EdwardDewey98
Professional Argentine
The Bronx, New York City, New York
At 4:30 in the morning, the sun had yet to creep over the horizon and the skies remained dark. Yet in the city that never sleeps, that hardly ever mattered. Cars still drove along the streets and the city centered remained buzzing with activity. And for many in the city, they were already starting the early hours of their day as they started work early. Tyrell Williams was no exception as he got off his bed at the top floor of a large townhouse. He took a look at the time, managing to beat the alarm by a few minutes and went to wash himself. Though the mirror itself was old and cracked, it still served its purpose as he looked at his reflection and smiled. It was a day like any other.
Walking down the steps of his home, he made sure to not wake up his parents and brothers by moving cautiously. In the kitchen, he took the time to quickly make a breakfast of eggs while feeding the cats and their old dog. "C'mon Firulais." he muttered gently as the balding, fat mutt made his way to the bowl. He almost crashed into a flower pot but stopped by his owner who gave a gentle smile: "Let me help you boy." Tyrell said quietly as he gently picked the old dog and placed him by the bowl, only leaving his side as he began to chew on the kibble. Scorfing down some quick scrambled eggs, Tyrell then left to head for the restaurant which was practically around the corner.
The place was empty, which meant that he could work without prying eyes to quickly get things done - he practically whizzed through the kitchen as he prepped silverware and plates, carrying them by the hundreds as if they were nothing to him. He also took the time to look through the produce and stocks in the walk-in, making sure that his brother sneak into the kitchen last night for some midnight Tostones. With everyone settled and ready for the new day, he left and locked the door again. It was almost 5 in the morning by now, and the sun began to slowly creep up as he put on some airpods and began to jog through the streets of east Bronx.
"How ya doin' Tyrell?" shouted a garbage collector as he ran past them, to whom Tyrell turned around and waved towards with a big smile on his face. He kept jogging at a steady pace, watching as familiar faces slowly left their homes to get ready for work. He made sure to wave at them all, shouting a conversation with them about having a good day. But already the day was about to get eventful as he reached Hone Avenue; Tyrell took a moment to change the tune on his phone before noticing a commotion nearby. "Give me the keys, I ain' playin' bro!" said a young man with tattoos all over his arms and face. He had a gun pointed at another man, who was also inked up but wore a cleaners uniform. "I ain't giving you shit bro, I need this truck!"
The robber pressed his gun at the man's temple, undeterred by the pleas: "You think I'm playin' witchu bro!? Gimme the fuckin' keys or I smoke your ass!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tyrell said, intervening as he walked up towards the two. Standing a good few meters away, his presence was definitely visible as the robber quickly pointed the gun towards the newcomer. "Oh yeah? Why? You gon' beat me up fool? Get the fuck outta here bro."
Tyrell smiled. "Don't throw away your life like this." he said, taking a few steps forward.
"Yo, stay back man! I'll fucking shoot you bitch!" the robber shouted, but Tyrell could practically hear the man's heart pounding. He was terrified under all that bravado, as though he had never actually killed anyone.
"Come on man, you don't gotta be scared. You can throw that gun off and run."
"I-I ain't scared of you bitch!" the robber shouted, hands trembling. But in what seemed to be the blink of an eye, his weapon was now in Tyrell's hands. With a simple squeeze, he crushed it and rendered it useless. "Go, and think what you're doing with your life."
The robber looked like a stunned deer as his wide eyes moved between Tyrell and the man he had just tried to rob, but not a moment passed before he quickly darted away as fast as his legs could take him. Tyrell sighed but kept a smile, before tossing the destroyed gun into the trash. The cleaner in the meantime let out a sigh of relief, practically bending down to put his hands on his knees for some support after the adrenaline rush of the situation. "Hey, thanks man. I owe you one!" he said, letting out a chuckle as he wiped off sweat from his brow.
"No problem, be safe out there my friend." Tyrell said, taking his leave to continue his jog.
Tyrell made his way back to the family business after looping around a few blocks, but due to the altercation he was a few minutes later than usual. On entering, he could see his mother - a short and old afro-Caribbean woman - getting her coat on. "Ay mi dios, Tyrell! Pense que te a pasao algo mijo! Ya te iba a busca!" said the portly woman as she hugged her enormous son. "Perdoneme mami, queria pasar po' la plaza un momento." he said before kissing his mother's forehead and hugged her back. "Dale que la ayudo!" he then said as he walked further inside, grabbing his white apron and blue bandana from the lockers near the kitchen.
On entering, his brothers, his father, and both his grandparents were already doing prep work for breakfast: cutting ingredients, prepping seasonings, and warming up the equipment for use. Before walking to his station, he made sure to give a hug to both his grandparents - the matriarch and patriarch of the family. They always prepared breakfasts in the morning, both for the homeless who needed it most and the elderly regulars that frequented the establishment as early birds. It was their way of giving back to the community that had kept them open for so many years. Tyrell helped his old man get the shutters open as the restaurant opened proper, and a small line had already formed for their usual customers.
"Un segundo mi panas." said Tyrell with a smile as his mother brought small containers with warm cooked meals inside. "Here you go momma." he said as he handed two containers over to a mother and daughter. "And a lil' something for you sweetie." he said before putting a smaller container holding a fruit mix inside. The mother barely made ends meet with working two jobs, and thus had to rely on the kindness of this place to keep her daughter fed. The mother thanked Tyrell again, managing to keep herself composed with tired eyes as the two walked off.
By 8 in the morning, the regular customers - mostly older folks of Dominican descent - had arrived at the restaurant and were ordering their usual. But when he noticed the time, Tyrell's father pointed it out: "Hey Tyrell," he spoke with a typical Bronx American accent, "It's 8 o'clock boy, ain't ya supposed to get to your deliveries?"
Tyrell quickly checked his watch and nodded. "Ah damn, you right pops. I'll be back soon."
"Take your time mijo, just tell us if you gonna take a while." his mother said as she cut up some plantains. Tyrell gave a pat to his father's back before making his way upstairs. He quickly took off his apron and bandana, setting them on one of the couches in the office upstairs before walking over to a large framed poster of Mariano Rivera. Behind the frame, as he moved the picture off its rest, was a small coded safe. Putting in the code as he had many times before, he grabbed its contents - a small package - and closed the safe before putting the poster back in place. He quickly walked down the steps, but instead of going out the front he went out the back into the alley just fast enough to avoid any prying eyes from catching his presence.
He took a good look around, making sure with his senses that nobody was around to see. His only audience were the few rats scurrying about, and he quickly opened its contents with a smile.
Flying in the skies above, Sentinel felt the air breeze past his face as he flew past the Statue of Liberty and quickly picked up altitude. This was the usual patrol down the eastern seaboard as he - after making distance from the city - broke the sound barrier and flew southbound. Within minutes he was already nearing Florida, though had seen little of anything that needed his attention and thus changed course to fly cross-country. Above the midwest, he flew close by to a passenger plane but kept himself mostly unnoticed. But he did see a little kid staring with awe from his seating, and he gave the kid a wave before flying further out. The vast expanses of farmlands and prairies invited Sentinel to fly faster, knowing that he wouldn't be a disturbance to many to reach the West Coast. But once he actually hit the ocean, then he could push himself further.
Once the blue waves of the Pacific greeted Sentinel's presence, and seeing that there was little need of him at the moment, he went all out several miles out from coast. Breaking the sound barrier again, he launched himself higher up into the atmosphere until the sky darkened and the void of space grew to encompass his vision. Down below, Earth became more curved until he could well enough see its circumference. All the people of Earth - all their lives and dreams - and all of the world's beauty and problems were visible from his vantage point. And despite all the problems they faced, he still could not help but smile. He loved the world, flaws and all.
With his velocity he took a quick glance over Asia, Europe and Africa before having circled his way around in re-entry back to the United States. Fortunately his suit was crafted from similar materials used in space shuttle re-entries, though it didn't stop it from smoking from the heat it gave off to the air around it. But a quick dive in the Atlantic cooled him off back to normal as he flew back to New York.
Tyrell walked back into the restaurant as though nothing had happened, arriving just as he usually does for deliveries at 10:30am. He made sure, however, to buy something extra for his grandparents. "Volvi!" he shouted, grabbing his apron and bandana and put them back on. Both of his elders were sitting by a small side table in the restaurant, somewhat deaf and blind from their old age, but still loved to have breakfast together after a bit of early working. "Abuela, abuelo, adivinen que le traje." he said, placing down a bag of Venezuelan Tequeños, a delicious snack from the republica bolivariana. Tyrell's grandmother, always thankful for her grandson's kindness, kissed his cheek before serving her husband for some coffee.
Now back in the kitchen, Tyrell went back to work in preparing ingredients; rice was his job as he washed the starches off to prep for its use. But he couldn't help but overhear his father talk with Bruce, a regular customer and family friend. "Sounds like the Ten bit off more than they could chew, eh?" said the old Italian-American as he put a small cube of sugar into his coffee. "You always say that, but I know they'll push 'em fish folk back into the ocean." Tyrell's father responded as the two watched the TV. Tyrell took a quick glance at the restaurant's old TV hanging off the corner of the wall to get caught up on the news.
"After an arduous battle that lasted almost a day, the Circle of Druids alongside members of the Olympian League, pushed the Fomorians out of Dublin. However, the emergence of the fishfolk and their monsters seemed to have stirred up the hive." spoke the reporter as the camera panned over to a dock worker, who was being bandaged by paramedics. "This is Jacob Morris, a heroic dock worker at the Newark Port. He was working this morning when suddenly giant crustaceans began to emerge from the ocean and attacked his peers."
"I-I-I w-was just drinkin' my coffee and telling my boss over the radio that e-everything was fine... then s-suddenly those things attacked! Me and Mickey and... I d-don't know how I got out of there, or how I dragged Mickey out after he lost his arm."
"42 year old Mike Kowalski is still alive but in critical condition. He alongside twelve other workers were injured by the monsters awakened by the Fomorians. But if it weren't for the efforts of the American 10, the day would have been lost." The camera changed views to video footage of the Iron Dame - a prominent member of the team - giving a quick comment on their arrival. "Fear not, citizens of Newark, for we have arrived to protect you!" she shouted confidently before running into the port with her teammates past the police cordon.
"The Ten continue to deal with this crustacean threat, ex-governor Chris Christie said 'This wouldn't have happened if I was still in charge.' In other news..."
"I don't know about Iron Dame. She seems like an okay gal. But Norton, now that's a hero." said Tyrell's father with a smile. "Don't you agree son?" he then asked, looking over back to the kitchen, noticing that Tyrell had been listening in. Tyrell gave a nod: "He's got honesty and conviction. Every hero needs that."
"I still think they should get that boy Sentinel into the Ten. He's a much better fit than that Trench guy. More American too." his father then said, which prompted Bruce to laugh. "That Trench guy is American, he's just from Hawaii." he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Well yeah, but what I mean is we all know Sentinel better than we know the Trench!"
Tyrell couldn't help but smile, knowing that his father was proud of the work he was doing - even if he didn't know that Sentinel was living under the same roof as him. "He'd be plenty useful in dealing with those sea beasts." Tyrell looked back at the TV, which had now shifted its reporting to the middle east as American soldiers posed with members of another team.
"...after a series of attacks from rebel groups in the region, members of the Wonderful Eight arrived in Yemen to share their support for the troops." the reporter explained, showing images of their photo-op alongside members of the Army and Marine Corps. It then cut to a short audio snippet from Admiral Miracle: "Our troops are the backbone of our great nation folks. We may protect you from the monsters and villains, but it's our brave men and women on the frontlines that keep tyranny and communism away from American soil and keep our country safe!"
"I really don't like that redneck." Tyrell's dad muttered, shaking his head in visible disapproval.
"Hey quit bustin' his balls Marcus, he did save hundreds during Katrina and the Second Invasion." Bruce replied as he finished up the last of his coffee. But this wasn't enough to assuage the man's opinions as he let out a sigh.
