Multiple Settings Heroes of the New Age: The New Wardens [CLOSED]

[Infab]

"At any rate... I fought alongside your old allies during the Kilidian Invasion. I'll admit I'm not exactly friends with Kaluga. He thinks I'm just another tool of the American Empire to spread western interest eastwards, yaddah yaddah. But he's a good ally to have in a fight." Sentinel then chuckled: "I must say, you had quite the colorful group of friends, always dealing with the strangest things affecting the Union, no?"

Felicia smiled, as Sentinel spoke of the Red Guard. "Indeed. Mutants, machines, relics, mummies... I think an interdimensional gremlin at one point. Strange times and misadventures. Feels like only yesterday... though that was decades ago." she responds, with a faint smile. "...Nice to hear that Kaluga is still stuck in his ways. Nothing can ever change that man... though at times I wish he were better with the public. I may be a good speaker, but I view things from a more... machine standpoint at times. Blunt truths and all."

"Now that I think about it, when the invasion happened I did hear of a strange heroine who fought the Kilidians alongside the national guard here in Chicago." Sentinel then said, a grin growing on his face. "Pardon me if I'm assuming but, you fit her description! And that tells me everything I need to know about you - which is to say, you're exactly what I'm looking for."

"Yes. I did not wish harm to come to the people of Chicago, or the woman that had been sheltering me from the federal government. I chose battles where my skills were needed most, and avoided large federal presences unless I needed to be there." responded Felicia, with a nod. "If you are curious, I was brought to the United States by the Central Intelligence Agency during the mid-1990s. I believe it was to research the technology built into me. There was an accident on the highway while passing through Champaign, Illinois, where my containment unit was breached and I escaped. A former East German immigrant by the name of Edith Sackler took me in, and eventually we moved here to Chicago. I've been with her this entire time... until her recent death."

When Sentinel mentioned that she was exactly what he was looking for, she raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Soon, Sentinel explained why.

"You work in a clean, efficient way, and show great discipline... qualities I need in a new team I'm making. I intend to recruit street heroes, young talent mostly, but I also want to recruit those with more experience like yourself."

"I'm sure you're aware of how crime is on the rise, as well as all the monster attacks throughout the country. The American 10 and Wonderful 8 are stretched thin, unable to help every city out there... but it's hard for street heroes to help when the government does everything in its power to stop us." He then snapped his fingers: "But I intend to change that! And thus I would like to extend an invitation to you, Panzerfrau."

Ah, so he's looking to recruit me. Felicia hesitated for a moment glancing to the goons. It seems like the most logical thing for me to do. I've always worked best with a team, and... I have no one to go home to anymore... Perhaps this would be more beneficient compared to simply wandering Chicago alone.

She then reached out and shook Sentinel's hand. "I accept your invitation... though on one condition." she says. "...I need somewhere to take up residence. As my caretaker is... gone... I have been wandering Chicago and simply returning to sit on the fire escape outside her old apartment. I would... rather not do that... anymore."

 

[Breadman]

The pair of heroes had their moment interrupted by a voice behind them. For a couple of seconds they stared into space before turning around to see who it was. Neither of them would believe their eyes when they saw that it was in fact the voice of Sentinel.

"What the...Holy sh-...

"Dove, its freaking Sentinel!" Knight had his head in his hands "Holly molly, its really him!"

"Yeah, I can see." She thought she was just as shocked as her partner, but judging by his muffled excitement, that was clearly not the case. Especially with that weird sound he just made. That cool exterior he had just a few moments ago was gone. Was he like that when he met Shadowboxer or did he only get like this for the really big names?

"Sir, I am a huge fan."

"I think he can see that."

"Sorry...I just...Holy heck!"

"Knight, please calm down." Normally she would be annoyed in a situation like this, but something about Knight's dorky fanboying was funny to her. "I'm sure he can autograph something for you later."

"Aw man, that old action figure I had would have been perfect. The Mattel one made from that really durable plastic. Could change the capes and everything." He stopped for a few seconds to realize where he was again. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, you're lucky its in private." She padded him on the shoulder. "Hi, sir!" Dove returned her attention to Sentinel. "Oh man, this is actually surreal. We thought we'd be on this for a few more days to bust the whole operation, but if you have more intel, then we can break the whole thing by morning." She paused for a moment before realizing that they didn't do proper introductions either. "Oh, sorry! I'm Black Dove and this is my friend, Knight."

"I'm new at this, but Dove has been showing me the ropes. She's really good at this patrol stuff."

 

[joshuadim]

[MAMIMI PROLOGUE]​

Sentinel took a seat at the foot of Mamimi's bed and listened to her story, allowing the pieces to fall together naturally rather than trying to needing to interrogate her. Things began to click: why she was so antagonistic when they first met, how Shadeling's initial reaction gave off the wrong impression, how her upbringing influenced the way she is now. It was a tough tale for anyone to live through, especially as she put it out that her appearance made her more susceptible to such difficulties, but it gave some comfort to the hero that she was - at least, outwardly - better off aside from the hospitalization. She apologized and even thanked Sentinel for helping her, which made him smile.

