tech replied irritably, insulted that Artillery didn't find his information entirely accurate.
"Well you said that it's just rumored that Draguardium had the Metahuman Virus, but I think it makes perfect sense that he had it."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Tech glanced at Artillery quizzically.
"Well, if he was powerful enough to defeat a tyrant that enslaved most of the planet, and this is assuming that he had the Metahuman Virus, then I think it's plausible that he would've been able to wipe out the rest of the virus."
"So what you're saying is, that because he had the virus, it affected him in such a way, that it granted him the ability to wipe out the rest of the virus?"
"No, not the virus, all the carriers of it. Once he finished, I think that once it passed through his system, his body evolved the virus, changed it somehow, and he passed it on to other humans without them turning into Nylocks or the pale skinny creatures."
"That is an interesting theory, but I doubt that it is indeed plausible."
"Why do you say that?" Artillery shot his eyes directly at where he assumed Tech's eyes were; he couldn't see them beneath his helmet.
"Because, even if Draguardium was as powerful as you believe, a human's system can't just change a virus, it takes centuries upon centuries of evolution to do that."
"All right! You win! Jeez, you sure don't like to lose an argument, do you?" Artillery smiled.
"Not really, no." Tech replied playfully. Pixie, who had been sitting by the window, apparently oblivious to the entire conversation, began to shuffle around, as if she was uncomfortable.
"Trixie, are you okay, baby? You haven't said anything since we got back."
"Frank, I'm so scared. I really don't know how to handle everything. Ever since you came around, things got so complicated." Artillery looked at her almost angrily. He felt as though she was saying all this was his fault. "I'm not blaming you, Frank; it's just that all this is happening so quickly. I mean, a week ago, I was just a part of a team of Metahumans, taking out some petty thief every now and again. Now, I'm in the middle of a lunatic's plans to take over the world, and on top of that, we're all gonna be hunted like animals. It's just a lot to take in. How do you deal with it?"
"I really don't know. I'm really not used to this sort of drama either, but you just have to remember that we're stronger than most people, so naturally we're going to have more happen to us to test our strength."
"It's not fair! You'd think that I could feel great, considering I have these powers, but I feel worse off than any one of them feels!" Tears began to slip from her eyes, and Artillery couldn't help but feel bad.
"Listen babe, our powers are the only thing that makes us any different than them. We need to be strong if we're gonna survive this."
"I'm just gonna go to sleep," she said, wiping her tears away. "Wake me up if anything happens." She gave Artillery a kiss on the cheek, and walked to her room. Artillery wanted to walk after her, but knew in his heart that it would be best to just let her sleep in peace.
"Knightbeast, have things really gotten worse since I got here?" Artillery said, looking at Knightbeast.
"Well look at it this way, action has picked up, and now we can do more to help, so in a way, it's gotten better." Artillery knew Knightbeast was just trying to make him feel better, but he appreciated it all the same. "Get some sleep, bud, you haven't really slept since you got here."
"All right, fine, but I doubt I'll be able to get any now either." Artillery walked to his room, opened his door, and just stared at his bed for a moment. He couldn't help but feel incredibly weighted down with all the responsibility that was befalling him and the rest of the team. A chill went down his spine as he thought of all that happened in the past week. His best friend killed his family, he joined a team of Metahumans, though he had no clue what a 'Metahuman' was at the time, he started dating one of them, he fought a Metahuman which he later found out was his girlfriend's sister, he got captured by a Metahuman hunter, and escaped, only to kill someone, (that last part made Artillery shudder a bit), and now, he and all other Metahumans are exposed to the world. He sat down on his bed and just put his face in his hands. He lay down on his bed, and from all the action he had that day, he fell asleep almost instantly, still in his uniform. His mind plunged into darkness. His thoughts plunged into shadow. A scene began to blur into his mind's eye, as he continued to drift off. It was a blistering hot summer day, and Artillery was wearing white robes, only he felt different, as though he was living someone else's life, looking through their eyes, but unable to make any actions, let alone speak. He was kneeling down, collecting water in a large bucket for his master Khylor's shower. He walked with the bucket, being careful not to spill a drop of water. He walked up to his master and resentfully handed Khylor the bucket of water.
"Do you really think this puddle is going to be enough to wash me?! Fetch more, boy!" Khylor snarled.
"But master, the bucket can't hold anymore! I've put in all it will hold and I was careful not to spill any!" he said, trying to hide his anger.
"Silence, boy!" he said, throwing the bucket to the ground. "Do as I say or you shall be destroyed!" Khylor raised his hand and brought it back down quickly and slapped Artillery in the face. "You are so disrespectful! You know, before I found you, you were nothing more than an orphan. Your parents cared nothing for you, and if you keep it up with this attitude, neither will I! Then no one will care for poor little Draguardium, will they?!" At this, Draguardium could take no more. He felt a surge of power rush through him, and he tackled Khylor to the ground.
"I'm done with being your servant, Khylor! I won't take it anymore! Do you understand me?!" Draguardium was seething. He raised a hand to strike Khylor, who knocked Draguardium off him.
"How dare you?! You insignificant speck of human life! I'll kill you!" Khylor conjured a sword from nothingness, and suspended it in the air for a moment. He then flung the sword at Draguardium, who put out a hand, knowing that he was an instant away from death, and the sword stopped an inch in front of his palm. He dropped his hand, and the sword fell with it. "What on Hortath?" Khylor was dumbfounded. No one had ever stopped one of his attacks before, and Draguardium was a mere boy, no older than fifteen. "Very well boy, you wish to play games? Then it is games we shall play!" Khylor used his abilities to lift Draguardium off the ground. All of a sudden, Draguardium began to writhe in pain, squirming in the air as Khylor kept him suspended there. "That's it, boy! Feel my wrath! How does it feel to have your insides burn?" Draguardium stopped writhing, and merely looked at Khylor, and a pulse shot through the air, and became so bright, it outshone the sun. The light subsided, and Khylor was gone. Draguardium was still floating in the air. He hovered there for a moment, and fell to the ground. Artillery then woke with a start.