"I know, I know. He's a hero and all... but there's something weird about that motherfu-"
"BREKAING NEWS: We have alarming reports that a group of armed bank robbers have taken almost a hundred hostages in Los Angeles. According to reports from the ground, the perpetrators seem to have highly advanced weaponry. Several officers have already been wounded and one killed." This sudden outbreak made Tyrell's eyes widen as he perked up on hearing this, and that's when Bruce called on him. "Hey Ty! Forgot to tell you son, but my daughter's asked me if I could have you come do some deliveries for her over in Manhattan. Think you can manage?"
Tyrell nodded: "Yeah, of course. Is Hakim home pops?"
"That boy off doin' god knows what, don't you worry son. I'll handle the rice until your lil' brother Avondre wakes up."
Tyrell smiled and gave his old man another pat on the back, then gave Bruce a thankful look before rushing out the back again. Thankfully, he had put his package atop the locker this time around for easy access.
West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Shots rang across the city of angels, as nearly a hundred patrol cars had blocked off the area surrounding the Bank of California as an official cordon, with a few more cars and two SWAT vans having parked themselves closer to the bank itself - though two patrol cars were on fire. The police were at a standstill, unable to deal with the situation as the robbers held an enormous amount of firepower that kept them at bay. One of the robbers wore heavy armor and a full face-mask wielded a minigun that he shredded yet more police cars with, setting them ablaze. Though the SWAT vehicles were still in use, they were quickly becoming crowded for cover for both those who could still fight and those that were wounded. Bullets pattered the side of the armored car before coming to a still as the robber ran out of bullets, and the LAPD began to return fire again. This opening allowed for more wounded, and a deceased officer, to be dragged out from the scene.
Meanwhile at the cordon perimeter, behind an official barricade where reporters had flocked to the scene, stoop the captain of the LAPD surrounded by other officers. "How many hostages!?" the captain asked again in disbelief.
"97 in total, they forced a few pedestrians nearby into the bank when they showed up." one of the lieutenants spoke.
The captain pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and took a deep breath, "Have they made any demands?"
"No sir, radio silence from them... they aren't picking up calls made into the bank either. We know from sniper scopes that there is at least two wounded civilians in the bank: a guard and the manager. But that's all we got."
"We can't have another North Hollywood. Any clear shots?"
"No sir, we think they'll open fire if we start dropping them."
"Fucking shit..." the captain then said, shaking his head. He was about to give out orders until a thud hit the ground behind them. The officers all quickly turned with weapons drawn, surprised by the sudden appearance of Sentinel. The reporters grew more excited as they took photos of the hero's arrival, with the sound of shutters filling the air. "W-what the-!?" the captain managed to get out, putting a hand to his own holster but was defused when he realized who it was a moment later.
"Don't worry captain, I'm here to help. What's the situation?"
"Shit, Sentinel! Glad you showed up." the captain said, glancing over to his subordinates. They all still had their weapons trained on him, given that Sentinel was technically a criminal under American law. But some also held their own petty grievances with the hero, but there were others nearby that waved to Sentinel out of appreciation. "The men inside have highly advanced weaponry. And from what our snipers can see, they have loads of ammunition on them. They have almost a hundred hostages too."
Sentinel looked over to the armored vehicles as the SWAT units continued to exchange fire with the perpetrators, though it was clear that beyond returning fire they were simply outclassed. He knew that he alone could deal with these robbers without losing any more lives, but he also knew that the NYPD strikes of 2018 - over the role of law enforcement being shirked by superheroes - would mean that he would have to compromise and cooperate with local police agencies. "Tell your team commander that I'll be their shield. I'll head in first with a small team behind me." The captain nodded as Sentinel floated over towards the SWAT vans. He could hear shouting from inside as the robbers were alerted to his presence, which meant that time was of the essence.
"All Metro Division officers, the Sentinel is heading your way. Alpha Fire Team you will follow him. I repeat, you will enter the back with Sentinel."
Gently landing next to the officers, he heard more shouting from inside the bank.
"Shit, it's the frickin' boyscout!" one yelled.
"Shit, thought he'd go help the Ten over in Jersey! Davis, go give Carter supporter, lay on him while Lewis preps the big boy."
But his attention was more focused on the SWAT leader of fire team Alpha who greeted Sentinel: "Glad to see you here. Element Blue stick to flanks with shields. Me and Element Red will follow you."
Tyrell nodded. "Good, stay close to me and we'll get the people out quickly."
The captain of Alpha then turned to the other van, giving a thumbs up to the leader of team Bravo who responded in kind. Soon enough, the plan was sprung as Tyrell led the way as the officers followed close behind. Approaching closer, the robber with the miniugun emerged from the building's depths again but had now brought company with him: another robber in heavy armor and with a minigun of his own. "Stay behind me!" Sentinel shouted as they opened fire, hundreds of bullets pelting Sentinel's physique. For any normal man, he would have been shredded instantly. But Sentinel didn't flinch as the bullets simply collided with him harmlessly and fell to the ground.
"Motherfucker! Lewis, is that shit ready!?" shouted one of the minigun goons, looking for his compatriot.
"Almost, it's charging up!" said Lewis as Sentinel continued to walk confidently, more bullets continuing to pepper his body harmlessly. They didn't even register as pinches to him.
"It's ready, it's ready!" Lewis then shouted, making his way in between both minigun shooters. In his hands was a strange rifle platform, bearing a large handguard and railing that emanated electrical coils alongside a chemical cell at its rear. Sentinel could hear the faint hissing of its internal systems grow louder, priming to fire; a weapon like this was experimental, but definitely of greater firepower than any normal ballistics. His eyes widened, and he put his speed to use - knowing that the officers would be in danger regardless of his presence, he used his speed to push the officers back into safety. A fraction of a second had passed, but Sentinel looked back and saw the projectile flying already halfway to where he had been.
The problem was that an officer he had missed was nearby, and the impact would kill him. But just as quickly, if not faster, the man was brought out of harms way by a bolt even faster than he had been. Sentinel looked to his side as the concrete exploded, seeing that the officer had been ushered to safely by another member of the Ten - Lightning. "Hey there big guy!" said the heroine, setting the officer down.
"Glad to see you Lightning!" Sentinel said with palpable relief to her arrival. Only she could have been fast enough to get from coast to coast, which also meant that the Newark problem had been dealt with.
"Glad to see ya too partner! Say, need any help?" Lightning asked, taking a peek from around the vehicle quickly before ducking back into cover.
"All the help I can get. Where are the others though?"
"On the Falcon comin' as fast as they can. Critters over at Newark were pretty tough, and Trench saved our bacon a couple o' times."
"Glad to hear." Sentinel then said, taking a look for himself as he saw the one called Lewis bring out a hostage - the wounded bank guard - and put him up front with a gun to his head. "ALRIGHT! We have demands!"
Sentinel, still smiling, looked back to Lightning: "Think you can get the hostages out of harms way?"
She didn't need to respond as she left in a blink of an eye, sparks of electricity following her trail as she dashed faster than anyone could perceive. And just as quickly, the wounded guard disappeared from the robber's grasp - much to his bafflement - as they quickly realized that they had lost their initial bargaining chip. The two minigun goons quickly dashed back inside to try to secure their other hostages, but Lewis - the one responsible for that strange gun - was confronted by Sentinel as he made the distance. "Captain, tell Bravo team to enter the building after we secure it." he said to the SWAT leader before bursting with speed towards his enemy.
Lewis tried to stumble back but was quickly disarmed with a slap to his hand and was then grabbed by the collar of his clothes. "You like hurting people and killing cops, huh?" Sentinel asked rhetorically before throwing him into the wall nearby. Lewis could only let out a surprised gasp as the wind was knocked out of his body and ultimately was knocked out. Meanwhile, Lightning did what she did best and sped inside at such a pace that it seemed that the hostages inside were disappearing out of nowhere. This left the robbers in confusion and awe as they lost all of their bargaining tools and now had to deal with Sentinel himself.
As he entered the bank, floating just a bit above the ground, they peppered him with bullets out of desperation but quickly realized just how outmatched they were as their bullets fell to the ground after impact. Wordlessly, Sentinel moved to deal with these criminals and deal swift justice; he quickly flew over the the first robber and socked him in the face hard enough to knock out a tooth, leaving him to collapse unconscious. The next two he dashed over and picked up by their necks before knocking their heads together with a gentle-enough thunk, leaving them both dazed and collapsed to their knees. Similar scenes unfolded with the four other robbers, before he dealt with the armored miniguns that had by now reloaded.
Their weapons spun up to prepare another barrage, but Sentinel quickly yanked them out of their hands and crushed them beyond use. Throwing one away, Sentinel used the remnants of the other gun as a club that he batted the minigun wielders into one another and straight into a wall. They both groaned aloud and struggled to get up from the pain, and were ultimately rendered out of commission. There was one left, who was now speaking into a small device as if trying to contact someone - though he couldn't make it out from under the distortion under their mask. Lightning reappeared shortly thereafter as a yellow flash and nodded to Sentinel: "Everyone's out!" she announced to her ally, before turning her attention to the last man standing.
He finished speaking into his device, and seemed poised to fight to the end; despite having failed in getting into the vault and in getting their demands met thanks to the intervention of the heroes, he seemed unusually confident still. He wasn't just a regular goon, as the two heroes would notice a black aura surround his fists.
"I've heard so much about you." the supe spoke with audible disdain, even with the distortions of his mask making his voice indiscernible. He then brought his hands up in a combat pose and chuckled: "Show me what makes you so damn great."
Sentinel exchanged a glance with Lightning before stepping forward to meet the challenge. He quickly got ready himself while Lightning watched the show with confidence that he would be able to deal with the man with ease; the super villain launched himself at Sentinel with a flurry of punches, which he weaved in between with ease. Although he could easily deal with the man, he wanted to make sure he got the message across that his actions would reap consequences. The supe grew more frustrated as he continued to miss his attack, and Sentinel got to see his strength as his fist collided with a nearby pillar.
The support cracked from his first punch, before shattering with a second after attack that came from that black aura around his fists. Sentinel observed with curiosity: 'A double impact ability? Quite the power!' he thought to himself, sparing a glance over to the destroyed marble before glancing back at the man. He decided that he would lure the man in close just to drive home the point and let the man hit him. The villain shouted with rage as he struck Sentinel's chest, causing the air around to shudder from the force. But to his shock, it seemed to barely register with Sentinel as he stood in place with a confident smile.
"Are you done?" he asked, before delivering a quick jab to the man's face. His mask fractured from the blow and sputtered in pain, stumbling back. But he was given no time to recuperate as Sentinel quickly threw out several more punches to his chest and face, enough to put the man down with a final blow to his mask that fully broke it and left him collapsing to the ground. He sputtered a few incoherent words, trying to lift himself again to keep fighting, but was ultimately defeated as he collapsed back unconscious. Sentinel walked over the man's unconscious body and picked at where his communications device was for further investigation. Lightning joined him and observed as he brought the device out; her eyes narrowed as she saw what Sentinel saw as being the culprits behind this operation: the Black Line.
The criminal syndicate's logo was on the device, though their motives for a bank robbery seemed unclear as given their global operations it seemed almost beneath them. "Wonder what they were doing here..." Lightning muttered.
"A question for later... we ought to make sure everyone's okay." Sentinel said, refocusing his attention back to the task at hand. "Thanks for the help again." he said to the speedster before signalling at the front door to the SWAT units. Bravo Team quickly entered the building and began rounding up the robbers that Sentinel had taken care of, with the team leader shouting the all clear. Sentinel then left the bank with a smile on his face with Lightning, greeted by the arrival of both reporters - as the police cordon had now been no longer deemed necessary at the farther perimeter - as well as the Falcon, signaling the arrival of the Ten.