She gave her name - not her birth name but a new one - that she claimed as her own, to which Sentinel nodded to. "I like it." he said before looking towards the IV drops. "Guess you'll be let out of here sooner rather than later." he then commented looking back to Mamimi. He had something more to say yet found it caught in his throat; but what could he say? What words of advice could he possibly give to such a topic in the first place? It was this lived experience that he was wholly divorced from, which in turn made it so very difficult to possibly comment or give said advice in the first place.

"Listen, Mamimi." Sentinel then spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder as he got up. "There's much I want to talk with you about. But, sadly, I'm running out of time at the moment. The world needs me for a few hours... but I want to keep talking." He gave her a genuine smile, "I want you to come to a place that means a lot to me. It's called 'De Barahona al Corazon', it's a dominican restaurant here in the Bronx." His gaze then turned when he heard the pulse of another person walk by the room, and saw Anna still holding her coffee.

"Don't worry," she says, taking another sip of her coffee before continuing. "I'll tell her how to get there." She smiles, having learned how to get there the time Sentinel's friend Judgement needed emergency surgery after having fought the Black Line, and going directly to a hospital was out of the question. She then looked to Mamimi and smiled: "Hey their girly. Figured you'd wake up any second now." she said, approaching the bed and looking at the notes on the clipboard that the nurses had transcribed her vitals onto during monitoring. "Now go on big guy, three cyclops are attacking Turkey and the Olympians could use a hand."

Sentinel nodded, before looking back to Mamimi a final time: "Don't feel pressured to come, of course... but... I would appreciate it. I'll be waiting for you either way." he said before walking over to the window and opened it. A cool Augustian breeze crept into the room as he positioned himself along the edge before jumping out and flying off. For Anna, this was a usual end to their interactions that she never got tired of - as the miracle of flight was always something to behold. "Now, we've got a lot to talk about." Anna then said to Mamimi, "But first, we need to make sure you're okay. Vitals look good..."

Several hours pass by, where Anna kept Mamimi on observation just in case along with a few minor medical tests to ensure that she was, in fact, healthy enough to be discharged. After having been in a perceived coma for a week, she wasn't taking any chances even with a supe. But once everything came back normal, Anna asked Mamimi - "Jane" - to stay in the room for a bit as they gathered her belongings. During this time, she was given food and the TV remote, where she could see Sentinel fight alongside the mythic warriors of the Olympians fight off the monstrous creatures.

When Anna returned, she was holding a bag with Mamimi's clothes that were all washed and cleaned - even sewn where needed in some parts - as well as a new set of clothes that was similar to what she already had. "This is very important." the doctor then said as she offered the girl what appeared to be an ID card. "Remember when I asked to take a picture of you for your file? Well, I lied..." she said with a cheeky grin, "But for good reason. This is a superhuman identification, which also serves as a regular ID... if a cop stops you, you show them this immediately and it will get them to back off most of the time. But don't give them a reason to look any further, 'cause they will find it on the national registry. And the picture on file doesn't belong to you."

She then nodded: "Like I said earlier, the restaurant is only a couple blocks away. Three blocks straight from the entrance of the hospital, then two blocks right. Can't miss it." Anna then gave Mamimi a small hug: "I have to get back to the E.R., but please be safe."

Whether or not the hug was reciprocated, Mamimi woould soon be discharged with a clean bill of health and ultimately allowed to leave the hospital. New York itself was a city of contradictions, which she would come to experience firsthand as she walked through the neighborhood and observed the happenings and doings of daily life - both the good and bad - that everyone had to deal with on some level. Pedestrians and drivers were rude to each other, with the former often being small confrontations over petty things and the latter being horns honking in the streets and people flipping each other off for bad driving. It seemed to chaotic over these little things, and it only got worse when Mamimi witnessed a street fight between two homeless men over food from a garbage bin.

To have to resort to such lesser... baser instincts to simply survive... especially in a country like this, it was unfathomable to most. Though the reality was often masked by the comforts of modernity, and thus many of these people fell through the cracks with their suffering never known or understood... like Mamimi's. And then there was also the matter of the law... or rather, how corrupt it could be. A patrol officer across the street from where Mamimi walked pointed seemingly at her and approached, hand on his pistol; it almost as if he seemed to want to harass her, but the officer simply walked past her and instead went on to harass a cat-faced man for no reason. She could overhear how the cop pulled forth some bullshit justifications and statures for such harassment, and seemed to relish in this power over someone who was a registered supe.

But beyond all this, there was also those with acted with kidness and generosity to others; acts that would often go unseen to the world at large, but would be so profound to those living in the moment that it made them all the more beautiful and fleeting. An old man slips off the steps of a bus and onto the sidewalk below, which catches the attention of a group of youngsters playing basketball on a court and they quickly rush over to help the man up. They put him on a bench and ask to make sure that he's alright, and they exchange small talk between generations... just talking about the little things that made disparate lives connected together.

She also saw an old Italian man, coming from a local deli/cafe with a bag full of everything one could want, and gave a salami sandwich over to a homeless man sitting nearby along with a small cup of espresso. They would sit and talk about life, and about the weather, and forget the problems of age and woe together through laughter and smiles. And another patrol officer, speaking to a young woman in distress that Mamimi overhears: she lives out of her car, and that she can't even afford a ticket fine for simply staying a bit too long in the zone she was in. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't live with even a steady roof over her head and that she was reduced to this. And the officer took kindness to heart as he simply smiled and let her know that she wasn't in any real trouble. He would then turn and walk away, pretending as though he never saw the violation in the first place, and moved past Mamimi - to whom he would tip his cap towards as a friendly gesture.

And on one of the many buildings that she would pass on her way over, she would see a colorful and large mural of Sentinel himself. He stood even taller than he did in person, giving him a magnanimous presence for everyone in the Bronx to look at him with pride and joy towards knowing that he was there for them. A young boy - walking with his father - pointed up to the mural with excitement, and shouted aloud: "I wanna meet him one day!" the kid said with an innocent joy, "I wanna be like him!" His father, playing along with his son's imagination, lifted him up and made it seem as though he was flying on his own as they walked further down the street. Mamimi could hear the kid's laughter even as they grew further away, before she rounded the corner and got to the street where the restaurant was at.

There, she would see another mural that seemed to be in two parts, disjointed by the main road itself; it showed the faces of gang crime - ordinary men and boys - as well as homages to the injustices of certain vigilantes and of the police... commentary on the state of affairs when it came to such relations. But there was also another mural, right on the side of Sentinel's restaurant, that held the face of a man in high esteem with his name painted below: Carter Davis.

​

She could hear how busy it was inside, even through the windows of the front, as the establishment was lively and busy with all the customers it could possibly ask for. But when she entered, the commotion practically disappeared as everyone's eyes trailed over to the newcomer and her strange appearance. The silence hung, and made it all the more wracking as people were either whispering to one another or kept their mouths shut as they waited for what would happen next. But a man walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel and looking not concerned at all. She didn't recognize him until he spoke: "Welcome! We've been expecting you. I'll be with you in a moment, Mamimi." said Tyrell Willaims, in his plainclothes attire for work at the restaurant.

Other members of his family had also stopped what they were doing and streamed towards the doorways to the kitchen to see what had made the restaurant so quiet. But Tyrell quickly walked over and whispered to them, which made them smile and nod to one another collectively. His mother also gave him a hug and went to gather some plates as Mamimi took her seat in the restaurant. Not a moment later, she was approached with a platter full of food by Tyrell's mother: "Eat as much as you want sweetheart. Any friend of my son is free to eat as much as they want!"

As time passed, Mamimi would get served as much as she wanted without any objections and by the time evening falls, only a few customers remained at the far ends of the restaurant which allowed some privacy for her as well as Tyrell; he approached her, taking off his bandana wiped his brow before taking a seat opposite from her. "Hey." he smiles, before whispering. "My name is Tyrell Williams... but you met me as Sentinel. And I'd like to ask you about something. I see potential in you to do good... the question is, do you want to fight the good fight?"

---

[PANZERFRAU PROLOGUE]​

Red Ghast looked visibly aghast when Panzerfrau asked for a place to stay, as he interpreted it in completely the wrong way as he quickly darted his head between the two of them and let out an annoyed groan: "Gah! First you stroll on in here before I can make my moves, and now you're MOVING IN TOGETHER!?" he shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and turning away. "I can never win..." he then muttered to himself, walking a few steps away to kill some glass in self-pity as Sentinel laughed off the insinuation. Wordlessly, he shook his head before continuing the conversation at hand.

"Of course! I wouldn't have anyone living on the streets if I could help it." Sentinel said to Panzerfrau with a nod, "Wouldn't make sense to have anyone I want to work with out on the streets on their lonesome."

"Hah! Imagine that: supes on welfare and living out of cardboard..." Red Ghast then chimed in, crunching on glass to entertain himself nearby.

"There's a place in the Bronx in New York which is very dear to me. It's called 'De Barahona al Corazon', a dominican restaurant. Head on over and meet me there."

"AHA! I KNEW IT! You're going on a ~date~ with the robot-commie-mommy!" Red Ghast then shouted, pointing at Sentinel in an accusatory manner.

"...please ignore him." Sentinel then said, shaking his head and chuckling.