The cameras and reporters went wild when Captain Norton stepped out of the craft, alongside others of the Ten, though a slight frown took hold upon him as he realized that the situation had already been dealt with as Sentinel approached him. While the two respected each other, there was still some small bit of tension as Norton crossed his arms, observing the scene. "Keep this up and you might just put me out of a job." he remarked in dry humor, to which Sentinel couldn't help but chuckle.
"Figured you had your hands full over at Newark."
"We did. But Trench came through in getting them bundled up for the taking." he said, motioning his head towards his teammate. The Trench looked at Sentinel quietly, but with judgemental eyes - as did a few others of the Ten. Even amongst heroes, Sentinel held divisions in opinions; Steel Golem in particular couldn't help himself from posting snarky remarks on his social media platform every time Sentinel did something. But a few others on the team liked him, such as Lightning, the Saturn Stalker and Madame Midnight who waved towards him in a friendly manner.
A brief moment of silence passed as the photographers nearby took their photo ops, which grew more intense as Sentinel and Captain Norton then exchanged nods before the former flew off.
Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
But rather than fly back across the country, he decided to have a quick lunch while he was in LA. He was itching for some good tacos as he flew above the city. He remembered a place he had visited a few months back that he was wanting to revisit, a small taqueria place over at Boyle Heights run by an older Mexican man named Ignacio. Landing gently next to the small restaurant, practically a concrete cube, there were a few excited locals who took photos and videos from a distance as well as some kids who looked on in awe at Sentinel stopping by.
A small bell rang as Sentinel entered, taking in the strong smells of the kitchen that gave the entire place an aroma. Ignacio himself, whose grey hairs made him look as though his head was silver, looked up to see Sentinel and gave a toothy smile: "Eh, Sentinela! Como estas compadre?" he asked aloud with a raspy laugh.
"Con mucha mucha hambre mi amigo! Cual el special de hoy?"
"Te va gustar! Dime, alguna ves comiste… birria, no?"
Only a few minutes passed, Sentinel sat down with his delicious Birria, savoring the rich taste and flavors - given that it wasn't likely he was going to be back in a while - but saw his attention stolen by the sudden flurry of activity on the TV. Today seemed to be an eventful day with no breaks, as he saw helicopter footage of chaos unfolding in Philadelphia. A large explosion had racked a part of the city, though it wasn't flames that erupted but rather something else. The headline posted: CHAOS IN PHILADELPHIA - GANG WARFARE RESULTS IN EXPLOSION. He blinked once, food almost in his mouth, before quickly setting down his meal. He'd have to cut his lunch short as he quickly went to the counter to pay for his meal.
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 15 minutes earlier
Philly held an air of calm that usually remained as such when compared to bigger urban hotspots like New York. Today seemed to be no exception as people went about their business, occasionally looking up the news of the American Ten's doings in Newark or the whole bank situation in Los Angeles. Outside of this, life went on as usual for everyone - particularly for two teens playing hooky from school, walking through the downtown area and heading for their usual hangout spot. For Avery, this was a norm considering she found herself bored to death in school and preferred to simply loiter around and stir up the occasional mischief. Two days ago she and her friend Samantha, who was busy scrolling through her phone, had vandalized a post box with stickers and tape. But today Avery made it clear that she wasn't in the mood for any excitement. But her partner in crime had a different perspective, as she practically shoved the phone into her face.
"Holy shit did you see this?" Sam asked with a grin, "The Ten were in Newark! My feed is blowing up with pics from there. That's like... really close! We could've been there to see it..."
Avery took a look and scoffed: "Yeah we just missed it. Gotta buy tickets for the next outing for their tour." she said sarcastically, which prompted her friend to roll her eyes.
"Uhuh, don't you want to see Captain Norton in action though? You're like his biggest fan."
"Okaaaaay now, I'm a fan but who doesn't want to see a superhero in action? But it's not like I'm waiting for more aliens to attack. Sometimes, its nice to not have to worry about the city blowing up every few weeks y'know?" Avery retorted, before stretching her back and groaning. "Uuuuuuugh... how much further? I feel like we've been walking forever!"
"Stop whining, we're here!" Samantha then said, pointing over across the street. It was an gelato parlor owned by an elderly italian man, where the two often stayed for hours just hanging out or got a quick bite before moving on. Avery got the usual of salted caramel gelato, and took a big spoonful to snack on from her cup. As they both sat outside, Sam kept scrolling through the live feed of random dances, annoying voiced-over clips of existing movies, and other random content. Avery wasn't as in the know on this whole app thing, but found it baffling nonetheless as to some of the things that were posted on there.
"Do you really find all that stuff fun to watch?" Avery asked.
"Well I only watch stuff when I don't scroll past it, y'know?"
"So... you just scroll for however long-"
"For hours!"
Avery and Samantha kept chatting, with the latter teasing the former about her lack of social media usage and not getting it. And they were completely oblivious as to what was about to happen, as were most of the people of the neighborhood; so too was the driver of a Penwright Industries transportation vehicle, it was a standard route procedure for the technological prototype housed in the rear container. Everything had been quiet thus far, having driven from Chicago en route to New York without so much as a peep of trouble. Although what was contained inside was valuable, it was hardly of any use to any would be heisters due to its size as well as its volatility.
Joe Porter couldn't wait for some good R&R after a job like this, as being on the road didn't do well for his legs. At the very least he had benefits for vacation days as mandated by corporate, which is something other truck drivers and transporters in the United States didn't have the luxury of. Penwright, as difficult as he could be, ultimately looked out for those under him... at least, that's what Joe thought as he let out a bored yawn. He had decided to move through Philadelphia for a quick stop to eat some of the famous cheesesteaks here.
Little did he know he was about to drive through the middle of a feud between the Italian and Irish mobs in the neighborhood he was slowly making his way through. But it was when gunfire broke out that he quickly perked up. Bullets flew in the air, and people screamed as two warring factions sought to gun one another down in broad daylight. Bullets pattered the glass of his vehicle, though thankfully it was bulletproof; but he was more concerned still about getting the hell out as he instinctively pushed on the gas and tried to get out of dodge.
People began to run for cover as bullets pattered the buildings and streets, and both Avery and Samantha ducked under their table in shock. Samantha quickly pulled out her phone and started recording, while Avery peered above the table with wide eyes. "Holy shit... holy shit..." she managed to get out in between panicked breaths.
"Holy shit!!" Samantha said, seemingly less concerned as she continued recording the gangs fighting one another. Three had already died, lying on the pavement with blood trickling out of their wounds, while others continued to exchange fire. But this left her completely oblivious to the truck barreling their way.
Avery, acting on instinct, grabbed and tackled Samantha out of the way as the truck barreled just inches past them and straight into the parlor they had just eaten from. "Oh my god ohmygodohmygod!" her friend managed to get out, having tasted death pass by them so closely. But Avery was more concerned for the inside, for both Luigi - the store's owner - and the driver.
"Sam, get out of here!" Avery shouted, unsure of what courage had taken over her body as she darted inside.
"Are you crazy!?"
Avery ignored her protests as she climbed through broken glass, seeing just how wrecked the gelato parlour was now. Luigi seemed to have only a few scratches as she quickly came over to him, and he muttered to her incoherently before pointing to the truck, as if to say 'don't worry about me' as he quickly made his way out of the store. The truck itself had been absolutely ruined by the impact, as its rear axels had been torn off entirely, while its front caved in. The container it was lugging along was also mangled, which gave off an ominous humm.
Avery tugged on the door of the truck's front to try to get it open, as she could see the driver moving inside still. "I-I'm okay! I'll push, you pull!" he shouted. Their combined efforts allowed the metal to practically break loose, though the door lost a hinge as well and now dangled.
"Y-you're okay?" she asked of the driver, looking over his nametag. "Joe?"
"Yeah... I think so... shit, the bosses are gonna be pissed at me-" he said before a violent whirr filled the air.
Both looked towards the container with wide eyes, unsure of what to do as instinctual fear grasped both of them. The hummer grew more intense in power as the metal of the container began to warp, which led Joe to take steps forward to investigate. "Oh crap... I... I think the safety protocols got busted." he muttered, taking a peek inside one of the cracks of the metal.
"Oh god..."
A sudden crackle of brilliant orange energy shot out into the restaurant itself, tearing through brick and steel like it was paper and leaving a gaping wound in the structure itself. But it also had shot into Joe, sending him stumbling back into Avery's arms. But before she could do anything, he started *screaming*. His body began to collapse in on itself, becoming dust and then less than dust until nothing remained but a faint echo of his cries.
Avery could only look in horror as the man in her grasp had just... ceased to exist. "J...Joe?" she managed to sputter out, before another violent eruption ripped through the building as what was inside erupted violently. The energy disintegrated more of the building, but also shot out towards Avery - and all she could do was put her hands in front of her as a futile defense. But unlike its last victim, Avery did not die as her body became consumed by the outburst.
Instead, she collapsed onto the floor and began to spasm uncontrollably. Her entire body locked up, moving without her input, as she felt a growing pressure inside her very being start to coalesce like pressure in a tube. Her jaw clenched to where where gums began to bleed - she wanted to scream, but the air had been stolen from her body. Only sheer panic took root as she the same type of energy began to erupt from her own body.
'I'm going to die.' was the thought running through her head, as the outside began to take notice of this. Two local vigilantes had swooped in to deal with the problem, but the sudden commotion from near the truck had scared away the mobsters. And now the two men were investigating, seeing the sight with shock as a girl continued to tense and curl on the floor uncontrollably.
"Oh fuck!" one of them shouted, a man with a ski mask "We gotta call the cops-"
"The fuck are cops gonna do!?" his partner said with terror, wearing a ski mask of a different color.
Another bolt of energy shot out, tearing through the buildings nearby as Avery struggled to keep even the most basic part of herself intact through all this. "Go..." she tried to get out, but only came as a hoarse whisper. It was then she mustered what strength she had and managed to yell: "GET AWAY!" But this had the adverse side effect of a small, outburst of energy that knocked both men some meters away and tore apart the rest of the building she was in.
That pressure had been relieved, but only just briefly as she felt as though *something* wanted to let loose and explode. But she knew that she would die, as would many others, if she let go. Her entire body was wracked in pain, but it was the adrenaline that kept her going well beyond any normal human could endure. She had to endure as long as she could... and yet there was a growing desire to simply give up. It was unbearable, and a part of her mind rationalized that it was okay to not suffer any longer. Right now she was just keeping it barely at bay, but she too would end up like Joe. At least, that's what she though as she receded back into her mind. Lost as she was through the chaos and turmoil, she didn't even notice the arrival of Sentinel as he landed gently nearby and looked on with sadness.
Another blast of energy erupted, managing to escape Avery's efforts to hold it in as part of it hit the world's greatest hero on the shoulder. While he was unharmed, he couldn't help but notice that it stung - like a mosquito bite. The sensation of pain, even so minor, caught Tyrell by surprise as he looked to where he had been struck before looking back at the girl's suffering. Kneeling down to her he wondered what exactly to do, realizing that she was unlikely to be able to contain such energies for much longer. "I'm going to help you." Sentinel said with a reassuring smile, picking her up and cradling her as she continued to tense up and spasm. By now, her skin had started to glow underneath and he could see her blood vessels under the skin as she strained to barely hold herself together.
Sentinel wasted no time in gaining altitude, blasting off the ground and bringing the girl up into the skies above. But higher he went still, just in case to avoid any civilian aircraft until they were at the furthest reaches of the atmosphere that one could survive in. "I... I can't..." Avery managed to get out, tears streaming in fear.
"It's ok. I'm here with you." Sentinel said, making her know that everything was alright. "You can let go."
And so she did, allowing the dam to finally break as she let out an inhuman howl; her entire body became consumed with orange energy until an explosion of raw energy rocked the upper atmosphere. To many on the ground, they looked above in awe to what would have been a disastrous devastation of their city. But Sentinel, like in the Second Invasion, had once again saved Philadelphia.