---

[DERBY PROLOGUE]​

Sentinel let out a chuckle as Derby put on a show to act tough, and shook his head: "Trust me, I'm not here to do that." the hero responded with a smile. "Though, it's a *bit* hard for me to simply forget the heroism that I witnessed." he then said, glancing over to the unconscious Mauler. "Trust me, you've got the makings of a hero... even if you don't believe it yourself yet."
The young man was certainly strong, stronger than his appearance suggested, and wondered if that was on purpose to blend in or simply just an afterthought compared to his choices in style and wear.

He also wondered *why* this young man felt such a way, despite acting in another, with regards to herodom. And as such, he decided to probe a little further into why this was. In the worst case, he would simply be brushed off with another snarky comment. "So, Derby, if you *aren't* a hero... why'd you go and deal with Mauler here then?" Sentinel then asked, crossing his arms with a bemused look.

---

[BLACK DOVE PROLOGUE]​

Sentinel chuckled as Knight fanboyed in front of him and his partner and smiled to Dove: “Don’t worry about it. I always enjoy meeting people who are as enthusiastic as your friend.” He then nodded to Knight as Dove introduced themselves, maintaining his smile all the while as he observed them. A slightly quirky duo, though they certainly were up for the task at hand. “Pleasure to meet the both of you.” Sentinel said, shaking Knight’s hand and then Dove’s.

There was still that feeling he had with Black Dove that he couldn't explain, in that she was familiar yet a stranger all the same. "I feel like I know you from somewhere..." Sentinel said first to Black Dove before motioning his head off towards the distance, in the direction of his next destination that he had planned already. “ But that can wait for now. You wanna beat up some mobsters?” he then asked, “You’re more than welcome to join me over at the ‘Naughty Girls’ parking lot, and stop that deal from going through between both crews.”

---

[ZEYNEP PROLOGUE]​

A deathly silence hung in the air following Zeynep's defiance, and both Bokors that flanked Kriminel looked to one another in surprise from under their shades before putting their hands on their weapons in preparation for what seemed to be the inevitable reaction from their boss. Mr. Din himself took a few steps back to offer space for his boss and his lackeys to operate without him getting in the way, both for practical purposes as well as his own craven nature seeking to keep himself out of harms way. And their intuition was correct, as Kriminel let out a toothy smile before wordlessly lifting the hat a bit off the top of his head. Almost immediately, like rabid dogs let loose from cages, shadowy tendrils shot out in place of his dreads and snaked their way over to their intended victim.

The way they moved was... unnatural, to say the least as they seeme to both slither on the ground itself and melt into it at the same time. It was a trick of the senses as well as of dark magics, as they quickly found their target and snaked themselves onto her limbs. With great force, they pulled at her to force her onto her knees as the bokors pulled loose their machetes and charged at Zeynep. What they saw was a helpless target seemed to be the case initially, as they hacked and slashed at her body without any hesitation nor troubles and splattered her blood across the pavement below. Then with brutal stabs, they impaled her with their blades in both her chest and her abdomen.

However, they didn't take into account the strength of their target as she would quickly break free - blades lodged inside her still - and bought herself some breathing room by jumping back some meters. The machetes themselves would come loose with ease as she simply pulled them out and dropped them at her feet. As a vampire, such trivialities were of no concern to her in the moment. The bokors would switch tactics by pulling out their pistols and fire upon her, peppering the air with gunshots in their attempt to riddle her full of holes. Kriminel, however, remained unfazed as he maintained his crazed, devilish grin while continuing to send his tendrils after her. He seemed to be almost toying with her, in this respect, while the bokors were deathly serious about their job; a stark contrast between those who served and the one that ruled without worry.

---

[KISARA PROLOGUE]​

Sentinel look at the name card that Kisara had given him, twirling it in between his fingers as he observed its writing, before smiling to himself as a crowd had gathered at the sight of the burning building. He wanted to go after her, though he knew that she perhaps wanted the space and also wasn't perhaps in the mood. Given what she said about the 'spotlight', he couldn't blame her. He'd have to approach her some other time... and he did have the address of her business for such an occasion. As such, Sentinel decided that it would be best to approach the woman with his proposition with the luxury of privacy and away from the prying eyes of the public. Where she was more comfortable to talk freely rather than keep up outward appearances on nonchalance.

He tucked it into a crevice of his suit as he looked around, seeing the first responders get to work dealing with both the unconscious criminals - moving them to ambulances and patrol cars where needed - and the rescued children, who were tended to by EMTs to make sure they were alright. Sentinel took a bit of time to make sure that all the kids were fine, and when he was given the all-good by those on the job he left it in their hands. He first floated upwards and then flew off, making sure to patrol the city from above for the time that he had remaining in the night.

The Next Day…

Sentinel walked up the steps to the address that had been given to him, the floorboard and steps squeaking under his feet after having passed near a Chinese medicine shop. Rather than draw too much attention himself by approaching as the hero everyone knew, he instead wore plainclothes and thus was incognito to the people on the streets below with the presence of Tyrell Williams. It was certainly remarkable what a simple change of clothes and some other minor things could do to people's perceptions. And the privacy afforded by this little stowaway office space meant that he wouldn’t need to worry about his identity when speaking to the woman he had met last night either. Given the only door that was labelled made itself known to him, he figured that this was the place he was looking for: Gyoshi Detective Agency.

Despite appearances, he knew that given her actions last night that she was doing as much good as she could. And so, without hesitation, he knocked on the door and awaited a response from within.

---

[GEMINI FLASHBACK]​

Sentinel kept pushing at the nose of the train, trying to slow it down at a pace that wasn't dangerous to anyone on-board still and felt the strength of the train grow less by the moment. However, he also had noticed the same problem that the twins had with the platform up ahead that they were about to very soon speed on through. The hero's eyes widened as he realized just how much danger all those people, who had been out on this day to witness a marvel of engineering in action for the future of transporation, were in now in the presence of what was essentially a giant, magnetic bullet. The situation was difficult not only because of the people there, but of how he himself was preoccupied now...

If he let go to help save the people, then the train itself was at risk of gaining speed again and thus setting back all the work he had done to try to slow it down. In turn, this would hinder the speedsters he had just now worked with in their efforts. In turn, it would doom the people on the train most likely. On the other hand, if he stayed then the people at the next station would most assuredly die since he couldn't afford to stop the train at full force lest it would kill the people inside. It was an impossible choice, and one that Sentinel himself could never reckon with as he hurriedly tried to make sense of all this and come up with a plan.

Fortunately, however, there was a plan coming from the duo as he noticed their signalling. At first it took a moment to get what they wanted to signal/say over the intense chaos of the train and the destructive commotion. But soon it became apparent when they signalled to smash something that Tobi was pointing towards at the rear of the first car. He figured that this meant that they had figured out a way to deal with the train, and so he quickly left the front of the train to investigate. The coupling mechanism seemed to have been weakened enough that - with enough force - it could separate the front from the passenger cars that it held hostage.

"Ok! Get ready!" Sentinel shouted aloud, before driving a fist into the mechanism. The first strike rattled the entire train, and the mechanism loosened slightly until he struck at it again with another powerful thud. This time, thanks to his haste, the mechanism broke off completely and the passenger cars immediately began to slow without anything tugging them along the route. "Get the people safe!" Sentinel then shouted to the twins, "I'll get the other car out of harm's way!" The hero quickly flew to the front once more, keeping pace and quickly observed how it was being sped along the tracks. He wouldn't be able to stop it reliable in time, and so instead opted for another idea.

He positioned himself in front of the main car so that it would just overtake him, leaving him in the gap below thanks to its electromagnetism. The energies of the system gave Sentinel a bit of a frizz, feeling it dance across his skin and head as he position himself in such a manner to lift it off into the skies above by planting his hands on the bottom of the car and began to push upwards to bring it up to an upwards tilt...

---

[GEMMA PROLOGUE]​

An explosion rocked Samoa's capital of Apia as a wicked cackle filled the air. Bolts of magic flew throughout, destroying buildings and causing the people to flee in panic as the Witch-Empress Tsukijotei made her presence more than known. She stood atop a large cliff, wreaking havoc on the people below without a care in the world while General Buta, her main military commander, stood beside and observed the destruction being wrought by his mistress. He was always impressed by her capacity to destroy, but was also on the lookout for any trouble until he finally spoke: "Your eminence, what do you hope to get from them?"

"Why, what else but to make their lives miserable!" Tsukijotei spoke with a malicious grin before throwing another bolt of magic down below that destroyed an apartment building and cackled. "Oh, but also to get me to tell where their precious Master Engineer is... this entire island is my hostage!"

Buta looked on towards the chaos below and nodded, "A most wise and devious plan, your eminence... surely the Marshals will not risk all these people's lives."

"Oh, but you underestimate the pridefulness of those brats!" Tsukijotei retorted confidently before turning her gaze to the sky nearby and squinted. A wicked smile crossed her face as she spotted a familiar sight. "And speaking of..."

Then, as if on cue, an aircraft flew over the island and made its rapid approach to the same cliffside where the witch and her minion stood. Before long, a colorful squad of fighters was dropped off one by one in a dramatic fashion some meters away from the Empress. They all went about either kicking or flipping to accentuate their presence, as was the usual for their operations. This was the Super Buntai Marshals in action as they faced the Empress herself, and they took up their usual combat positions as both their introduction and their preparation. "What are you after Tsukijotei!?" shouted Kenshi, the captain of the group and the Red Marshal, as he pointing towards the Witch-Empress with contempt.

"That's *Empress* to you, worm!" shouted the witch.

"And don't you forget it!" shouted General Buta, shaking a fist towards the Marshals.

Though Tsukijotei rolled her eyes as she turned to him. "Let me deal with the talking myself, alright?"