His entire body smoked with the residual heat that stayed on his body, and although he had escaped unharmed parts of his suit had been damaged by the outburst of uncontrolled power. He did feel like he had been stung all over, having tanked the detonation at its origin; but what surprised him more was that the girl was not dead. She was still in his arms, but unconscious, as her body also smoldered from the outlying remnants of what had consumed her. He looked at her with a gentle sadness, knowing that her life would never be the same again. He couldn't simply let her back on the ground, lest the government swoop in and consider her a terrorist simply because of her circumstance.
He decided that this situation needed further study, and thus turned to one he knew he could trust the most in this situation.
Midtown Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Wallbreaker ran as fast as he could through the busy streets of the Big Peach, holding what appears to be a briefcase with important documents. He had just broken out of a Trinity Corp. office holding important company secrets and sensitive pharmaceutical data, all of which were of great importance to those that hired him for the job. They stood to make a pretty penny from all this, and he would get a cut that was promised to him all for the small price of bursting through the area with his strength. He had to injure several guards and even kill a few clones, but he managed to get out and away thus far. His getaway driver was parked a few blocks away so as to not rouse suspicion, and to keep them from being identified by any cameras.
But the police were already en route to the general region, which made his urgency greater. As a result, he decided he had no time to be subtle as he ran through another wall leading into a warehouse, causing the workers to run away in a panic. His heavy feet thudded against the ground as he built up momentum to burst through the other end of the warehouse, but he then heard someone call out to him by name.
"Hey Wallbreaker! You miss me?"
"The fuck!?" the behemoth of a supervillain looked about, holding the case tight to his chest. The warehouse was now dead silent, as everyone had fled the scene save for himself. The emptiness unnerved him, but he kept his composure as he looked around trying to find the source. But it wasn't until a figure emerged from the shadow casted from a shelve full of boxes. "C'mon, you don't recognize an old friend anymore?" said Shadeling, leaning onto the crates and crossing his arms.
"Oh, it's you..." muttered Wallbreaker, turning around to him. "The annoying jabbermouth."
"What happened Tyler? I thought I got you locked up good last time."
"Good behavior, cut my sentence a bit. Had a few ex-employers pay off a few guards, and I got out." said the bruiser, backing away slowly.
"You know, if you want to keep being outside of prison you shouldn't steal things? Like, Trinity is shady as hell... I get it. But... hurting guards? Killing clones? That's a bit much, don't you agree?"
"Listen, Shade - if you want to fight, then just fight. I ain't in the mood for your bullshit."
"Hey, can't blame me for wanting to catch up. Oh well, lets do this then!"
The brute threw a punch but found himself hitting wood and splintered apart the container as Shadeling merged back into the shadows. But he quickly reappeared from another set of shadows and delivered a flying kick to the man's face. Wallbreaker sputtered as he let out a wild swing, but hit nothing as Shadeling melted into another pool of shadows nearby. The warehouse was practically perfect ground for his powers, as there were so many objects scattering places for him to enter and exit from with ease. And he did so by keeping his momentum going, jumping around and continuing to deliver flying kicks and punches against his enemy.
The hits piled up as Wallhammer found himself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of strikes, ultimately falling onto his hands and knees as he took another strike to the head. This disoriented him enough to drop the case as he tried to regain his bearings, but ultimately was knocked out of commission by an uppercut as Shadeling rematerialized in front of him, using his own shadow against him. Not a moment later, Atlanta PD officers stormed the warehouse, seeing the commotion that had been caused and pointed their gun as Shadeling. "Freeze!" shouted one officer, while another - a detective - stepped forward.
"STOP RIGHT THERE SHADELING! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"
Shadeling turned to them and stared for a moment, before the eyes of his mask squinted happily: "Haha! Nope!"
He quickly melted back into the shadows just as a few bullets were fired, hitting only the walls and crates nearby much to the frustration of the police.
30 minutes later...
Having made his escape proper, Roy Phillips walked on the streets of Atlanta without a care as without the mask - and his gear - he looked like any other stranger on the sidewalk. Especially with the earbuds, he looked like one of the many university students that called this urban sprawl home. Scrolling through his playlist, he saw that a message from "Red Phillips" appeared - an old fling of his - with the message "Hey, u alone? I am feeling zesty
"
He couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he noticed that there was an embed with it, and he muttered to himself: "It's a dick pic."
He knew Roy well enough to be correct in his intuition, but still audibly groaned when he clicked on it and it was exactly what it was. "I don't know what I expected, honestly."
He then tapped his blunt response and sent a response: 'No.'
"Fine, suit yourself gay boy
"
Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes as he put the phone away and continued on his merry walk, pretending to the outside world that he was exactly who he presented himself to be. After a good half hour, he finally made it back to his home in the closest suburb to the city that he could possibly afford with a mortgage. Despite his brilliance, scientific knowledge alone couldn't pay bills that easily; he was relieved to see that no annoying HOA members or any other nuisances were in sight as he walked up the short steps and entered. He was looking forward to relaxing after a nice day's work, but as fate would have it there was more in store for him.
"Jesus Christ, Ty!" Roy almost shouted, jumping in place as he saw Sentinel in his living room. He was almost about to send out a quip, until he noticed that he was carrying someone. A serious look was plastered on the hero's face, as he walked over to him with the girl in his arms.
"Came across her in Philly. Something... something happened to her. A Penwright truck crashed near her and exposed her to something. Almost blew up the city if I hadn't taken her up in the sky."
Roy looked over Tyrell's suit, noticing the damage and blinked twice: "Damn... she did all that to you?"
"Not on purpose. Look, I don't know if... can you figure out what's with her?"
Roy gave his friend a nod, leading Sentinel towards a door that he had installed. It blended into the wall well enough until he put his handprint on it; a scanner authorized entry, opening the way downstairs to what was his personal lair - which was nowhere near as impressive as what the official heroes had access too but it suited the needs of Shadeling. A large workbench encapsulated most of one side of the basement, holding various prototypes and gadgetry that he had been tinkering with recently, while other walls help certain equipments for his more physics based interests: an electron miscroscope, a miniaturized particle accelerator, even a shelf full of beakers and other glassware.
There was also a table, meant usually for just coffee and books, which now served as an impromptu triage desk as Sentinel gently placed Avery atop while Roy quickly got a few things ready for analysis.
Taking a small sample of her blood, Roy smattered it onto the slide with some solutions to preserve it before putting it for anaylsis under the electron microscope. He also quickly took measurements of her vitals with instruments that, while rudimentary compared to a hospital, served well enough as he looked over the numbers. "She seems to be breathing normally, blood pressure is fine..." He then wheeled his chair over to the microscope and analyzed the sample, growing silent. "Fascinating..."
"What is it?" Sentinel asked.
"...honestly? I'm not a hundred percent sure. But her cells aren't acting like any normal cells at all. They seem to be practically bursting out with some kind of energy-"
"That's the problem I meant," Sentinel cut in through Roy's ponderings, "I don't know if she'll detonate at any moment. Can you get her stable?"
"No idea! But I sure can try!" Roy gave Sentinel a thumbs up as he then wheeled his chair over to the workbench and rummaged through some of his gadgets stashed on shelves. "Hmm... maybe-? No, not this one... has to be something else..."
Sentinel in the meantime kept his attention focused on the girl, sitting down next to where she lay and waited nervously for his friend to come up with something. "Aha! Got it!"
Twenty minutes later...
Back in the living room, Avery sat with a heated blanket covering her as she watched the news on TV. She was tiredly sipping on a Capri-Sun, barely able to summon the strength to do much else, while Roy and Tyrell watched from the kitchen. "So, she'll be alright?" Tyrell asked, still anxious about everything that had happened.
"For now, yeah. Though all I did was essentially tire her out with a quark magnetizer. Basically sucking out excess energy until it brought her cellular structure to a fatigued state... like soreness after exercising. Figured that if she's tired, she won't be able to consciously or unconsciously summon forth-"
"So when she isn't, she could blow up again?"
"Eh... not necessarily. Just a theory of mine, but I think kid's stronger than you think. She was just panicking through all that... what did you say she got exposed to again?"
"One of Penwright's prototypes. It was being transported through the city, but its containment broke."
"Damn... so wrong place at the wrong time. Must be a generator of some kind, explains all the power and energy." Roy commented, before giving Sentinel a tap on the shoulder. "Want some coffee? Might as well while you're here with her." Sentinel was about to protest, but he knew that it was rhetorical and Roy had already put the kettle on. He let out a soft chuckle and took a seat on the other end of the kitchen table. The two could overhear the news as well as the volume was loud, though none of it was encouraging: crime remained rampant across the world, and super powered beings ran amok.
"There's so much happening nowadays. Ran into Wallbreaker today, thought he had another ten years but apparently managed to bribe his way out with the help of friends." Roy commented, "Everything's getting more and more difficult to get ahold of."
"The Black Line are responsible, especially after the Invasion; they've been growing unchecked, and we can see what happens because of that. I ran into some of their operatives earlier over in LA. And now gangs are fighting all over to be in their good graces, reap the benefits. And it also doesn't help there's those kaiju and mythical creatures always running around too." Sentinel said, sighing.
"And the government insists that the Ten and Eight can handle all this. The Eight would drown on a water glass if it weren't for Miracle and Barrage. What joke!" Roy said, shaking his head as he poured the coffee into two cups.
"They're doing the same in Europe too," Sentinel said, graciously accepting one of the drinks from his friend. "The Union is pushing against street heroes pretty hard."
"The hell? Really? It's because of folks like Forever Hope that the Kilidian abominations aren't walking around in Paris right now." Roy said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Not just that, but the Black Line's influence is kept in check by them too. The European Guardians are barely effective against them... same with Interpol. Just doesn't make sense why they'd want to legislate away heroes they don't like..."
"Like America... hey, think Uncle Sam is telling them to do so?"
Sentinel was quiet for a moment before sighing, "Maybe. But they can't keep street heroes down forever. It's because of people like Judgement and Midnight Rider that the streets are safer."
"But what can we do? Honestly? The government cracks down on any hero groups that pop up that aren't theirs. Remember the Chicago Eight? I hope those guys are alright after 8-Ball got arrested..."
"Well, something has to be done." Sentinel said, looking over to Avery and the TV. The news of supervillains arising in Washington state and their battle with the Ten now appeared, broadcasting the fight occurring near Seattle. It was total chaos, and still the job seemed endless as more and more problems would arise. Many would slip through the cracks. "Heroes, right now, are overextended as is. Too many gaps and blind spots, leaving too many people to suffer our absence."
Roy took a look over at where Avery sat as well, and nodded: "Not saying we should do nothing. 'specially since you dropped off a walking quantum bomb off at my doorstep."
A moment of silence passed before Sentinel turned to Roy with a soft smile: "If we want a better tomorrow, for every soul in this beautiful world, then we must do everything in our power to secure it. I have an idea Roy, will you help me realize it?"
"You kidding? You inspired me, Ty! It's cause of you I became a superhero. Thanks to you, I put my powers and my mind for good. You know I have your back, and I know that you've got mine." Roy said with a big grin, "What do you have in mind?"
"A group of heroes, joined together with that very ideal in mind: a better tomorrow."
The squeak of a floorboard quickly drew both their attention abck to the living room, seeing Avery stand nearby. She looked immensely tired, but had somehow mustered to will to get up in spite of the comfort of the blanket. "I... I want to help..."
"You shouldn't even be standing right now, really-" Roy said, but he stopped himself when she saw her crying.
"There was... a man... the driver... I tried t-to help him... and instead I'm h-here..." she managed to get out, bringing out an arm from under the blanket to try to wipe her eyes. "I... I c-couldn't save him..."
"It's not your fault girlie." Tyrell said gently, walking up to Avery and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Avery wiped away more tears, managing to compose herself a bit longer to get her words out: "I... I dunno w-what's with me... b-but... I w-want to help... save people." She looked at her own hands, unsure and unsteady, but gripped them into gentle fists. "I w-want to make sure n-nobody dies like Joe. N-not again." Sentinel remained silent for a moment, before kneeling down in front of Avery and embracing her.
At 4:30 in the morning, the sun had yet to creep over the horizon and the skies remained dark. Yet in the city that never sleeps, that hardly ever mattered. Cars still drove along the streets and the city centered remained buzzing with activity. And for many in the city, they were already starting the early hours of their day as they started work early. Tyrell Williams was no exception as he got off his bed at the top floor of a large townhouse. He took a look at the time, managing to beat the alarm by a few minutes and went to wash himself. Though the mirror itself was old and cracked, it still served its purpose as he looked at his reflection and smiled. It was a day like any other.
Walking down the steps of his home, he made sure to not wake up his parents and brothers by moving cautiously. In the kitchen, he took the time to quickly make a breakfast of eggs while feeding the cats and their old dog. "C'mon Firulais." he muttered gently as the balding, fat mutt made his way to the bowl. He almost crashed into a flower pot but stopped by his owner who gave a gentle smile: "Let me help you boy." Tyrell said quietly as he gently picked the old dog and placed him by the bowl, only leaving his side as he began to chew on the kibble. Scorfing down some quick scrambled eggs, Tyrell then left to head for the restaurant which was practically around the corner.
The place was empty, which meant that he could work without prying eyes to quickly get things done - he practically whizzed through the kitchen as he prepped silverware and plates, carrying them by the hundreds as if they were nothing to him. He also took the time to look through the produce and stocks in the walk-in, making sure that his brother sneak into the kitchen last night for some midnight Tostones. With everyone settled and ready for the new day, he left and locked the door again. It was almost 5 in the morning by now, and the sun began to slowly creep up as he put on some airpods and began to jog through the streets of east Bronx.
"How ya doin' Tyrell?" shouted a garbage collector as he ran past them, to whom Tyrell turned around and waved towards with a big smile on his face. He kept jogging at a steady pace, watching as familiar faces slowly left their homes to get ready for work. He made sure to wave at them all, shouting a conversation with them about having a good day. But already the day was about to get eventful as he reached Hone Avenue; Tyrell took a moment to change the tune on his phone before noticing a commotion nearby. "Give me the keys, I ain' playin' bro!" said a young man with tattoos all over his arms and face. He had a gun pointed at another man, who was also inked up but wore a cleaners uniform. "I ain't giving you shit bro, I need this truck!"
The robber pressed his gun at the man's temple, undeterred by the pleas: "You think I'm playin' witchu bro!? Gimme the fuckin' keys or I smoke your ass!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tyrell said, intervening as he walked up towards the two. Standing a good few meters away, his presence was definitely visible as the robber quickly pointed the gun towards the newcomer. "Oh yeah? Why? You gon' beat me up fool? Get the fuck outta here bro."
Tyrell smiled. "Don't throw away your life like this." he said, taking a few steps forward.
"Yo, stay back man! I'll fucking shoot you bitch!" the robber shouted, but Tyrell could practically hear the man's heart pounding. He was terrified under all that bravado, as though he had never actually killed anyone.
"Come on man, you don't gotta be scared. You can throw that gun off and run."
"I-I ain't scared of you bitch!" the robber shouted, hands trembling. But in what seemed to be the blink of an eye, his weapon was now in Tyrell's hands. With a simple squeeze, he crushed it and rendered it useless. "Go, and think what you're doing with your life."
The robber looked like a stunned deer as his wide eyes moved between Tyrell and the man he had just tried to rob, but not a moment passed before he quickly darted away as fast as his legs could take him. Tyrell sighed but kept a smile, before tossing the destroyed gun into the trash. The cleaner in the meantime let out a sigh of relief, practically bending down to put his hands on his knees for some support after the adrenaline rush of the situation. "Hey, thanks man. I owe you one!" he said, letting out a chuckle as he wiped off sweat from his brow.
"No problem, be safe out there my friend." Tyrell said, taking his leave to continue his jog.
Tyrell made his way back to the family business after looping around a few blocks, but due to the altercation he was a few minutes later than usual. On entering, he could see his mother - a short and old afro-Caribbean woman - getting her coat on. "Ay mi dios, Tyrell! Pense que te a pasao algo mijo! Ya te iba a busca!" said the portly woman as she hugged her enormous son. "Perdoneme mami, queria pasar po' la plaza un momento." he said before kissing his mother's forehead and hugged her back. "Dale que la ayudo!" he then said as he walked further inside, grabbing his white apron and blue bandana from the lockers near the kitchen.
On entering, his brothers, his father, and both his grandparents were already doing prep work for breakfast: cutting ingredients, prepping seasonings, and warming up the equipment for use. Before walking to his station, he made sure to give a hug to both his grandparents - the matriarch and patriarch of the family. They always prepared breakfasts in the morning, both for the homeless who needed it most and the elderly regulars that frequented the establishment as early birds. It was their way of giving back to the community that had kept them open for so many years. Tyrell helped his old man get the shutters open as the restaurant opened proper, and a small line had already formed for their usual customers.
"Un segundo mi panas." said Tyrell with a smile as his mother brought small containers with warm cooked meals inside. "Here you go momma." he said as he handed two containers over to a mother and daughter. "And a lil' something for you sweetie." he said before putting a smaller container holding a fruit mix inside. The mother barely made ends meet with working two jobs, and thus had to rely on the kindness of this place to keep her daughter fed. The mother thanked Tyrell again, managing to keep herself composed with tired eyes as the two walked off.
By 8 in the morning, the regular customers - mostly older folks of Dominican descent - had arrived at the restaurant and were ordering their usual. But when he noticed the time, Tyrell's father pointed it out: "Hey Tyrell," he spoke with a typical Bronx American accent, "It's 8 o'clock boy, ain't ya supposed to get to your deliveries?"
Tyrell quickly checked his watch and nodded. "Ah damn, you right pops. I'll be back soon."
"Take your time mijo, just tell us if you gonna take a while." his mother said as she cut up some plantains. Tyrell gave a pat to his father's back before making his way upstairs. He quickly took off his apron and bandana, setting them on one of the couches in the office upstairs before walking over to a large framed poster of Mariano Rivera. Behind the frame, as he moved the picture off its rest, was a small coded safe. Putting in the code as he had many times before, he grabbed its contents - a small package - and closed the safe before putting the poster back in place. He quickly walked down the steps, but instead of going out the front he went out the back into the alley just fast enough to avoid any prying eyes from catching his presence.
He took a good look around, making sure with his senses that nobody was around to see. His only audience were the few rats scurrying about, and he quickly opened its contents with a smile.
​
Flying in the skies above, Sentinel felt the air breeze past his face as he flew past the Statue of Liberty and quickly picked up altitude. This was the usual patrol down the eastern seaboard as he - after making distance from the city - broke the sound barrier and flew southbound. Within minutes he was already nearing Florida, though had seen little of anything that needed his attention and thus changed course to fly cross-country. Above the midwest, he flew close by to a passenger plane but kept himself mostly unnoticed. But he did see a little kid staring with awe from his seating, and he gave the kid a wave before flying further out. The vast expanses of farmlands and prairies invited Sentinel to fly faster, knowing that he wouldn't be a disturbance to many to reach the West Coast. But once he actually hit the ocean, then he could push himself further.
Once the blue waves of the Pacific greeted Sentinel's presence, and seeing that there was little need of him at the moment, he went all out several miles out from coast. Breaking the sound barrier again, he launched himself higher up into the atmosphere until the sky darkened and the void of space grew to encompass his vision. Down below, Earth became more curved until he could well enough see its circumference. All the people of Earth - all their lives and dreams - and all of the world's beauty and problems were visible from his vantage point. And despite all the problems they faced, he still could not help but smile. He loved the world, flaws and all.
With his velocity he took a quick glance over Asia, Europe and Africa before having circled his way around in re-entry back to the United States. Fortunately his suit was crafted from similar materials used in space shuttle re-entries, though it didn't stop it from smoking from the heat it gave off to the air around it. But a quick dive in the Atlantic cooled him off back to normal as he flew back to New York.
Tyrell walked back into the restaurant as though nothing had happened, arriving just as he usually does for deliveries at 10:30am. He made sure, however, to buy something extra for his grandparents. "Volvi!" he shouted, grabbing his apron and bandana and put them back on. Both of his elders were sitting by a small side table in the restaurant, somewhat deaf and blind from their old age, but still loved to have breakfast together after a bit of early working. "Abuela, abuelo, adivinen que le traje." he said, placing down a bag of Venezuelan Tequeños, a delicious snack from the republica bolivariana. Tyrell's grandmother, always thankful for her grandson's kindness, kissed his cheek before serving her husband for some coffee.
Now back in the kitchen, Tyrell went back to work in preparing ingredients; rice was his job as he washed the starches off to prep for its use. But he couldn't help but overhear his father talk with Bruce, a regular customer and family friend. "Sounds like the Ten bit off more than they could chew, eh?" said the old Italian-American as he put a small cube of sugar into his coffee. "You always say that, but I know they'll push 'em fish folk back into the ocean." Tyrell's father responded as the two watched the TV. Tyrell took a quick glance at the restaurant's old TV hanging off the corner of the wall to get caught up on the news.
"After an arduous battle that lasted almost a day, the Circle of Druids alongside members of the Olympian League, pushed the Fomorians out of Dublin. However, the emergence of the fishfolk and their monsters seemed to have stirred up the hive." spoke the reporter as the camera panned over to a dock worker, who was being bandaged by paramedics. "This is Jacob Morris, a heroic dock worker at the Newark Port. He was working this morning when suddenly giant crustaceans began to emerge from the ocean and attacked his peers."
"I-I-I w-was just drinkin' my coffee and telling my boss over the radio that e-everything was fine... then s-suddenly those things attacked! Me and Mickey and... I d-don't know how I got out of there, or how I dragged Mickey out after he lost his arm."
"42 year old Mike Kowalski is still alive but in critical condition. He alongside twelve other workers were injured by the monsters awakened by the Fomorians. But if it weren't for the efforts of the American 10, the day would have been lost." The camera changed views to video footage of the Iron Dame - a prominent member of the team - giving a quick comment on their arrival. "Fear not, citizens of Newark, for we have arrived to protect you!" she shouted confidently before running into the port with her teammates past the police cordon.
"The Ten continue to deal with this crustacean threat, ex-governor Chris Christie said 'This wouldn't have happened if I was still in charge.' In other news..."
"I don't know about Iron Dame. She seems like an okay gal. But Norton, now that's a hero." said Tyrell's father with a smile. "Don't you agree son?" he then asked, looking over back to the kitchen, noticing that Tyrell had been listening in. Tyrell gave a nod: "He's got honesty and conviction. Every hero needs that."
"I still think they should get that boy Sentinel into the Ten. He's a much better fit than that Trench guy. More American too." his father then said, which prompted Bruce to laugh. "That Trench guy is American, he's just from Hawaii." he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Well yeah, but what I mean is we all know Sentinel better than we know the Trench!"
Tyrell couldn't help but smile, knowing that his father was proud of the work he was doing - even if he didn't know that Sentinel was living under the same roof as him. "He'd be plenty useful in dealing with those sea beasts." Tyrell looked back at the TV, which had now shifted its reporting to the middle east as American soldiers posed with members of another team.
"...after a series of attacks from rebel groups in the region, members of the Wonderful Eight arrived in Yemen to share their support for the troops." the reporter explained, showing images of their photo-op alongside members of the Army and Marine Corps. It then cut to a short audio snippet from Admiral Miracle: "Our troops are the backbone of our great nation folks. We may protect you from the monsters and villains, but it's our brave men and women on the frontlines that keep tyranny and communism away from American soil and keep our country safe!"
"I really don't like that redneck." Tyrell's dad muttered, shaking his head in visible disapproval.
"Hey quit bustin' his balls Marcus, he did save hundreds during Katrina and the Second Invasion." Bruce replied as he finished up the last of his coffee. But this wasn't enough to assuage the man's opinions as he let out a sigh.