"What's she doing out here? She rarely appears herself on Earth..." Samantha - the Pink Marshal - then said into the Marshal's comms, keeping the conversation private.

"Whatever its for, it can't be good." Connor - the Green Marshal - said worringly, "We struggled a lot to beat her back last time..."

"We can worry later. Right now, let's focus on the people below." Kenshi then said, getting an affirmation from the others before speaking to the witch once more. "Again, what do you want!?"

"Come now, can't a girl have a bit of fun?" taunted Tsukijotei, before sighing. "Fine, if you so desire to be spoilsports... I want to know where the Master Engineer is! Either you tell me... or I destroy this pathetic island and all the people on it!"

A moment of silence passes, as the Marshals look between one another with concern and worry. On one hand, to refuse would be to risk the lives of so many innocents here... on the other, it would doom how many more to the destruction and devastation that rampant kaijus and the Empress would wreak should she get her hands on him. They all knew that, ultimately, there was only a single answer that could be given and the team wordlessly made it known to Kenshi as he turned to Tsukijotei and gave her a blunt response: "We refuse!"

Tsukijotei then let out a wicked cackle, as if enjoying the defiance and relishing in the opportunity to wreak havoc more. "I was HOPING you'd say that!" she shouted, before turning to her General and flowing magic into him. As if anticipating this, he quickly braced himself and allowed it to flow over him as he grew double, then triple in size, and kept growing until he was as big as the Marshal's mech was. She then extended an arm outwards to the island itself. A sickly green spell enshrouded the land, trapping the spirits that be before morphing them into what the Marshals recognized as Fiend Patrollers. They were clearly outnumbered, and Tsukijotei had every intention of killing them all through this advantage as she let out another wicked cackle. "Time to die, fools!"

"No one's dying today." a voice then sounded from the skies above, surprising everyone as they looked up to see Sentinel floating in the air with his hands on his hips.

For the Marshals, this sight brought palpable relief but for Tsukijotei she let out an annoyed 'tsk' and pointed at Sentinel with a long nail: "Stay out of this, boy scout! This business is between me and them!"

"It became my business when you decided to hold an entire island hostage." Sentinel responded with a frown, before looking towards the Marshals. "You deal with the Witch and her goons. I got the big man." he simply said before flying towards Buta and colliding with him full force. This was enough to knock his onto his back almost half a mile away as the two began their own separate tussle. In the meantime, the Marshals rallied together as Kenshi shouted: "Marshals, attack!"

​

Sentinel flew around Buta as he got up and swiped at him, his enlarged form having a large area of attack to deal with. "I won't fail the Empress!" he shouted, his voice deeper due to his new form, "I will make sure-" A crack then filled the air as Sentinel punched Buta full force in the face, sending him stumbling back across the rocky outcrops of the shoreline as he grasped at his now bruised cheek. But he retaliated with a slap that sent Sentinel tumbling to the ground below in a manner that left craters behind. He quickly rebounded back up, only to be slapped again, this time directly into the ground underneath.

Sentinel found himself a bit dazed as he got up, and felt the taste of blood in his mouth. Damn, it's been a while since someone's actually made me hurt like that. he thought to himself before grinning and looking up. "Guess I can cut loose a little!" he shouted as he rebounded back into the air with greater force than before to meet the challenge head on with yet another massive strike to Buta's head, sending him stumbling back more.

For the Marshals, however, the fight was not going nearly as well as they continued to deal with the overwhelming amount of Fiend Patrollers charging towards them without regards for their well-beings, all the while juggling the task of dodging Tsukijotei's attacks. Her cackles filled the air as she lazily flung out spells, mainly to stress out the Marshals as they continued to fight for their lives. "Yes! Dance! Dance little insects!" she shouted with glee, before firing a bolt of wicked purple magic that hit Kenshi straight in the chest. Although his armor protected him from the worst, he was still knocked down and had the wind taken out of him as he struggled to get back up. "Kenshi!" shouted Yukiko - the Yellow Marshal - as she rushed to his side after kicking one of the ghastly fiends in the face. The others quickly rallied around their hurt leader, though it was obvious that things weren't going well at all. But it is then that a roar is heard, to which both the Marshals and the Empress see Buta be knocked on his back again, this time likely for good as he looked thoroughly pummeled. The witch's eyes widened as she then saw Sentinel make fly over, to reinforce the Marshals. One by one, her army fell and the spirits she had so quickly enslaved were now freed again.

By this point, Tsukijotei growled in anger as she faced defeat yet again before opening a portal behind her. "You only won because you got lucky!" she shouted angrily, before looking over to Buta - who had now returned to his normal size - limping over by her side.

"S-sorry... your eminence..." he muttered, but she ignored his apology because of his livid she was.

"I WILL RETURN!" she then shouted, stepping through her escape and was swiftly followed by Buta.

With the Empress and her lacky having escaped, the Marshals could collectively sigh in relief as they turned to Sentinel - who sported some bruises from his bout with Buta. "Arigato, Sentinel-sama." Kenshi managed to get out, having caught his breath at least. "I don't know what we would have done if you weren't here."

"Probably gotten our asses kicked completely." said Jumpei - the Blue Marshal - as he crossed his arms. Although he was grateful for Sentinel's help, he wouldn't let it show due to his own pride. "...we should've summoned the mech off the bat."

Kenshi shot a glance over to his lancer, before nodding to Sentinel who in turn smiled. "Always happy to help. I've got the word out about what's happened here. Rescue and aid should be arriving here soon to help the people." he said with a finger salute before floating into the air above. He gave the Marshals a wave goodbye, who reciprocated much the same, as he flew off into the distance. He still had time to kill, and as a result planned on patrolling the west coast of the US for a bit to see if any major trouble had been brewing while he took on this detour. But it was then, very faintly, he heard gunshots; this made him stop in the air as he looked confused.

He was still at least fifty miles from the coast, which meant that either he was hearing very powerful gunshots with his heightened hearing - perhaps from a range or a military exercise - or there was something afoot closer by. He heard another shot, and his head darted to the direction of the source. Unusual as it was in its location, he thus decided to investigate and flew quickly. Breaking the sound barrier as he did so, he would then come to see an island off the coast of Oregon and figured that this was the source; he could also hear the panicked breathing and fears of those being chased, which made him worry as he descended to investigate further.

But there was also another presence that seemed to deal with those troubledoers as he flew close by and saw a figure with a scythe preparing to leave, and was visibly wounded. When she noticed his presence, he smiled and descended: "I heard you dealing with these guys." he said, motioning his head over to where she had tied up the criminals. "What's this whole thing about here?" he then asked, looking around. "Pretty remote place for people to be out here this late..."

---

[OTIS PROLOGUE]​

Fifteen Minutes Earlier...

A young cashier, who really was only there to do the bare minimum for minimum wage at a bodega, looked on in terror as a gun was pointed straight at his head. He had spent most of his shift simply scrolling through his phone, as per usual, but now his life had become much more eventful than he had ever wanted. But today, a figure wearing a helmet and sporting a monstrous appearance, was panting heavily like an animal as if he *wanted* an excuse to pull the trigger. For the cashier, he simply raised his hands up and was breathing in a panicked manner looked between the man and the gun for a bit before managing to muster the courage to speak.

"L-look man, there ain't m-much in the register-"

A sudden strike to the face sent him tumbling back into his chair, leaving him clutching at his nose as the robber then jumped atop the counter and kept the gun trained at him.

"Fool! I'm not after MONEY!!" he shouted angrily, as if the insinuation itself was insulting to his character. His red eyes scanned the store for any sign of trouble before he growled to the cashier. "I'm after for something very... *very* specific..."

The young cashier nodded, eager to try to soothe over the situation out of desperation: "L-look man, whatever it is, you can h-have it!"

"Well... you *better* have it! I, Lazon, have been searching every store in town for it!!"

"W-wha-?"

"I WANT TWINKIES!"

The announcement resounded throughout the store to a resounding silence, as the cashier looked towards Lazon in disbelief. This guy... was really threatening his life over some shitty snacks? The situation was almost comical were it not for the possibility of having his brains blown out, especially since he *knew* that this bodega didn't stock Hostess products. And so, he decided to play for time: "I... I dunno man...? C-check the back? I just work here..."

Lazon let out a howl towards this clue, scrambling off the desk like a creature from a horror story and ran to the back of the story. This allowed the clerk to make a dash for the front door as he heard the storage room having its door kicked open. Fleeing onto the street, this allowed the young man to catch his breath from all the adrenaline pumping through his system. He needed to call the cops or something! But he realized that he had left his phone inside too... which made him shout out in anger, bringing eyes over to him. "Someone help!" he then shouted, trying to get someone to do the deed for him, "There's a crazy bastard in the store with a gun!"

A few pedestrians nearby looked on with concern and pulled out their phones to call the police, but it had also drawn the attention of someone else. "Is he still inside?" asked Sentinel, floating down from the air much to the shock of the cashier and others. "H-holy shit..." the cashier managed to get out in awe, before nodding. "Y-yeah! Crazy motherfucker pointed a gun at me... I thought he was robbing for cash, but he's just after fucking *Twinkies* for some reason!"

This made the hero look towards the barred windows of the store before sighing. He recognized this MO as being a figure who definitely needed help. "I'll handle it." Sentinel said with a faint smile, "I'll be back with what he wants... that'll get him to calm down."

Sentinel quickly flew off, knowing a bodega that had exactly what the crazed robber wanted more than anything in life. On entering, he drew the attention of the few people inside as they snapped photos and waved at him; but they also were curious as to why he then picked up seven boxes of twinkies and brought them over to the cashier. He quickly dropped a hundred dollar bill in haste. "Keep the change, it's an emergency." Sentinel said with a smile, to which the owner of the bodega - a slightly rotund Puerto Rican man with thick black hair - simply took the cash and nodded.

Sentinel thus made his way back with a large bundle of negotiating cakes, and saw that Lazon had now made it out of the store in a fury as sirens sounded in the distance. He looked visibly distraught as he clutched his helmet and thrashed around. "WHY DOESN'T ANYONE HAVE WHAT I WANT!?" he shouted, stomping his feet like a child.

"Lazon! Calm down!" Sentinel shouted, landing nearby with the peace offering. "I have what you want here, alright?"

The would-be robber snapped his head over to where Sentinel stood, remaining quiet for a moment, before growling. "No... this is a trick! A TRICK!"

"I promise you it isn't-" Sentinel started to say but the robber let out a monstrous scream.

"IT IS! YOU'RE ALL OUT TO GET ME!" Lazon then said, turning a knob on his helmet. His eyes grew more intense, radiating power that made Sentinel wide-eyed. The hero dropped the boxes to the ground and dodged out of the way as a blast of laser energy shot out and melted a nearby car. This sudden commotion made everyone on the street duck for cover as Lazon let out another blast, melting a hole into the asphalt as Sentinel dodged it with ease. Lazon was in a paranoid fury, letting loose another blast that destroyed a fire hydrant and made water spray out everywhere. But Sentinel quickly closed the distance and punched the man in the chest with enough force to knock the air out of him and sent him tumbling over to the outer walls of the bodega he had just tried to rob.

Lazon struggled to breathe for a moment, before starting to sob uncontrollably as he clutched his knees and rocked back and forth. Sentinel looked on towards the man in pity as he stood over him, before grabbing two of the boxes that he had dropped. Opening one, he handed one of the wrapped cakes over to Lazon wordlessly and gave a smile as the broken man looked up to see the golden spongey treat. "I'll be sure to find you help." Sentinel simply said as Lazon ripped open the first treat and ate it. "...I hope you get better."

When two patrol cars arrived, they came with guns drawn to the scene but Sentinel was quick to defuse the situation. "Officers, he's harmless now that he has his treats... he needs to be put on a psychiatric hold, not a jail cell." Sentinel explained, which made the officers looked to one another in confusion. The damage done by the would-be robber made them hesitate, but Sentinel's presence made them more amicable to the request as one of them radio'd in an ambulance at the hero's request. Sentinel spared a glance over to Lazon again, who was now chowing down on a third treat by this point and completely ignoring his surroundings, before letting out a sigh.

With his job done, he flew away from the scene for whatever else needed his attention. His hearing picked up a commotion about a mile away and quickly flew over to investigate. A car wreck had taken place, and it looked pretty bad for the occupants of the SUV in question. But as he prepared to descend, he noticed a figure jump into the fray to help those inside. And, in spectacular fashion, the occupants had been rescued! And with what seemed to be an interesting ability to boot. Sentinel smiled on seeing such a display, and decided to meet this man after everything had been settled so as to not rain on his parade.

"I saw what you did, friend!" Sentinel said, floating on down to meet Otis on the street. "Incredible work." He then offered the man a handshake: "I'm Sentinel. And I want to ask: do you want to fight the good fight?"

 

[Infab]

"There's a place in the Bronx in New York which is very dear to me. It's called 'De Barahona al Corazon', a dominican restaurant. Head on over and meet me there."

"I understand. I will make my way there immediately. And... thank you." responded Felicia, smiling faintly as she thanked him.

As Red Ghast spoke up again, she turned her attention to him.

"AHA! I KNEW IT! You're going on a ~date~ with the robot-commie-mommy!" Red Ghast then shouted, pointing at Sentinel in an accusatory manner.

"...please ignore him." Sentinel then said, shaking his head and chuckling.

"...Excuse me for a moment." she said, glancing to Sentinel briefly. She then turned about, making her way over towards Red Ghast. She had a trick in mind that may calm him down a bit. She had seen it done on some of the romance movies and soap operas that her caretaker used to watch over the years. Perhaps it would work here?

As she arrived next to Red Ghast, she bent over carefully and slowly took his head in her hands. Then she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"...Listen..." she began, whispering sweetly into his ear. "...Be a good boy, and I may return... You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

 

[Breadman]

"Maybe you're thinking of the original Black Dove." The heroine shrugged "She was prolific enough back in the day."

Once Sentinel gave the invitation to join him on a mobster hunt, Dove could feel Knight's excitement. She thought the night was going to be this hit and then try to track down the source, but now? Now they're invited on a patrol by the Sentinel himself. Even if her partner wasn't standing next to her being giddy like a school boy, she wouldn't even think of a reason to say no. Why would they.

"Oh, yes! Lets go kick some mobster ass!"