"I know, I know. He's a hero and all... but there's something weird about that motherfu-"
"BREKAING NEWS: We have alarming reports that a group of armed bank robbers have taken almost a hundred hostages in Los Angeles. According to reports from the ground, the perpetrators seem to have highly advanced weaponry. Several officers have already been wounded and one killed." This sudden outbreak made Tyrell's eyes widen as he perked up on hearing this, and that's when Bruce called on him. "Hey Ty! Forgot to tell you son, but my daughter's asked me if I could have you come do some deliveries for her over in Manhattan. Think you can manage?"
Tyrell nodded: "Yeah, of course. Is Hakim home pops?"
"That boy off doin' god knows what, don't you worry son. I'll handle the rice until your lil' brother Avondre wakes up."
Tyrell smiled and gave his old man another pat on the back, then gave Bruce a thankful look before rushing out the back again. Thankfully, he had put his package atop the locker this time around for easy access.
West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Shots rang across the city of angels, as nearly a hundred patrol cars had blocked off the area surrounding the Bank of California as an official cordon, with a few more cars and two SWAT vans having parked themselves closer to the bank itself - though two patrol cars were on fire. The police were at a standstill, unable to deal with the situation as the robbers held an enormous amount of firepower that kept them at bay. One of the robbers wore heavy armor and a full face-mask wielded a minigun that he shredded yet more police cars with, setting them ablaze. Though the SWAT vehicles were still in use, they were quickly becoming crowded for cover for both those who could still fight and those that were wounded. Bullets pattered the side of the armored car before coming to a still as the robber ran out of bullets, and the LAPD began to return fire again. This opening allowed for more wounded, and a deceased officer, to be dragged out from the scene.
Meanwhile at the cordon perimeter, behind an official barricade where reporters had flocked to the scene, stoop the captain of the LAPD surrounded by other officers. "How many hostages!?" the captain asked again in disbelief.
"97 in total, they forced a few pedestrians nearby into the bank when they showed up." one of the lieutenants spoke.
The captain pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and took a deep breath, "Have they made any demands?"
"No sir, radio silence from them... they aren't picking up calls made into the bank either. We know from sniper scopes that there is at least two wounded civilians in the bank: a guard and the manager. But that's all we got."
"We can't have another North Hollywood. Any clear shots?"
"No sir, we think they'll open fire if we start dropping them."
"Fucking shit..." the captain then said, shaking his head. He was about to give out orders until a thud hit the ground behind them. The officers all quickly turned with weapons drawn, surprised by the sudden appearance of Sentinel. The reporters grew more excited as they took photos of the hero's arrival, with the sound of shutters filling the air. "W-what the-!?" the captain managed to get out, putting a hand to his own holster but was defused when he realized who it was a moment later.
"Don't worry captain, I'm here to help. What's the situation?"
"Shit, Sentinel! Glad you showed up." the captain said, glancing over to his subordinates. They all still had their weapons trained on him, given that Sentinel was technically a criminal under American law. But some also held their own petty grievances with the hero, but there were others nearby that waved to Sentinel out of appreciation. "The men inside have highly advanced weaponry. And from what our snipers can see, they have loads of ammunition on them. They have almost a hundred hostages too."
Sentinel looked over to the armored vehicles as the SWAT units continued to exchange fire with the perpetrators, though it was clear that beyond returning fire they were simply outclassed. He knew that he alone could deal with these robbers without losing any more lives, but he also knew that the NYPD strikes of 2018 - over the role of law enforcement being shirked by superheroes - would mean that he would have to compromise and cooperate with local police agencies. "Tell your team commander that I'll be their shield. I'll head in first with a small team behind me." The captain nodded as Sentinel floated over towards the SWAT vans. He could hear shouting from inside as the robbers were alerted to his presence, which meant that time was of the essence.
"All Metro Division officers, the Sentinel is heading your way. Alpha Fire Team you will follow him. I repeat, you will enter the back with Sentinel."
Gently landing next to the officers, he heard more shouting from inside the bank.
"Shit, it's the frickin' boyscout!" one yelled.
"Shit, thought he'd go help the Ten over in Jersey! Davis, go give Carter supporter, lay on him while Lewis preps the big boy."
But his attention was more focused on the SWAT leader of fire team Alpha who greeted Sentinel: "Glad to see you here. Element Blue stick to flanks with shields. Me and Element Red will follow you."
Tyrell nodded. "Good, stay close to me and we'll get the people out quickly."
The captain of Alpha then turned to the other van, giving a thumbs up to the leader of team Bravo who responded in kind. Soon enough, the plan was sprung as Tyrell led the way as the officers followed close behind. Approaching closer, the robber with the miniugun emerged from the building's depths again but had now brought company with him: another robber in heavy armor and with a minigun of his own. "Stay behind me!" Sentinel shouted as they opened fire, hundreds of bullets pelting Sentinel's physique. For any normal man, he would have been shredded instantly. But Sentinel didn't flinch as the bullets simply collided with him harmlessly and fell to the ground.
"Motherfucker! Lewis, is that shit ready!?" shouted one of the minigun goons, looking for his compatriot.
"Almost, it's charging up!" said Lewis as Sentinel continued to walk confidently, more bullets continuing to pepper his body harmlessly. They didn't even register as pinches to him.
"It's ready, it's ready!" Lewis then shouted, making his way in between both minigun shooters. In his hands was a strange rifle platform, bearing a large handguard and railing that emanated electrical coils alongside a chemical cell at its rear. Sentinel could hear the faint hissing of its internal systems grow louder, priming to fire; a weapon like this was experimental, but definitely of greater firepower than any normal ballistics. His eyes widened, and he put his speed to use - knowing that the officers would be in danger regardless of his presence, he used his speed to push the officers back into safety. A fraction of a second had passed, but Sentinel looked back and saw the projectile flying already halfway to where he had been.
The problem was that an officer he had missed was nearby, and the impact would kill him. But just as quickly, if not faster, the man was brought out of harms way by a bolt even faster than he had been. Sentinel looked to his side as the concrete exploded, seeing that the officer had been ushered to safely by another member of the Ten - Lightning. "Hey there big guy!" said the heroine, setting the officer down.
"Glad to see you Lightning!" Sentinel said with palpable relief to her arrival. Only she could have been fast enough to get from coast to coast, which also meant that the Newark problem had been dealt with.
"Glad to see ya too partner! Say, need any help?" Lightning asked, taking a peek from around the vehicle quickly before ducking back into cover.
"All the help I can get. Where are the others though?"
"On the Falcon comin' as fast as they can. Critters over at Newark were pretty tough, and Trench saved our bacon a couple o' times."
"Glad to hear." Sentinel then said, taking a look for himself as he saw the one called Lewis bring out a hostage - the wounded bank guard - and put him up front with a gun to his head. "ALRIGHT! We have demands!"
Sentinel, still smiling, looked back to Lightning: "Think you can get the hostages out of harms way?"
She didn't need to respond as she left in a blink of an eye, sparks of electricity following her trail as she dashed faster than anyone could perceive. And just as quickly, the wounded guard disappeared from the robber's grasp - much to his bafflement - as they quickly realized that they had lost their initial bargaining chip. The two minigun goons quickly dashed back inside to try to secure their other hostages, but Lewis - the one responsible for that strange gun - was confronted by Sentinel as he made the distance. "Captain, tell Bravo team to enter the building after we secure it." he said to the SWAT leader before bursting with speed towards his enemy.
Lewis tried to stumble back but was quickly disarmed with a slap to his hand and was then grabbed by the collar of his clothes. "You like hurting people and killing cops, huh?" Sentinel asked rhetorically before throwing him into the wall nearby. Lewis could only let out a surprised gasp as the wind was knocked out of his body and ultimately was knocked out. Meanwhile, Lightning did what she did best and sped inside at such a pace that it seemed that the hostages inside were disappearing out of nowhere. This left the robbers in confusion and awe as they lost all of their bargaining tools and now had to deal with Sentinel himself.
As he entered the bank, floating just a bit above the ground, they peppered him with bullets out of desperation but quickly realized just how outmatched they were as their bullets fell to the ground after impact. Wordlessly, Sentinel moved to deal with these criminals and deal swift justice; he quickly flew over the the first robber and socked him in the face hard enough to knock out a tooth, leaving him to collapse unconscious. The next two he dashed over and picked up by their necks before knocking their heads together with a gentle-enough thunk, leaving them both dazed and collapsed to their knees. Similar scenes unfolded with the four other robbers, before he dealt with the armored miniguns that had by now reloaded.
Their weapons spun up to prepare another barrage, but Sentinel quickly yanked them out of their hands and crushed them beyond use. Throwing one away, Sentinel used the remnants of the other gun as a club that he batted the minigun wielders into one another and straight into a wall. They both groaned aloud and struggled to get up from the pain, and were ultimately rendered out of commission. There was one left, who was now speaking into a small device as if trying to contact someone - though he couldn't make it out from under the distortion under their mask. Lightning reappeared shortly thereafter as a yellow flash and nodded to Sentinel: "Everyone's out!" she announced to her ally, before turning her attention to the last man standing.
He finished speaking into his device, and seemed poised to fight to the end; despite having failed in getting into the vault and in getting their demands met thanks to the intervention of the heroes, he seemed unusually confident still. He wasn't just a regular goon, as the two heroes would notice a black aura surround his fists.
"I've heard so much about you." the supe spoke with audible disdain, even with the distortions of his mask making his voice indiscernible. He then brought his hands up in a combat pose and chuckled: "Show me what makes you so damn great."
Sentinel exchanged a glance with Lightning before stepping forward to meet the challenge. He quickly got ready himself while Lightning watched the show with confidence that he would be able to deal with the man with ease; the super villain launched himself at Sentinel with a flurry of punches, which he weaved in between with ease. Although he could easily deal with the man, he wanted to make sure he got the message across that his actions would reap consequences. The supe grew more frustrated as he continued to miss his attack, and Sentinel got to see his strength as his fist collided with a nearby pillar.
The support cracked from his first punch, before shattering with a second after attack that came from that black aura around his fists. Sentinel observed with curiosity: 'A double impact ability? Quite the power!' he thought to himself, sparing a glance over to the destroyed marble before glancing back at the man. He decided that he would lure the man in close just to drive home the point and let the man hit him. The villain shouted with rage as he struck Sentinel's chest, causing the air around to shudder from the force. But to his shock, it seemed to barely register with Sentinel as he stood in place with a confident smile.
"Are you done?" he asked, before delivering a quick jab to the man's face. His mask fractured from the blow and sputtered in pain, stumbling back. But he was given no time to recuperate as Sentinel quickly threw out several more punches to his chest and face, enough to put the man down with a final blow to his mask that fully broke it and left him collapsing to the ground. He sputtered a few incoherent words, trying to lift himself again to keep fighting, but was ultimately defeated as he collapsed back unconscious. Sentinel walked over the man's unconscious body and picked at where his communications device was for further investigation. Lightning joined him and observed as he brought the device out; her eyes narrowed as she saw what Sentinel saw as being the culprits behind this operation: the Black Line.
The criminal syndicate's logo was on the device, though their motives for a bank robbery seemed unclear as given their global operations it seemed almost beneath them. "Wonder what they were doing here..." Lightning muttered.
"A question for later... we ought to make sure everyone's okay." Sentinel said, refocusing his attention back to the task at hand. "Thanks for the help again." he said to the speedster before signalling at the front door to the SWAT units. Bravo Team quickly entered the building and began rounding up the robbers that Sentinel had taken care of, with the team leader shouting the all clear. Sentinel then left the bank with a smile on his face with Lightning, greeted by the arrival of both reporters - as the police cordon had now been no longer deemed necessary at the farther perimeter - as well as the Falcon, signaling the arrival of the Ten.
The cameras and reporters went wild when Captain Norton stepped out of the craft, alongside others of the Ten, though a slight frown took hold upon him as he realized that the situation had already been dealt with as Sentinel approached him. While the two respected each other, there was still some small bit of tension as Norton crossed his arms, observing the scene. "Keep this up and you might just put me out of a job." he remarked in dry humor, to which Sentinel couldn't help but chuckle.
"Figured you had your hands full over at Newark."
"We did. But Trench came through in getting them bundled up for the taking." he said, motioning his head towards his teammate. The Trench looked at Sentinel quietly, but with judgemental eyes - as did a few others of the Ten. Even amongst heroes, Sentinel held divisions in opinions; Steel Golem in particular couldn't help himself from posting snarky remarks on his social media platform every time Sentinel did something. But a few others on the team liked him, such as Lightning, the Saturn Stalker and Madame Midnight who waved towards him in a friendly manner.
A brief moment of silence passed as the photographers nearby took their photo ops, which grew more intense as Sentinel and Captain Norton then exchanged nods before the former flew off.
Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
But rather than fly back across the country, he decided to have a quick lunch while he was in LA. He was itching for some good tacos as he flew above the city. He remembered a place he had visited a few months back that he was wanting to revisit, a small taqueria place over at Boyle Heights run by an older Mexican man named Ignacio. Landing gently next to the small restaurant, practically a concrete cube, there were a few excited locals who took photos and videos from a distance as well as some kids who looked on in awe at Sentinel stopping by.
A small bell rang as Sentinel entered, taking in the strong smells of the kitchen that gave the entire place an aroma. Ignacio himself, whose grey hairs made him look as though his head was silver, looked up to see Sentinel and gave a toothy smile: "Eh, Sentinela! Como estas compadre?" he asked aloud with a raspy laugh.
"Con mucha mucha hambre mi amigo! Cual el special de hoy?"
"Te va gustar! Dime, alguna ves comiste… birria, no?"
Only a few minutes passed, Sentinel sat down with his delicious Birria, savoring the rich taste and flavors - given that it wasn't likely he was going to be back in a while - but saw his attention stolen by the sudden flurry of activity on the TV. Today seemed to be an eventful day with no breaks, as he saw helicopter footage of chaos unfolding in Philadelphia. A large explosion had racked a part of the city, though it wasn't flames that erupted but rather something else. The headline posted: CHAOS IN PHILADELPHIA - GANG WARFARE RESULTS IN EXPLOSION. He blinked once, food almost in his mouth, before quickly setting down his meal. He'd have to cut his lunch short as he quickly went to the counter to pay for his meal.
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 15 minutes earlier
Philly held an air of calm that usually remained as such when compared to bigger urban hotspots like New York. Today seemed to be no exception as people went about their business, occasionally looking up the news of the American Ten's doings in Newark or the whole bank situation in Los Angeles. Outside of this, life went on as usual for everyone - particularly for two teens playing hooky from school, walking through the downtown area and heading for their usual hangout spot. For Avery, this was a norm considering she found herself bored to death in school and preferred to simply loiter around and stir up the occasional mischief. Two days ago she and her friend Samantha, who was busy scrolling through her phone, had vandalized a post box with stickers and tape. But today Avery made it clear that she wasn't in the mood for any excitement. But her partner in crime had a different perspective, as she practically shoved the phone into her face.
"Holy shit did you see this?" Sam asked with a grin, "The Ten were in Newark! My feed is blowing up with pics from there. That's like... really close! We could've been there to see it..."
Avery took a look and scoffed: "Yeah we just missed it. Gotta buy tickets for the next outing for their tour." she said sarcastically, which prompted her friend to roll her eyes.
"Uhuh, don't you want to see Captain Norton in action though? You're like his biggest fan."
"Okaaaaay now, I'm a fan but who doesn't want to see a superhero in action? But it's not like I'm waiting for more aliens to attack. Sometimes, its nice to not have to worry about the city blowing up every few weeks y'know?" Avery retorted, before stretching her back and groaning. "Uuuuuuugh... how much further? I feel like we've been walking forever!"
"Stop whining, we're here!" Samantha then said, pointing over across the street. It was an gelato parlor owned by an elderly italian man, where the two often stayed for hours just hanging out or got a quick bite before moving on. Avery got the usual of salted caramel gelato, and took a big spoonful to snack on from her cup. As they both sat outside, Sam kept scrolling through the live feed of random dances, annoying voiced-over clips of existing movies, and other random content. Avery wasn't as in the know on this whole app thing, but found it baffling nonetheless as to some of the things that were posted on there.
"Do you really find all that stuff fun to watch?" Avery asked.
"Well I only watch stuff when I don't scroll past it, y'know?"
"So... you just scroll for however long-"
"For hours!"
Avery and Samantha kept chatting, with the latter teasing the former about her lack of social media usage and not getting it. And they were completely oblivious as to what was about to happen, as were most of the people of the neighborhood; so too was the driver of a Penwright Industries transportation vehicle, it was a standard route procedure for the technological prototype housed in the rear container. Everything had been quiet thus far, having driven from Chicago en route to New York without so much as a peep of trouble. Although what was contained inside was valuable, it was hardly of any use to any would be heisters due to its size as well as its volatility.
Joe Porter couldn't wait for some good R&R after a job like this, as being on the road didn't do well for his legs. At the very least he had benefits for vacation days as mandated by corporate, which is something other truck drivers and transporters in the United States didn't have the luxury of. Penwright, as difficult as he could be, ultimately looked out for those under him... at least, that's what Joe thought as he let out a bored yawn. He had decided to move through Philadelphia for a quick stop to eat some of the famous cheesesteaks here.
Little did he know he was about to drive through the middle of a feud between the Italian and Irish mobs in the neighborhood he was slowly making his way through. But it was when gunfire broke out that he quickly perked up. Bullets flew in the air, and people screamed as two warring factions sought to gun one another down in broad daylight. Bullets pattered the glass of his vehicle, though thankfully it was bulletproof; but he was more concerned still about getting the hell out as he instinctively pushed on the gas and tried to get out of dodge.
People began to run for cover as bullets pattered the buildings and streets, and both Avery and Samantha ducked under their table in shock. Samantha quickly pulled out her phone and started recording, while Avery peered above the table with wide eyes. "Holy shit... holy shit..." she managed to get out in between panicked breaths.
"Holy shit!!" Samantha said, seemingly less concerned as she continued recording the gangs fighting one another. Three had already died, lying on the pavement with blood trickling out of their wounds, while others continued to exchange fire. But this left her completely oblivious to the truck barreling their way.
Avery, acting on instinct, grabbed and tackled Samantha out of the way as the truck barreled just inches past them and straight into the parlor they had just eaten from. "Oh my god ohmygodohmygod!" her friend managed to get out, having tasted death pass by them so closely. But Avery was more concerned for the inside, for both Luigi - the store's owner - and the driver.
"Sam, get out of here!" Avery shouted, unsure of what courage had taken over her body as she darted inside.
"Are you crazy!?"
Avery ignored her protests as she climbed through broken glass, seeing just how wrecked the gelato parlour was now. Luigi seemed to have only a few scratches as she quickly came over to him, and he muttered to her incoherently before pointing to the truck, as if to say 'don't worry about me' as he quickly made his way out of the store. The truck itself had been absolutely ruined by the impact, as its rear axels had been torn off entirely, while its front caved in. The container it was lugging along was also mangled, which gave off an ominous humm.
Avery tugged on the door of the truck's front to try to get it open, as she could see the driver moving inside still. "I-I'm okay! I'll push, you pull!" he shouted. Their combined efforts allowed the metal to practically break loose, though the door lost a hinge as well and now dangled.
"Y-you're okay?" she asked of the driver, looking over his nametag. "Joe?"
"Yeah... I think so... shit, the bosses are gonna be pissed at me-" he said before a violent whirr filled the air.
Both looked towards the container with wide eyes, unsure of what to do as instinctual fear grasped both of them. The hummer grew more intense in power as the metal of the container began to warp, which led Joe to take steps forward to investigate. "Oh crap... I... I think the safety protocols got busted." he muttered, taking a peek inside one of the cracks of the metal.
"Oh god..."
A sudden crackle of brilliant orange energy shot out into the restaurant itself, tearing through brick and steel like it was paper and leaving a gaping wound in the structure itself. But it also had shot into Joe, sending him stumbling back into Avery's arms. But before she could do anything, he started *screaming*. His body began to collapse in on itself, becoming dust and then less than dust until nothing remained but a faint echo of his cries.
Avery could only look in horror as the man in her grasp had just... ceased to exist. "J...Joe?" she managed to sputter out, before another violent eruption ripped through the building as what was inside erupted violently. The energy disintegrated more of the building, but also shot out towards Avery - and all she could do was put her hands in front of her as a futile defense. But unlike its last victim, Avery did not die as her body became consumed by the outburst.
Instead, she collapsed onto the floor and began to spasm uncontrollably. Her entire body locked up, moving without her input, as she felt a growing pressure inside her very being start to coalesce like pressure in a tube. Her jaw clenched to where where gums began to bleed - she wanted to scream, but the air had been stolen from her body. Only sheer panic took root as she the same type of energy began to erupt from her own body.
'I'm going to die.' was the thought running through her head, as the outside began to take notice of this. Two local vigilantes had swooped in to deal with the problem, but the sudden commotion from near the truck had scared away the mobsters. And now the two men were investigating, seeing the sight with shock as a girl continued to tense and curl on the floor uncontrollably.
"Oh fuck!" one of them shouted, a man with a ski mask "We gotta call the cops-"
"The fuck are cops gonna do!?" his partner said with terror, wearing a ski mask of a different color.
Another bolt of energy shot out, tearing through the buildings nearby as Avery struggled to keep even the most basic part of herself intact through all this. "Go..." she tried to get out, but only came as a hoarse whisper. It was then she mustered what strength she had and managed to yell: "GET AWAY!" But this had the adverse side effect of a small, outburst of energy that knocked both men some meters away and tore apart the rest of the building she was in.
That pressure had been relieved, but only just briefly as she felt as though *something* wanted to let loose and explode. But she knew that she would die, as would many others, if she let go. Her entire body was wracked in pain, but it was the adrenaline that kept her going well beyond any normal human could endure. She had to endure as long as she could... and yet there was a growing desire to simply give up. It was unbearable, and a part of her mind rationalized that it was okay to not suffer any longer. Right now she was just keeping it barely at bay, but she too would end up like Joe. At least, that's what she though as she receded back into her mind. Lost as she was through the chaos and turmoil, she didn't even notice the arrival of Sentinel as he landed gently nearby and looked on with sadness.
Another blast of energy erupted, managing to escape Avery's efforts to hold it in as part of it hit the world's greatest hero on the shoulder. While he was unharmed, he couldn't help but notice that it stung - like a mosquito bite. The sensation of pain, even so minor, caught Tyrell by surprise as he looked to where he had been struck before looking back at the girl's suffering. Kneeling down to her he wondered what exactly to do, realizing that she was unlikely to be able to contain such energies for much longer. "I'm going to help you." Sentinel said with a reassuring smile, picking her up and cradling her as she continued to tense up and spasm. By now, her skin had started to glow underneath and he could see her blood vessels under the skin as she strained to barely hold herself together.
Sentinel wasted no time in gaining altitude, blasting off the ground and bringing the girl up into the skies above. But higher he went still, just in case to avoid any civilian aircraft until they were at the furthest reaches of the atmosphere that one could survive in. "I... I can't..." Avery managed to get out, tears streaming in fear.
"It's ok. I'm here with you." Sentinel said, making her know that everything was alright. "You can let go."
And so she did, allowing the dam to finally break as she let out an inhuman howl; her entire body became consumed with orange energy until an explosion of raw energy rocked the upper atmosphere. To many on the ground, they looked above in awe to what would have been a disastrous devastation of their city. But Sentinel, like in the Second Invasion, had once again saved Philadelphia.
His entire body smoked with the residual heat that stayed on his body, and although he had escaped unharmed parts of his suit had been damaged by the outburst of uncontrolled power. He did feel like he had been stung all over, having tanked the detonation at its origin; but what surprised him more was that the girl was not dead. She was still in his arms, but unconscious, as her body also smoldered from the outlying remnants of what had consumed her. He looked at her with a gentle sadness, knowing that her life would never be the same again. He couldn't simply let her back on the ground, lest the government swoop in and consider her a terrorist simply because of her circumstance.
He decided that this situation needed further study, and thus turned to one he knew he could trust the most in this situation.
Midtown Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Wallbreaker ran as fast as he could through the busy streets of the Big Peach, holding what appears to be a briefcase with important documents. He had just broken out of a Trinity Corp. office holding important company secrets and sensitive pharmaceutical data, all of which were of great importance to those that hired him for the job. They stood to make a pretty penny from all this, and he would get a cut that was promised to him all for the small price of bursting through the area with his strength. He had to injure several guards and even kill a few clones, but he managed to get out and away thus far. His getaway driver was parked a few blocks away so as to not rouse suspicion, and to keep them from being identified by any cameras.
But the police were already en route to the general region, which made his urgency greater. As a result, he decided he had no time to be subtle as he ran through another wall leading into a warehouse, causing the workers to run away in a panic. His heavy feet thudded against the ground as he built up momentum to burst through the other end of the warehouse, but he then heard someone call out to him by name.
"Hey Wallbreaker! You miss me?"
"The fuck!?" the behemoth of a supervillain looked about, holding the case tight to his chest. The warehouse was now dead silent, as everyone had fled the scene save for himself. The emptiness unnerved him, but he kept his composure as he looked around trying to find the source. But it wasn't until a figure emerged from the shadow casted from a shelve full of boxes. "C'mon, you don't recognize an old friend anymore?" said Shadeling, leaning onto the crates and crossing his arms.
"Oh, it's you..." muttered Wallbreaker, turning around to him. "The annoying jabbermouth."
"What happened Tyler? I thought I got you locked up good last time."
"Good behavior, cut my sentence a bit. Had a few ex-employers pay off a few guards, and I got out." said the bruiser, backing away slowly.
"You know, if you want to keep being outside of prison you shouldn't steal things? Like, Trinity is shady as hell... I get it. But... hurting guards? Killing clones? That's a bit much, don't you agree?"
"Listen, Shade - if you want to fight, then just fight. I ain't in the mood for your bullshit."
"Hey, can't blame me for wanting to catch up. Oh well, lets do this then!"
The brute threw a punch but found himself hitting wood and splintered apart the container as Shadeling merged back into the shadows. But he quickly reappeared from another set of shadows and delivered a flying kick to the man's face. Wallbreaker sputtered as he let out a wild swing, but hit nothing as Shadeling melted into another pool of shadows nearby. The warehouse was practically perfect ground for his powers, as there were so many objects scattering places for him to enter and exit from with ease. And he did so by keeping his momentum going, jumping around and continuing to deliver flying kicks and punches against his enemy.
The hits piled up as Wallhammer found himself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of strikes, ultimately falling onto his hands and knees as he took another strike to the head. This disoriented him enough to drop the case as he tried to regain his bearings, but ultimately was knocked out of commission by an uppercut as Shadeling rematerialized in front of him, using his own shadow against him. Not a moment later, Atlanta PD officers stormed the warehouse, seeing the commotion that had been caused and pointed their gun as Shadeling. "Freeze!" shouted one officer, while another - a detective - stepped forward.
"STOP RIGHT THERE SHADELING! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"
Shadeling turned to them and stared for a moment, before the eyes of his mask squinted happily: "Haha! Nope!"
He quickly melted back into the shadows just as a few bullets were fired, hitting only the walls and crates nearby much to the frustration of the police.
30 minutes later...
Having made his escape proper, Roy Phillips walked on the streets of Atlanta without a care as without the mask - and his gear - he looked like any other stranger on the sidewalk. Especially with the earbuds, he looked like one of the many university students that called this urban sprawl home. Scrolling through his playlist, he saw that a message from "Red Phillips" appeared - an old fling of his - with the message "Hey, u alone? I am feeling zesty
"He couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he noticed that there was an embed with it, and he muttered to himself: "It's a dick pic."
He knew Roy well enough to be correct in his intuition, but still audibly groaned when he clicked on it and it was exactly what it was. "I don't know what I expected, honestly."
He then tapped his blunt response and sent a response: 'No.'
"Fine, suit yourself gay boy
"Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes as he put the phone away and continued on his merry walk, pretending to the outside world that he was exactly who he presented himself to be. After a good half hour, he finally made it back to his home in the closest suburb to the city that he could possibly afford with a mortgage. Despite his brilliance, scientific knowledge alone couldn't pay bills that easily; he was relieved to see that no annoying HOA members or any other nuisances were in sight as he walked up the short steps and entered. He was looking forward to relaxing after a nice day's work, but as fate would have it there was more in store for him.
"Jesus Christ, Ty!" Roy almost shouted, jumping in place as he saw Sentinel in his living room. He was almost about to send out a quip, until he noticed that he was carrying someone. A serious look was plastered on the hero's face, as he walked over to him with the girl in his arms.
"Came across her in Philly. Something... something happened to her. A Penwright truck crashed near her and exposed her to something. Almost blew up the city if I hadn't taken her up in the sky."
Roy looked over Tyrell's suit, noticing the damage and blinked twice: "Damn... she did all that to you?"
"Not on purpose. Look, I don't know if... can you figure out what's with her?"
Roy gave his friend a nod, leading Sentinel towards a door that he had installed. It blended into the wall well enough until he put his handprint on it; a scanner authorized entry, opening the way downstairs to what was his personal lair - which was nowhere near as impressive as what the official heroes had access too but it suited the needs of Shadeling. A large workbench encapsulated most of one side of the basement, holding various prototypes and gadgetry that he had been tinkering with recently, while other walls help certain equipments for his more physics based interests: an electron miscroscope, a miniaturized particle accelerator, even a shelf full of beakers and other glassware.
There was also a table, meant usually for just coffee and books, which now served as an impromptu triage desk as Sentinel gently placed Avery atop while Roy quickly got a few things ready for analysis.
Taking a small sample of her blood, Roy smattered it onto the slide with some solutions to preserve it before putting it for anaylsis under the electron microscope. He also quickly took measurements of her vitals with instruments that, while rudimentary compared to a hospital, served well enough as he looked over the numbers. "She seems to be breathing normally, blood pressure is fine..." He then wheeled his chair over to the microscope and analyzed the sample, growing silent. "Fascinating..."
"What is it?" Sentinel asked.
"...honestly? I'm not a hundred percent sure. But her cells aren't acting like any normal cells at all. They seem to be practically bursting out with some kind of energy-"
"That's the problem I meant," Sentinel cut in through Roy's ponderings, "I don't know if she'll detonate at any moment. Can you get her stable?"
"No idea! But I sure can try!" Roy gave Sentinel a thumbs up as he then wheeled his chair over to the workbench and rummaged through some of his gadgets stashed on shelves. "Hmm... maybe-? No, not this one... has to be something else..."
Sentinel in the meantime kept his attention focused on the girl, sitting down next to where she lay and waited nervously for his friend to come up with something. "Aha! Got it!"
Twenty minutes later...
Back in the living room, Avery sat with a heated blanket covering her as she watched the news on TV. She was tiredly sipping on a Capri-Sun, barely able to summon the strength to do much else, while Roy and Tyrell watched from the kitchen. "So, she'll be alright?" Tyrell asked, still anxious about everything that had happened.
"For now, yeah. Though all I did was essentially tire her out with a quark magnetizer. Basically sucking out excess energy until it brought her cellular structure to a fatigued state... like soreness after exercising. Figured that if she's tired, she won't be able to consciously or unconsciously summon forth-"
"So when she isn't, she could blow up again?"
"Eh... not necessarily. Just a theory of mine, but I think kid's stronger than you think. She was just panicking through all that... what did you say she got exposed to again?"
"One of Penwright's prototypes. It was being transported through the city, but its containment broke."
"Damn... so wrong place at the wrong time. Must be a generator of some kind, explains all the power and energy." Roy commented, before giving Sentinel a tap on the shoulder. "Want some coffee? Might as well while you're here with her." Sentinel was about to protest, but he knew that it was rhetorical and Roy had already put the kettle on. He let out a soft chuckle and took a seat on the other end of the kitchen table. The two could overhear the news as well as the volume was loud, though none of it was encouraging: crime remained rampant across the world, and super powered beings ran amok.
"There's so much happening nowadays. Ran into Wallbreaker today, thought he had another ten years but apparently managed to bribe his way out with the help of friends." Roy commented, "Everything's getting more and more difficult to get ahold of."
"The Black Line are responsible, especially after the Invasion; they've been growing unchecked, and we can see what happens because of that. I ran into some of their operatives earlier over in LA. And now gangs are fighting all over to be in their good graces, reap the benefits. And it also doesn't help there's those kaiju and mythical creatures always running around too." Sentinel said, sighing.
"And the government insists that the Ten and Eight can handle all this. The Eight would drown on a water glass if it weren't for Miracle and Barrage. What joke!" Roy said, shaking his head as he poured the coffee into two cups.
"They're doing the same in Europe too," Sentinel said, graciously accepting one of the drinks from his friend. "The Union is pushing against street heroes pretty hard."
"The hell? Really? It's because of folks like Forever Hope that the Kilidian abominations aren't walking around in Paris right now." Roy said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Not just that, but the Black Line's influence is kept in check by them too. The European Guardians are barely effective against them... same with Interpol. Just doesn't make sense why they'd want to legislate away heroes they don't like..."
"Like America... hey, think Uncle Sam is telling them to do so?"
Sentinel was quiet for a moment before sighing, "Maybe. But they can't keep street heroes down forever. It's because of people like Judgement and Midnight Rider that the streets are safer."
"But what can we do? Honestly? The government cracks down on any hero groups that pop up that aren't theirs. Remember the Chicago Eight? I hope those guys are alright after 8-Ball got arrested..."
"Well, something has to be done." Sentinel said, looking over to Avery and the TV. The news of supervillains arising in Washington state and their battle with the Ten now appeared, broadcasting the fight occurring near Seattle. It was total chaos, and still the job seemed endless as more and more problems would arise. Many would slip through the cracks. "Heroes, right now, are overextended as is. Too many gaps and blind spots, leaving too many people to suffer our absence."
Roy took a look over at where Avery sat as well, and nodded: "Not saying we should do nothing. 'specially since you dropped off a walking quantum bomb off at my doorstep."
A moment of silence passed before Sentinel turned to Roy with a soft smile: "If we want a better tomorrow, for every soul in this beautiful world, then we must do everything in our power to secure it. I have an idea Roy, will you help me realize it?"
"You kidding? You inspired me, Ty! It's cause of you I became a superhero. Thanks to you, I put my powers and my mind for good. You know I have your back, and I know that you've got mine." Roy said with a big grin, "What do you have in mind?"
"A group of heroes, joined together with that very ideal in mind: a better tomorrow."
The squeak of a floorboard quickly drew both their attention abck to the living room, seeing Avery stand nearby. She looked immensely tired, but had somehow mustered to will to get up in spite of the comfort of the blanket. "I... I want to help..."
"You shouldn't even be standing right now, really-" Roy said, but he stopped himself when she saw her crying.
"There was... a man... the driver... I tried t-to help him... and instead I'm h-here..." she managed to get out, bringing out an arm from under the blanket to try to wipe her eyes. "I... I c-couldn't save him..."
"It's not your fault girlie." Tyrell said gently, walking up to Avery and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Avery wiped away more tears, managing to compose herself a bit longer to get her words out: "I... I dunno w-what's with me... b-but... I w-want to help... save people." She looked at her own hands, unsure and unsteady, but gripped them into gentle fists. "I w-want to make sure n-nobody dies like Joe. N-not again." Sentinel remained silent for a moment, before kneeling down in front of Avery and embracing her.
Last edited:
