Difference between revisions of "Not the Hero"

Prologue inspired from the short story At the Seams by D. Heikes

(Edited with permission)

“You’ve been hitting the bottle pretty hard, Brian,” Thauma Guard said, sitting on the bench next to her companion. The heat from the sun in early June filled the air, the park bench on which they two sat nearly hot to the touch. Thauma had mentored Brian from his beginning a little over three years ago, teaching him to use the magic he had learned and inherited. Starting out a quick riser, with a wealth of potential, he had slid from grace on several occasions, losing himself in drinking.

Time had gone by, and Brian Sutter had gained notoriety in his media work, often getting behind the scenes photos of crime scenes and members of Paragon City’s Hero Corps. Sutter was most known for his many pictures of members of the Onami Strike Force, with whom he was secretly a member known as News Flash.

The past years had seen less and less activity organized by the Onami, yet they still acted in groups, mostly made up of tightly knit friends. Brian was known by most of the group to slip past police lines using his Hero Corps identification to gain scoops for the Tattler.

It was after any larger gathering of the Onami that Sutter often fell off the bandwagon, going on a few days worth of drinking binges. During these gatherings, the air always seemed thick with unspoken feelings, as though the members of the super group had things they felt or needed to say, but lacked the words.

If any had paid attention to other details, they would have noticed that early to mid-May often saw Brian in the bottle over his head.

It was just after one o’clock, and Brian looked as though he could still feel the throbbing in his head to which he had awakened. Not having shaved that morning, his scruffy appearance reflected in the wrinkled brown suit and unlit, but well chewed, cigar in his mouth. He turned his red-rimmed eyes skyward, and rubbed his fingers through the day’s worth of beard.

“I…,” he stopped speaking. Looking at his former mentor next to him, his eyes reddened further, barely contained tears threatening to spill out.

“We all miss him,” Thauma said. She closed her eyes and forced a barrier around her feelings, the rush that threatened to pour out of her mirroring his emotions.

“It’s been three years since he died,” Sutter said. “I can’t get it out of my head.”

Thauma, who stood well over six feet tall and towered over most people, leaned over and hugged her friend, teammate, and former pupil. “Aaron would not have wanted you to drink your life away.” Brian sat stiffly, almost as though afraid to move, and nodded slightly.

“It’s hard, every time we get together as a group,” he said. “I see him in every one of us.” Thauma nodded. “I know. So do I. I see him in the apartment we shared, in the symbol we wear. I’ve tried to find strength in everything he gave us, but all I seem to find is how lonely I am. I have so many friends, but I still feel empty.”

Brian leaned forward, resting his forearms on wrinkled pants. A single tear ran down his cheek and dropped to the pavement, evaporating in only a few seconds.

“I should have done something,” he whispered voice cracking.

“What?” Thauma asked him.

“I should have done something. I could have stopped him from being killed.”

Thauma’s brow furrowed.

“What could you have done? You weren’t even there.”

Sutter reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a slightly torn, wrinkled, incredibly worn photograph. It had obviously been taken from a distance with a zoom lens, and looked as though it had weathered many times being crushed in someone’s grip.

The years before had seen a series of times of dark power. The Circle of Thorns had succeeded in their third attempt to bring a demi-god to the earth, but had lost control of the Beast, losing many members to its hands. Only when Tropic had sacrificed himself had the Beast been slain. A year before that the Circle had tried to bring their demon through by sacrificing three individuals whose makeup in the cosmos brought the power into alignment that was needed for the ritual. Statesman and the Freedom Phalanx had thwarted them, but one of the three, Cyrus Thompson, a former hero who had gone by the name Breakneck, had given his life in the process.

The faded colors showed an island slightly off the coast of Paragon City. In the background, a group of heroes gathered on the island, two smallish women helping a larger man wreathed in flame, and another woman with a katana from the ground. Thauma stood among the group along with another woman with red hair and hands adorned in fire. The foreground of the picture showed PhoenixHawk pinned beneath the huge foot of a monstrous demon, talons descending, almost touching the chest armor the hero wore. The green fire in PhoenixHawk’s eyes blazed so brightly the color washed out of the photograph showing the snarl on his face.

Three years had passed since the photograph had been taken.

That had been the Circle’s first attempt of that year to bring the demon through to Earth. They had summoned an Envoy to negotiate its coming, but the negotiations had been interrupted by members of the Onami Strike Force and Archangels of the Apocalypse.

PhoenixHawk had died milliseconds after the photograph had been taken, giving more of his essence that his life could do without to bring the Envoy down. Even had the huge talons that impaled him not taken his life, the blast he unleashed would have.

Thauma Guard’s voice was barely audible. “Where did you get this?”

“I took it,” Sutter said. “I used my Hero Corps credentials to get into the area the police had barricaded, and a hover unit that I borrowed from Lady Emily. I was there, I saw him die, and I didn’t even do anything about it.”

He reached his hands under the fedora he wore, wrapping his fingers tightly in his hair, holding onto handfuls of it as though perhaps he could pull the memories through his head and discard them once and for all.

Thauma’s hand rested on his shoulder.

“You couldn’t have done anything. You were just starting out, nowhere near powerful enough to stand up to the Envoy. He’d have killed you too, had you gotten involved.”

“I should have tried.”

Thauma shook her head. “No. You were right to stay away.”

“I wasn’t right,” he said sitting up and looking into her eyes. “I was just scared.”

“We all were. That thing was incredibly powerful. We have our limitations, and you knew yours, even if you did not realize it. That fear kept you alive.”

“And let Aaron die.”

Thauma blinked through the tears that ran down her cheeks. “None of us let Aaron die. He gave himself for us, on his own.”

Brian’s cell phone rang loudly on his hip. It was so unexpected that both heroes nearly jumped out of their skin. Sutter stood up and sighed.

“Damn it,” he cursed answering the phone.

He spoke for only a few moments before hanging up and wiping his eyes with the back of his ruffled sleeve.

“Looks like we have some work to do. It sounds like we’ll need a bunch of us, too.”

The week ended, and Brian could not remember it except for a haze of alcohol and the smell of, or maybe the bad Chinese food. He was in his Onami uniform only putting it on to take the crease out of the arms and legs. It had not been worn in months. After arriving at the assemblage did he regret the decision to attend. It was only of habit did he even manage to arrive. The week had been full of attacks against from the Carnival of Shadows. The super group met them en masse and successfully reigned in Carnies wave of terror. News Flash never made an appearance helping his friends and Brian Sutter never reported for work. Only work seemed to notice his absence.

The meeting went on; News Flash sitting in a back corner desk paid them no attention. How many more of them would he allow himself to kill before he was stopped? He felt like vomiting again, but he swallowed hard and breathed shallowly. Blah, Blah was all he heard from the discussion.

“… Hold on to that truth”, Shadow Pain finally finished, “And the values that brought us together, because I believe that we are all on our own for a while.”

With that, the team got up and began filing out. The last remaining was News Flash. With Thauma missing there was not a hello or a good bye, nobody noticed him. Just like nobody was there to bear witness to his true crimes. The air in the room remained filled with the resonant traces of his teammates. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, and then pulled a silver flask from inside of his coat pocket.

His phone rang and he let it go to voice mail. He was not in the mood to talk to any one. He punched the buttons to his voice mail and listened to the message left in anger.

“God damn you Brian!” the irate voice of his boss said. “I have had it with your absence this week. I don’t care if you’re dead. You’re fired! Clean out your desk if you ever find the time. If you don’t you can buy what was left next week on eBay.”

“Amen,” Brian said raising his flask in salute. At the moment, he did not care anymore.

Chapter 1

Brian Sutter left the Yellow Line tram station in Kings Row and headed toward his new hole-in-the-wall apartment a few blocks to the northeast. The few factories remaining from economic downturns gave a glimmer of hope in a depressed part of Paragon City. He had recently moved from ritzy Founder’s Falls when his blood money inheritance from the Rikti War began to run out. His finances had not been squandered away recklessly; they were strategically invested in the ancient cold art of revenge. The reprisal was not aimed against the Rikti, the invading aliens causing the death of his family during his first semester in college; a common story repeated an umpteen number of times in Paragon City during the war. His vengeance was to fall upon the Circle of Thorns, the fanatical cult members professing belief in the god Ermeeth, which had been a catalyst for misery in his life. They always brought the bad out in him making him the shadow of a once kind and gentle person.

Brian stopped and changed direction remembering vital supplies needing to be purchased. He headed east to a liquor store just a stones throw from the tram juggling a box of his personal belongings from arm to arm.

“Ah, Brian I have your essentials right here,” the clerk said when Brian entered his shop. He brought a large neatly folded brown paper bag from behind his faded wooden counter and placed it on top. “Bit early ain'ch ya?” Sully prided himself on offering the best service possible, especially to customers that always paid in cash. If his motives were truly sincere, he would have worried about the amount of alcohol Brian always seemed to purchase at one time. He dismissed the idea shrugging off the morale weight like batting at bees on a warm summer’s day. Surely, a man scrawny like Brian would have been dead long ago trying to drink the amount of alcohol in the short period he purchased it in.

“Got off early today,” Brian responded hiding the fact that he had been just fired from his comfortable job at the Tattler, the box he carried being the remnants of that job. Not undemanding for anyone else, photography to him was like breathing and setting up great award-winning compositions was second nature. He laid five crisp twenty-dollar bills fresh from Paragon City First National Bank on the greasy counter from a white bank envelope he stashed in his wrinkled vest’s left pocket next to a much thicker manila envelope. He scratched his three day old unshaven chin which always seemed to be shadowed in five o’clock lately.

Seeing the cold hard cash now lying splayed out in front of him Sully breathed deeply and scooped the profit up to his nostrils to enjoy the smell of new ink from the recently minted cotton paper currency. He failed to notice Brian's bloodshot hollow eyes and furrowed clothes. His customer’s tan pants and matching vest appeared to have been slept in and his once white shirt seemed almost beige. The russet fedora he wore over his light reddish auburn short kempt hair even appeared battered seeing better day’s years ago. Sully usually failed to see the foils of a paying customer, especially newer customers leaving tips.

“Thanks Sully,” Brian said snatching up the package and placing it gently, in his box. He removed a cellophane wrapped cigar from the display case next to the cash register and clenched the impulse purchase in his teeth nodding a thanks to Sully.

The store clerk smiled and glanced at the wiry young man who should have appeared much younger in years then he actually was if not for the slight drinking problem. Brian was sure Sully only saw dollar signs when he looked at him, but that was fine by him. He did not need a lecture from his prying shopkeeper on the dangers of alcohol and how he should stop. He only used to take the edge of his dreadful life.

Brian left the store and headed across the street to the Chinese take-out place, called Old China. He stopped for a moment thinking he spied someone lurking in the alleyway. Habitually he stared down the alley and half expected to see a gang member from the Skulls, but spotting garbage containers, empty cardboard boxes, and even an abandoned-shopping cart he continued to the outdoor ordering window. Balancing his box on the narrow ledge and his torso, he ordered crab rangoon and vegetable lo mien, his favorite dish of the corporate owned establishment. Brian unwrapped his cigar; using a simple magical cantrip he learned from his mentor Thauma Guard, cupped his hand up to the cigar, produced a small flame, and puffed deeply of the cheap tobacco letting it burn his lungs. It felt better then the emotional pain he was feeling. Once he could have afforded the best smuggled Cubans, but those times were long gone finding better memoirs to reside in.

Within minutes, the speedy meal was prepared and he placed it next to his liquor store purchases, extra rolls of film, manila folders, and nearly empty bottle of bourbon in the box containing his professional life. He managed to force a fake smile rolling the cigar in his mouth to the right side of his face and thanked the ladies before disappearing into the shadowed alley in a puff of thick aromatic grey smoke.

Ensuring nobody noticed him; he whispered the mystic words calling forth the eldritch powers imbuing him with the lightning speed his alter ego used. A dazzling yellow light rose from the ground underneath him wrapping its radiance around his well-used Italian black leather shoes and legs. Another painstakingly learned magical phrase rolled easily from his lips and a pinkish lavender mist coalesced from the ground underneath him enveloping the yellow glow. The mist was Hermes Magic Carpet and it was Brian's preferred method of travel. The super speed the magic spell endowed him with failed to make running any easier, just much faster. He still had to put forth an effort, and Thauma Guard tried to get him to work out with her to improve his stamina, but he disliked the exercise routine. The carpet spell allowed him to just glide along without effort like riding a skateboard. He rather liked the minor convenience because life was tough enough.

Brian arrived at his ramshackle apartment building, the Sage Shades, within thirty seconds as a flashed blurry streak. Managing to time his arrival with someone departing the building, he sped through the front door and into the elevator before it closed. He released the energy of his traveling spells and stabbed the button for his vacant floor while balancing the box with his left hand.

The thirteenth floor on the Sage Shades was all but abandoned save the new tenant. He preferred it that way, no one to stick their nose into his business. The stories of the floor being haunted were false although everyone had been murdered on this floor a number of years ago. A small band of cult members from the Circle of Thorns had recently perpetrated a bogus haunting in order to establish a new secret hideout in Kings Row. His alter ego, the hero known as News Flash, removed the threat, but kept the illusion of the floor being haunted. It was poetic justice he should plan the destruction of Oranbega, the Circle of Thorns most sacred lost city, from a place they themselves had previously occupied. When he moved in, he even was able to convince the landlord to rent the place on the floor for a discount.

“Lost City indeed,” Brian muttered the blasphemy under his breath exiting the elevator. It seems the forgotten metropolis lay somewhere under Paragon City and that fit perfectly into Brian's plan, if he could find it.

Brian made his way down the dark and shadowy hall, a dim light bulb weakly illuminated the old yellowed and browned wallpaper. He unlocked the paint-chipped sand colored entrance, which revealed its many layers of paint it held throughout the years and stumbled into his new apartment. Taped packing boxes with black, hand-written markings still lay scattered throughout the large neglected dwelling. Aged yellowed wallpaper dominated his new décor peppered with holes that angry spouses, drug dealers, and gang bangers added during their tenure.

Brian avoided stacks of boxes to his makeshift kitchen that even a corrupt city health inspector would have condemned. He plopped the box on the scuffed particle board counter, removed the bourbon bottle, and emptied the remaining contents into his gullet with one swallow. The memories causing him pain remained sharper than ever needing more than pathetic amount he consumed to be dulled. It amazed him places like this still existed in the modern era, but it was what he deserved.

He grabbed the Chinese food and package from the liquor store and headed over to a white ritzy leather couch that had no business in the dilapidated apartment. Throwing himself on the cool, supple smooth surface he cracked open a new bottle of liquid courage and took a large swig. He finished dinner surfing the Internet from his laptop he had set up on his Italian crystal coffee table.

An hour later Brian opened another bottle of whiskey and lurching over to his antique dining room table was able to tolerate his transgressions a day longer. Two open boxes and answering machine lay on the table. He fell into the chair and took another deep gulp from his bottle. The Onami Strike Force was falling apart and it was his fault. Tensions were high and members were snapping at each other. Only big crime events like the Carnival seemed to be the only thing keeping everyone together. Memories of his slain family flooded his mind when he went through the first box, filled with his stock photos. Whiskey gave him the fortitude to reminisce once more.

Coming upon his Onami pictures he paused at the group portrait, taken even before he had joined their ranks. Aaron, the hero known as PhoenixHawk, was centered perfectly in the group. Brian had attended the same school Aaron did, but had graduated the year before… before the Rikti War. The Onami leader was going to among the brightest football stars and had been only a freshman at that time. Sutter the “Shutter” they called him then, he had taken photos of Aaron’s pre-high school games for the school paper.

The Onami Strike Force was a well-oiled machine under Aaron’s leadership. Brian had failed his former leader causing his death. With tears welling in his almond, brown eyes he scanned the photo and to the right of the fallen leader he found Aaron’s center, the ebony skinned hero known as Thauma Guard. They were lovers until Brian pretending to be the hero, News Flash, let him die. That was the second time he had killed someone, the first time had been the easiest to do but the hardest to live with. The murder of PhoenixHawk dredged up the original event all over again.

Reality faded around Brian his memories shifting to the fateful day. Lost in his thoughts he absentmindedly moved to a larger blown up picture he had given to Thauma only days earlier. He had snapped the picture just before Aaron was killed by the Envoy of the Circle of Thorns. The huge horn winged demon was seconds from its death strike that ended his friend’s life. He had betrayed Thauma, his mentor, and snatched her lover from her. If he could have acted with a simple distraction… anything, Aaron could have survived. All Brian did was snap the picture instead of helping. Thauma tried to tell him it was not his fault, but things should have been different. He cheated her of a life of joy and could no longer bear to live in his pathetic lying existence anymore.

Brian dropped the picture, buried his face in his hands, and sobbed. Once more, the pain of loss tempered with betrayal flowed from him shrugging off the dampening effects of alcohol. He composed himself long enough to empty half the bottle of whiskey. The brown raucous liquid burned down his throat and chest, but the pain was preferred over the feeling of guilt. He did not suffer this much when the Rikti murdered his family. Of course, he had not been the one who killed them.

Brian stood up quickly and steadied himself from his inebriation. Reflexively, he removed a picture from the back of the box and scurried to a darkened corner of his apartment lugging the bottle of courage with him. Crouching down to hide his secret from the world, he stared at the picture of Aura Mattson. It was her high school photo taken from U-Fab Shots. He had acquired the original after he murdered her. He may not have specifically performed the act that ended her life, but what he did to her was no different. Her bright golden blonde hair was cut to shoulder length and glowed. Blue whimsical eyes starred out taunting her killer. Her smile could have stopped the Rikti War alone beaming out from her fair complexion and perfect skin. The image was obviously digitally touched up meaning it was a sham, much like Brian’s heroic life.

Aura, having just graduated from high school went to Perez Park to meet her boyfriend. They were to have a nice romantic moonlit walk and go to dinner. Brian was working on an exclusive for the Paragon City Times on the Circle of Thorns. He had camouflaged himself well to capture them during one of their ceremonies. How was he to know he was to be a perfect ally? The Circle found her first. She ran and the cult members hit her with a crossbow bolt in an attempt to stop her from escaping. It penetrated her leg laming her, but the shot was accomplished at long range. There was still some distance from them to her. She stumbled and fell into Brian exposing him among a patch of white lilies. He pushed her down and told her to get away. She cried for help, a cry he still heard in the depths of his dreams and echoing into nightmares. With fear breathing down his neck and freezing his heart, he scrambled deeper into cover, ignoring the pleas of Aura when she wept for a hero. He wasn’t one. The Circle did not notice him when they snatched her up. Brian even had the audacity to snap the picture that was to become an exclusive for the article. Drunken self-loathing anger welled up filling his heart with a black viscous guilt reflecting the true image of the hero wannabe.

“I belong in the Zig or dead,” Brian murmured silently in the shattered remnants of his life. Only restless spirits heard him.

Brian flung Aura’s memorial picture and rose to his feet glaring through hazed vision. The world spun so he spun back. Angry with himself being that which he pretended to fight when he was his alter ego he threw the unfinished whiskey bottle across the dilapidated apartment. It created another hole in the crumbling walls that would go unnoticed to future tenants.

“Agmen circumfero,” Brian spoke rolling the magical words from his mouth with perfect inflection. He focused the spell into a cone catching the contents of his apartment in the psychic blustery storm. Boxes over turned, his couch slamming against the far wall by the silent wind. Papers, negatives, saved news articles, and stock photos filled the air stirred up by Brian’s emotions entwined into the telekinetic spell. He destroyed untold lives and now it was his turn to destroy his, time to finish the job. A photo whipped by him wounding him with a paper cut on his cheek. He cursed pressing the stinging cut with his index finger. His conscious mind dimmed and he enacted the spell responsible for his super speed. In one instantly distorted streak he rocketed off to run away from himself and the world, tripped over the upturned leather couch, and fell into his crystal coffee table shattering it into a glass sandy beach. Brian lay on the ground for amount of time and lurched to his feet staggering for the couch. The chaotic storm assaulting his apartment soon passed. Later the next day another tenant would move out of the apartment to get away from the evil spirits on the thirteenth floor.

Tiny cuts covered his face and arms like chicken pox, but he failed to feel the pain anymore. His descent into the bottle he used for protection was complete. He slumped into couch dotting the rich leather with speckles of red. He glanced down seeing his liquor store package and miraculously one bottle of scotch had not been broken. He reached down, snapped the top off, and leaned back to help gravity get the pain killer down his throat. Among his Pulitzer Prize photos, Brian passed out before finishing his bottomless swallow. The bottle fell to the couch mixing its contents with the blood staining what was once an untainted white piece of furniture.

News Flash was no more.

Chapter 2

Norman stood like an ancient stone gargoyle in the littered alley contemplating the nuances of alliances. The early morning brought a brisk cool breeze to Kings Row blowing his cape, gently wrapping it around his legs. Sweat still trickled from underneath his gleaming red visor helm and pooled above his upper lip. He licked the salty liquid before it evaporated and remained motionless. If anyone had noticed the figure in the dark morning, they would have thought him to be a statue left there by city builder’s decades ago. For him, the wait was a matter of discipline. The wait was an exercise in patience. Patience, discipline, and loyalty were qualities worth more than their weight in gold, for undying loyalty to the cause was the apex of faith. Above all else, he relished control. Control over his environment, control over his powers, and control over his destiny. There were few super-powered individuals not able to survive the use of their own powers and it was his complete mastery of those abilities saving his life from one moment to the next.

He focused his science imbued gift forcing the creation of a ball of heat between his shoulder blades. The invisible globe shimmered in the morning disrupting the breeze and rolling down his back across his left leg. He maneuvered it back up the appendage with a mere thought and sent it down the right leg before he rolled it diagonally to his abdomen. It then went up his chest and paused at his head. There was no doubt the heat and thermo sensors of those searching for him would find him easily in time, but their mild diversion would irritate him costing them their lives. He would not show his anger, for such a display would not be in control and was very unbecoming for his rank and status. His thoughts drifted to her, if he were to ever lose control it would be for her.

She had ebony black skin like from the color of the rarest of ocean pearls. Her skin glistens when she sweats and the thought alone sent shivers down his spine repelling the ball of heat. He momentarily left his daydream almost accidentally igniting the globe. Again he sent it through its patrol over his body writhing through its waypoints like an ouroboros snake. She was as least as tall as him, a feature he usually found lacking among the other women he used to enjoy. He could not explain how she beseeched his soul or why she captured his heart. Maybe she actually bewitched him with her spells. He recalled seeing her for the fist time in Pocket D’s, the multi-dimensional dance club some rogue disk jockey gifted with extraordinary abilities set up bridging this dimension and the next.

“Thauma Guard,” he whispered afraid if he spoke to loudly the image of her in his bubble of reality would pop and she would cease to exist.

Thauma obviously enjoyed the cat and mouse game because she always played hard to get or tried to ignore his passes, but he could see the passion hidden behind her eyes. Again, he marveled at how chaotic she made him feel whenever he was able to get near her. The mere idea of getting lost in her thrilled him even when it should not. He heard the approach of the three amateurs from behind before they even noticed him.

“What’s this then?” one Skull gangbanger asked dressed in the typical grey and white demanded of their low status.

“It’s a Cape,” the other equal ranked minion said not catching the significance of the emblem on Norman’s cape.

The trio’s leader, a Death Head by title known to the police and heroes of Paragon City, stepped out of the darkness glints of light reflecting off his chain-studded biker jacket from the brightening morning sky to the east. All three wore human skulls over their face like masks standing out eerily against the darkened alley like floating heads. “It’s a dead Cape,” the Death Head spat in disgust before realizing too late the red spider emblem centered on the heroes black cape was that of Arachnos.

The Protector, one of a few chosen to protect the Rogue Isles’ and the future of the Arachnos organization, slowly turned around annoyed at the interruption. Obviously, these miscreants were ignorant, incompetent, and suicidal, thus their lives were forfeit. His lessons in respect were to be final.

The first one came at him from the right swinging a red Rawlings aluminum bat and the second from the left charging with a generic switchblade indicative of the punk’s short life. He calmly raised his right hand catching the blunt arc of the bat at the last moment. It rang hollow against his wrist the black metallic glove with red-streaked isles pattern reverberating the sound. Norman, much stronger than the young punk, gripped the bat where it contacted him and forced it back against the foolish assailant clobbering him in the nose. Blood and cartilage exploded from the hit blinding the Skull and sending waves of pain throughout his nervous system. He shrieked clutching the source of the bloody pulped explosion.

The knife wielder quickly stepped in looking for a cheap shot. Norman caught the blade with his left gauntleted hand and shot out his right catching the Skull by the throat lifting him off the ground. The Protector heard the shotgun blast and watched in slow motion the traveling slug closing the distance heading right for him. He was always amazed by the sight of bullets in their trajectories, how they slowly spun or tumbled through the air. He never noticed such minor details in his life before he joined the program that turned him into one of the zealot Rogue Isle Protectors. His only wish was that he had been given the speed necessary to move out of the way.

The path of the slug took it toward his midsection and he began shifting his angle slamming the helpless Skull in his grip against the building. He let the slug impact his hard-shelled body plate torso. The shotgun blast irked him to no end, but his pulse and blood pressure remained normal, the Heads-Up-Display (HUD) in his red metallic mystic helmet indicated his vitals only barely rising above the sixty beats beat per minute. His average core temperature rose a little from one hundred and twelve degrees to one-twenty. He could not remain hidden in the alley any more. He snapped the neck of Skull with his left hand and sent his ball of heat to envelop his body and gain intensity. The Longbow, a detachment of Freedom Corps, would no doubt be upon him within minutes interrupting what was to be a simple delivery. Norman crossed the distance to the Skull leader igniting the very air. Although fire does not actually burn the air and Arachnos scientist were at a loss to explain his powers, he always referred to it as burning the air. Flames sprang to life over his protective suit licking his skin trying to nibble his flesh. His mind held back the hunger only driving the formless beast into a frenzied ravenous monster. He sent the creature out and around him to feast upon the surroundings and the Death Head. With the gunshot breaking the morning silence, his silent vigil was complete, and he could not think of any reason to hold back any longer.

A column of flame twisted and spun in the alley growing larger and stronger rising up in the early sky and only through mental exercise was the Protector able to prevent the buildings catching afire too. Norman simply focused one of his intense globes of heat on his fists and pummeled the Skull leader. Each strike sent even more flames to feed upon the fool igniting the leader’s fabrics. Within seconds, the charcoal remains of the gangbanger burst apart sending his remains to drift in the cool breeze wafting through Kings Row, the area was now a thriving memorial for the Skull’s ineptitude.

Norman again willed the animal back drawing the flames around him, but not letting it savor his own soft tissue. Like a human candle, he walked over to the broken nosed Skull, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him against the brick wall. He held the bloodied face punk against the brick and jerked him back and forth.

“You get to live. If any of your kind ever fails to show the proper respect to a representative of Arachnos again, I swear I will personally purge Paragon City of your little bone club myself. Only the ashes of your bones will remain and I will stomp them in the dirt with the heel of my boot.” Flames licked off the Protector angry at the forced starvation and started to feed upon the collar of the minion’s jean jacket, “Starting with you!”

Norman tossed the smoldering bloodied proletarian back down the alley and leapt into the air traveling some two hundred yards before bounding off a roof of another rundown apartment building. He did not care if the bastard burned or not, time to find a new place to wait. He noticed his pulse rose to 65; he would have to work on lowering it for the next battle. Norman found ironies in the fact two potential recruits on his recruitment list were ex-Skulls. The fact they were prior members worked in their favor and showed how they outgrew the weak bone club. If only some of his other associates were as easily influenced, the image of a scorned clawed woman came to his mind. If ever there was chaos it was her, for she tested the limits of his patience. It was then he decided to pay a visit to Crey Industries for some light warm up exercises.

Chapter 3

Sara Starling raced along the bridges of Talos Island at noon easily accelerating the speed limit. After market blue lights mounted on the front her white Honda Interceptor desperately tried to warn those in front of the unmarked police bike to get out of the way, but she left them in the dust before they could react. The only saw her license plate and the letters CYA. Her black leather biker jacket was flapping in the breeze revealing a white leather corset underneath. Chocolate brown hair tinted with a paprika red whipped in the breeze when she accelerated into the Skyway City exit through the war wall.

Yellow sunglasses like the kind sport shooters wore covered her eyes and she had no other head protection. Her eyewear being more functional then fashionable currently projected CNN in front of her left eye. It was silenced because she mostly read the scroll bar at the bottom, but she taught herself to read lips and was doing so at the moment. Music from Godsmack’s latest album played from her left earpiece connected to the glasses. The earpiece running to her right ear was broadcasting chatter from the frequencies of the police scanner. She deftly processed all the information and passed her third white Grand Am for a total of seven counted so far. She had encountered sixty-three vehicles already and knew the make, model, license plate, and how many passengers each contained. She would not retain the flood of information for long but it helped keep her powers escalating out of control.

Once into Skyway City she headed south to the Faultline entrance. Sara pulled into the fenced construction area and parked her bike. During her ride, she had counted three thousand seven hundred and twenty-six stripes in the centerline of the road. Two hundred and three civilians were out walking to their destinations and the President of the United States had dropped fifteen percent in the latest polls from his response to an international incident involving the Navy. Someone had murdered one, maybe two, Skulls in Kings Row and beat the crap out of another. The Paragon Protectors were also seen battling a black and red caped individual and members of the super group Top Ten assisted by the Dogs of War were responding to contain the fight and prevent it from spreading to the civilian populace.

Her job with law enforcement as a threat analyst for Paragon City Police Department kept her mind busy. She was thankful for the diversion, but was sure the blissfully ignorant civilians would not be if they knew she potentially threatened them every second of every day. Her subconscious had assaulted and killed several innocent people in Kings Row when she was a teenager; in her estimation she had a societal debt to perform and would spend the rest of her life to do it. Some debts required constant effort and vigilance.

Sara was finally able to come to grips with her powers and the guilt through the wonderful pragmatic counseling of Occam’s Razar, the half-dragon half-human warrior from Earth’s most ancient history. If she could not maintain a level of discipline over her curses she would once again end up in the Zig medicated to the point where even her subconscious could not act. Allowing the negatives provided by sorrow and regret to cloud her mind would unleash it. There was no real name for her pseudo personality, a fragment of her psyche, but she called it her Other. After years of doctors and specialists, none could fully explain her mutant abilities. Her mind abilities were potentially stronger than any could measure. The worst things about her powers were the fears and terrors besieging mankind, a problem considering they are from the state of being human.

Her psyche effortlessly saw into people’s minds and exposed their nightmares opening them like books to be read or movies to be seen. The darkest emotions overwhelmed her threatening her sanity. Then the subconscious, the Other, would respond to protect her and create those night terrors in reality and attempt to destroy the source. Like a drug addict or the reflex one has to look at an accident on the road, her id continued to read others thoughts seeing people’s darkest desires exposing even more fears and terrors. Occasionally, her cognizant, uninhibited intrusions tinted her world only darkness, but with Occam Razar’s teachings she was able to see the light causing the deep shadows. It was an endless cycle she broke only by keeping her conscious mind busy by multitasking. It was like confusing the id by giving it too many things to focus on. The idea originally sounded implausible to her because her id was able to multitask too. Anyway, it worked and she became constantly amazed her how many things she could keep track of at one time. It seemed her true mutant ability was multitasking.

Sara moved toward the five uniformed officers, three plain-clothes detectives, and one SWAT Assault Armor piloted by a familiar cop. Approaching them she could sense their existence by the whispering of their surface thoughts. To her it was no secret some hated the fact she was free from the Zig; she was a murderer after all. It would be a simple task to enter their minds and see how they really thought, but it did not matter; for redemption was a road few traveled and even fewer ever saw the end. It was a necessary journey nonetheless. The ring of doughnut lovers stood next to four black plastic body bags freshly filled. She counted the buttons on the uniforms shirts and multiplied them by the number of stains on the detective’s pants. She let a sly smile grow along her rose-colored lips and came within reach of the armored SWAT officer.

“Hi David,” she said with a knowing smile.

Officer Sparrow lifted the visor of his helmet and smiled back, “Hi Sara, Occam was right, we have another one.” He knelt done and unzipped the body bag closest to him.

Sara started counting the teeth of the zipper and bent over too examine the green robed Circle of Thorn member. Its face was still sunken, hidden in its hood and the glowing green eyes normally associated with the cult were forever extinguished.

“Notice the front of the robe,” David commented.

She unzipped the bag further revealing a black elongated triangle patch traveling down the front of the robe. A smaller black crescent moon was sewn over the patch. Counting the rough stitching she traced the curved phase of the moon with her finger wondering what the meaning of this fractured cult member truly meant for the citizens of Paragon. “Well, I suppose he isn’t with the Circle anymore.”

“That’s because he is dead,” came a viperous snide comment from one of the detectives. David glared at the detective while Sara just ignored him.

“Did you supply the bodies or did they do each other in before you arrived?” she asked.

“Believe or not,” David replied. “The other three are definitely Circle members. They were chasing this one down sending what seemed like every spell they could think of at him. Some civilians were injured, but no deaths. He led them here near the police drones, probably out of desperation. When I showed up he took his own life and the others in a large green flash.”

“Odd, considering he appears to be one of the Circle’s defenders and not a mage,” Sara commented.

“Yes. Something must be happening inside their ranks.”

“Desperation and disappointment are my guess,” Sara said activating the Bluetooth on her cell phone creating a second channel in her right earpiece overlaying the police scanner. She held the phone up to speak into the microphone. “Dial… Occam’s Bow.”

While she waited for the connecting circuits to cross-link and ring her friend and companion, she connected the dots of strewn gravel on the ground creating patterns of the constellations. When the phone rang the other end, she had moved on to counting windows of the nearby building and singing a random lullaby under her breath. The Dow Jones was down ten points on CNN, the eighth song on the Godsmack album began playing, an officer in Skyway was initiating a traffic stop, and the Other was still unable push itself into her consciousness. For the moment everyone was safe.

“Hello Sara Starling,” Occam’s Bow an elf from the forgotten realm of Faire answered.

“Quien, Occam has indeed uncovered some splinter cult of the Circle of Thorns. Do we know where he is?”

“I have not seen him since this morning; he mentioned something about discovering a lead on the whereabouts of the Dark Lord.”

Sara’s conscious mind worked through the clues and recent discussions of the past three days. Occam’s Razar had come across some faction of the Circle of Thorns when searching for more clues on the Saurian god and his followers. “Quien, I think there is a connection.”

“I believe your conclusion may be the correct one. I also believe Occam may be setting out to face the Saurian deity alone.”

“Then we may need to find him, if the Dark Lord has usurped the Circle of Thorns, then his powers will have increased. Meet me at my apartment.”

Sara hung up the phone remembering her alter-ego’s official uniform was still with Serge at Icon, the tailor specializing in hero costumes and respecting privacy. She thanked David ignoring the other doughnut flatfoots and sped off to Independence Port on her Honda daring to boost her speed by manipulating her kinetics.

Chapter 4

Brian Sutter stuffed the remains of News Flash’s uniform in the large capacity black garbage bag. Tossed aside like so many lives, he swore to never wear it again. If his plans were successful, he would not be alive after tonight anyway. The Circle of Thorns was about to receive their last headline. He cursed himself for the drunken stupor that he rained down on the apartment and his belongings. If he had cast the spell he planned to use in Oranbega, he would have easily destroyed this apartment killing even more innocents. Further proof to Brian that he was not the hero he pretended to be. He ignored the countless saved lives and good he did since he joined Onami Strike Force.

Setting the trash bag in the kitchen near the refuse chute he decided to order Chinese again, something about eating two-day-old leftover macaroni and cheese out of the garbage can held no appeal to him. Even convicts where given a last meal. Brian made his way back into his large living room, or what had remained of it. He upturned the couch and dining room table, and recovered most of his photo storage boxes and tried to organize them back into their proper place. Truth be known only ten percent of his pictures were ever published and he had hundreds of stories he never submitted. He had more contacts and knew more things about the villains and heroes of Paragon City than anyone could ever suspect. He linked photos and documents into the boxes and built his cases. He even had pictures of one of his ex-super group comrades known as Voltech when the hero was still enlisted in the ranks of the Skulls. The ex-Skull had found redemption, leaving Brian with none.

Brian attempted to vacuum the remnants of his crystal coffee table he somehow fell through. He did not remember what he did to fall through it, but being skilled in the ancient art of magic; a simple spell healed his wounds. It worked great on hangovers too. If only he could wave a wand and correct his mistakes in the past. He stopped his attempt at vacuuming realizing no one would notice in this condemned apartment. Grabbing the phone, he ordered his last dinner. He would have paid double to have them deliver a bottle of whiskey, but instead paid triple. He hung up realizing his answering machine was still missing under some scattered newspaper clippings and rogue photos. He fished it out and noticed he had a message.

“Hello,” a familiar accented voiced said after clicking the button. “Mr. Sutter, this is Serge at Icon. The uniform you specially ordered is complete. I am quite proud of it as it came together quite nice. I will be sending it out this later this afternoon.”

There was a knock at the door.

Brian paused a moment wondering whom would be knocking at his door. He did not remember buzzing anyone up, maybe his delivery had arrived. He quickly walked over to the door and opened it.

“Delivery,” Norman said his guilty smile curling up underneath his visor. He held a medium-sized box out in front of him and a garment bag was slung over his left shoulder

Dumbfounded, Brian stood silent for a moment. Still fighting the lingering effects of alcohol, he deduced why Protector Norman was here. He also remembered he hated the metallic mystic helmet the Rogue Isle Protectors wore. Two points jutting from the end of the helmet to the left and right of the wearer’s lips looked like spider fangs and it plain freaked him out. To hide the creepy feeling the helmet made he just rolled his eyes and walked into his condemned kitchen leaving the door open, “You’re late.”

“What, no smart ass remark?” Norman asked entering the apartment. He looked around in suppressing his shock horror. “By Hequat’s wrath this place is a dump. I much prefer your Founders Falls place much better.”

“Sorry, money is starting to get tight.” The fact Norman was carrying his Icon delivery finally registered though his hazed mind. “My God man, where did you get that stuff?”

“The delivery guy ran into my fist on the way up here,” Norman said.

Brian hurried over to him, grabbed the box and garment bag, and slung them over his couch. “Geez, you didn’t hurt him did you.”

"He only had a slight nose bleed," the Protector responded.

"He'll probably call Longbow or the cops at the very least," Brian said glancing at the dirty floor and shaking his head. Being a reporter, he got to know some really unruly types. This particular Rogue Isle Protector was no different. Actually when he was first contacted by him a couple years ago he became a bit worried. He was sure the Protector could easily have killed him if provoked.

"Pfft," Norman said sounding like he sprung a leak. "The Longbow couldn't capture me if I surrendered to them and the police… they can’t find their way out of the doughnut parking lot.”

"Damn it, why must you continue to bother the citizens of this city," Brian said flicking the chest plate with his finger and pausing puzzled at the hardness. "What the hell is that, life getting tough for yah?"

Norman snorted and sauntered over to the couch draping the length of his cape over his left arm and sat. The scent of bleach assaulted his nostrils and the sheen on the furniture indicated they had been recently wiped down. "Nope, it is actually there to protect me from myself. My powers continue to expand."

Brian fought through the fuzziness coating his mind. Staring at the Protector sitting on his couch with his cape neatly arranged in his guest’s arm he internally summoned his magical energy. Norman glanced around the rundown apartment and looked back to Brian.

"Nice try," the Protector said recognizing the concentrated look on Brian’s face and flicked his red chromed mystical helmet. "I hope you’re constipated, because you will still find my thoughts well protected behind this from all forms of mind reading. Arachnos goes to the greatest lengths to protect its secrets.”

Brian released his energies letting their power subside back into the ether. "Please tell me you're here for business and not your unpleasant comments," he demanded.

Norman again looked at his friend's hole ridden multi-colored walls. He was sure the stains, layers of chipped paint, and peeling wallpaper were once a treasure map for some ancient lost cache of wealth. He reached behind his back and grasped a metallic cylinder the size of running baton that had been attached to his belt. He whipped the prize out and opened his palm presenting Brian with the key to his revenge.

The ex-hero stepped forward recognizing the significance of the cylinder and reached for the item.

Norman snapped the offer back, "There is the matter of payment.”

Brian reached into his left vest pocket, removed a thick blank manila envelope, and tossed it to the Rogue Isle Protector.

"It's going to cost you more," Norman said snatching the envelope from the air.

"What? That was our agreed upon price," Brian complained.

"Just information, I am background checking for some… projects of mine."

Brian glared at the Protector debating whether he should just put him to sleep or go along with the request. Knowing the helmet Norman wore would indeed protect his thoughts; he knew it did not fully protect him from mind assaults. Sighing, his shoulders slumped forward in defeat; this Protector had indeed become a vital source of information for the dealings of Paragon City and beyond. He hated to admit there was a sort of pseudo friendship bond between them. He set about the task of setting up his Internet connection and logged into his encrypted personal files.

Norman watched in silence debating whether to say anything about the obvious alcohol abuse. He could not believe Brian had fallen so far into the bottle. It was a sign of weakness and he wrestled with what that meant to him and his alliance.

"All right, what do you want?" Brian asked bringing up the search window for his database.

The Protector moved from the couch and strolled over to the table. "What do you have on a Christopher Wentworth or a Michael Wallis?”

“Michael Wallis…” Brian said pausing opened mouth, “Voltech?”

“Yes,” Norman said flatly.

“I am not telling you anything about any Onami members.”

“Didn’t hurt to ask.”

“Then I will ask, why him?” Brian questioned looking squarely through the Protectors helmet where he thought the eyes were.

“He has some rage issues, yes, but a promising candidate. Arachnos could offer him his own private lab with unlimited funds.”

“He won’t join your gang,” Brian responded banging the other name into his keyboard.

Norman snorted slightly at Brian’s jab at Arachnos. His wit always made him smile.

With the other name entered into his laptop the hard drive whirred in searching, Norman wandered over to Brian’s boxes of dirt he had acquired on many individuals, groups, and organizations in Paragon City over the years. “Oh, yeah, that reminds me, that attack upon the naval destroyer last week. It wasn’t the Council. The military is hiding evidence they found. That tidbit is free.”

Brian looked over to the nosy Rogue Isle Protector. “The USS Clinton? Everyone was killed in that assault. The ship was left to drift the high seas until the Coast Guard arrived.”

“Correct. Word has it that it was revenge on an illegal assault the U.S. Military carried out earlier against a certain chain of isles.”

“I wouldn’t suppose you were there, were you?”

Norman hesitated before speaking, “You could say I am in the know.”

Brian focused on the results of his database search not wanting to go where the conversation was headed. He quickly sent an e-mail to himself reminding him of the new information. When his belongings passed to the Onami Strike Force by order of his last will and testament the information could be then acted upon.

“Ah,” Brian exclaimed when pictures of Perez Park appeared on the screen along with the Paragon Times newspaper headline, ‘A City in Flames.’ “Chris Wentworth,” he began recalling the story from memory, “I was there photographing all the events at the time, the City was gripped in fear because of the Hellions. Your project actually was put into the hospital after the event. After Top Ten, Onami, and the Archangels of Apocalypse stopped the Hellions from summoning Xeqatl, a power vacuum exited in Perez Park and the Skulls took advantage of the Hellions… absence.” Norman stopped his rummaging and took a set at the dining room table finding the information riveting.

“The official story is Chris Wentworth was found after the uprising was put down. He was almost killed considering the whole right of his head was crushed in.”

“Hmm…” Norman thought aloud. “I don’t recall hearing about any uprising like that. Something big like that would have been in the news. Who stopped it?”

“The Skulls did,” Brian responded wondering if an inquisitive look could be made out from underneath the Protectors helmet. “Unofficially, Chris led the uprising even forging a pact with the Circle of Thorns. They get to keep control of inside of Perez Park and the Skulls keep the surrounding streets. Unfortunately for him, Marrow Snap didn’t take the news lightly. When Chris had secured the streets he came across the Skull leaders meeting with members of the Family. Such a young upstart performing so much without his authority or blessing was unforgivable. It damned near cost him his life.” Brian produced the digital images of the meeting he took and revealed them to the Protector.

“Nice composition,” Norman said. It was truly amazing how Brian was able to get the photos he did. “How do you not get spotted?”

Brian just smiled interlocking his hands behind his head.

“Seems like a rogue, free thinking man got mixed up in the Bone Club. He saw beyond his position and took control. That would explain why he is cutting a swath threw Skulls, Hellions, and Family members on the Rogue Isles currently. Brian you’re a credit to the Press.”

Norman thought about his own origin. He had been left for dead after receiving the Protectors initial enhancement process. Supposedly, he died and they dumped his body in Paragon City framing Crey for the botched experiment. He had no recollections when he came to in the Zig, but apparently, he survived the process, and had awakened becoming some sort of raving lunatic. It took an entire super group teamed with the Paragon Protectors to even stop him, some had been killed in his capture, and he tried to suppress his evil twisted smile that grew from pride. He remembered nothing until before the process and after the Zig.

“What?” Brian said seeing the smile and becoming uneasy.

“Nothing, very good my friend,” Norman slammed the cylinder on the table and slid it to Brian.

Brian unscrewed the heat resistant container and removed an old cloth scroll. He held it gently cradling it like a newborn; his immediate future plans lay before him. After millions of dollars he was finally able to end his quest of vengeance. He unfurled the fabric, which was surprisingly very resilient. He could smell the musty age and breathed deeply letting its ancient wisdom penetrate his soul.

“I acquired that last night myself. Took out thee minor Circle demons in my raid.”

Brian had heard nothing absorbed in the maze of pathways drawn by blood on the map showing the way to Oranbega. After a minute, he frowned. “Where the hell is the entrance?”

“I am not sure,” Norman said sneering. His calm cold calculating mind finally worked out his friend’s interest and stood up. “By the gods, if I knew you were foolish enough to go there I wouldn’t even have bothered.”

Brian glared into the Protector’s visor. “It doesn’t matter what I want it for, it’s useless without a starting point.”

Norman stood there crossing his arms debating whether he should even argue. He could see the despair pouring from Brian’s eyes, desperation born from suffering. It all made sense now, the move, his requests for information, something bothered the reporter and he cared not to live anymore. The idea that Brian did this to himself disgusted him.

“Very well,” Norman began, “Perez Park in the woods near the center of the zone. There is probably even a wooden sign saying keep out, or some such curious phrase.”

Brian glanced back at the textured map and smiled insanely. He ran over to the couch and tore into the box. “Hat, boots, belt, and gloves, good it is all here. You need to go now.”

“Just wait a minute…” the Protector said as Brian brought his hand up and sent forth a bright white eldritch flash.

Chapter 5

Norman blinked.

He was alone and it was dark outside. The clock display projecting inside his visor indicated it was three hours later, “That son of a bitch!”

The apartment was lit by streetlamps from outside casting long shadows in the dwelling like gothic images and the air was still. If he listened hard, he could hear arguing from the neighbors below him. He glanced around the room and noticed most everything had been put into order, especially the dining room table. He walked over noticing Brian’s cameras had been laid out among one banker’s box, half eaten Chinese food, a half filled bottle of whiskey, two envelopes, and a mediport device heroes used if they got in over their head and needed emergency medical treatment. A small leather wallet with Brian’s official city registration deputizing his alter ego News Flash was within; it was the official authority to conduct vigilantism. The wallet also contained his Onami Strike Force membership ID card.

Norman pocketed the wallet and the mediport. Both could prove invaluable to his organization. More specifically, they were important to him; the mediport alone could offer free access to Paragon City. He needed to have his associates examine it first. Using it now would only guarantee it worked once, maybe even two or three times. Norman wanted his people to crack the key encryption code first. Its long-term value was undeniable and too good to pass up. He snatched up the two letter sized envelopes and read both quickly. One was Brian Sutter’s last will and testament leaving everything he owned to the Onami Strike Force. There was also a storage locker key inside. He knew of Brian’s collection of dirt. It was actually quite impressive and probably could cause indictments and raids against most of the villain groups and politicians in the area. Not like, there was any difference between the two. He would have to make sure his people got copies before he returned the key.

The second envelope angered Norman the most causing his pulse to rise to over seventy. It was Brian’s resignation letter made out to Thauma Guard. He was formerly resigning from the Onami Strike Force so they would no longer be burdened by his past and future actions. There was a lot more, but Norman was too pissed off to read it. The Brian he knew was no quitter. He debated his options on what to do next. Luckily, he had no idea where the entrance to the maps beginning point was and just gave up the location of an underground base the Circle of Thorn’s had once used. They still could be occupied by them or worse, there was a chance it actually was an entrance to the Lost City. He needed to act now. He needed help from someone to assist in bringing Brian back. The reporter was to far gone and stubborn for him to bring in alone.

The Rogue Isle Protector left Brian’s apartment entering the darkened hall. From his vantage in the unlit corridor, he easily spotted the Longbow Eagle looking in a window from the outside fire escape. The scout was armed with a rifle and at that very moment possessed something Norman greatly desired. The Eagle fired his rifle once before the Protector leapt through the window tackling the goody-two-shoes. The bullet had impacted his breastplate leaving no marks or pain. The Eagle ignited the boosters on his jet pack and attempted to rocket away, but the extra weight of his prey sent them dropping unceremoniously, but unhurt, thirteen stories to the ground. Norman head-butted the scout on the way down knocking him unconscious and when he got to his feet, swiftly stripped the jet pack off the man. He strapped it on punching in a key code unto a panel unlocking the fail-safe system that activated in the event it was ever forcibly removed from its wearer. The code was a secret Longbow thought no one knew about. The Boy Scout wannabes believed many fallacies probably even the one that said a dinosaur named Sally roamed the lakes in Croatoa.

An idea for someone he could get to help find Brian flashed though his mind and he smiled lovingly his heartbeat racing sending his pulse over eighty beats per minute. Finally, time to visit someone he loved and surprise her. He left King Rows with fiery blast and soon with a whole contingent of Longbow hot on his ass

Chapter 6

The ex-hero, ex-Onami Strike Force member navigated the dizzying twists and turns of the underground passages growing frustrated. He was lost and fuming at the inaccurate ancient map. His Rogue Isle Protector contact had never steered him wrong in the past and even though they were on different sides of the law, he sometimes felt they had common goals. Maybe Brian was more like the Protector then he thought, a cold-blooded killer that had merely fooled everyone surrounding him into thinking he could be a hero, including himself.

He reached under his black trench coat to the inner right breast pocket grasping the metal flask waiting there. He popped the cap and took a small swig. Wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his multi-million dollar uniform fresh from Icon, he leaned against the nearest outcropping his night vision monocle over his right eye pulling back the darkness of the cave. The monocle also had displayed the GPS position, and had a directional north arrow indicator, but since GPS signals did not penetrate the earth well, Brian was lost. Even the north indicator had a habit of locating pockets of lodestone. After walking in a circle for another thirty minutes, he pulled out the map again only to hurl it to the stone floor with so many obscenities.

Cursing Norman’s name, Brian took off his black duster hat and mopped his brow with a handkerchief. The hat was fitted with a headband he himself had made. It was enchanted with the spells allowing him immediate empathic access to people’s minds so he could mesmerize, dominate, confuse, or just plain hypnotize them with a simple thought. The cape covering his trench coat was the Cloak of Crowely. It was midnight black and allowed him to blend in with his surroundings at a moments notice. The breastplate he wore underneath was the finest body armor the military possessed and matched the dark color scheme.

His belt held eight cylindrical canisters the size of large cigars containing a weaponized form of nectar he acquired through Pocket D, from DJ Zero. That alone was the single most expensive acquisition. The nectar was purportedly distilled ambrosia from the gods which when sprinkled upon a person turned them into your best life-long friend for a time. He paid some shadowy contact from the Tsoo to weaponize it into an aerosol spray. Tapping a very secretive contact from the remnants of the Fifth Column, he paid for the design and creation of the pressurized canisters to deliver it.

With a thought Brian activated his black leather boots causing a yellow and a pinkish light to coalesce from the cave floor. The illumination wrapped around his legs imbuing him his signature super speed. The boots also were another creation of his allowing him to use fewer verbal spells when in the heat of combat. They also allowed him to jump up to fifteen feet in height and scale almost sheer inclines. Actually, the footwear contained Crowley’s Bracers and Joule’s Grieves sewn into the shins.

Brian focused his mind, causing dark lavender tendrils to rise out from his cloak and grow around his form. The stealth spell melted his form into the shadows and dampened the radiance of his traveling powers.

The ex-hero tightened his fingerless gloves, which were the second most expensive item he wore. They were modified Joule’s Gauntlets, imbuing him with a hastened demeanor, which he bought from a museum at considerable cost. Adding a telekinesis enchantment the eldritch power of the gloves allowed him the ability to rapidly and forcibly remove anything standing in his way.

The sole purpose of this final uniform was to free his mind and energy for the strongest modified telekinetic spell he could research. He spent the last three months memorizing every verbal inflection. He tested the results in Boomtown days earlier verifying he could achieve the goal of destruction. He brought down one of the remaining severely damaged buildings left standing from the Rikti War. The building was completely obliterated reducing it to a large pile of rubble and twisted steel.

Brian raced around the underground caverns for another half an hour at blinding speeds. He randomly chose passageways hoping sheer luck would deliver him to his location. After hours of crisscrossing paths, he finally stopped and collapsed to the ground giving in to despair. Unable to do anything right, Aaron’s and Aura’s memories assaulted him cursing his name.

Brian sobbed.

The option of returning to Paragon City crossed his mind, but he could not, even in failure. He could blame the Protector, but the truth was everything bad that happened around him he had caused himself. His actions killed Aura and Aaron. The flask in his trench coat again offered and supplied a way out. He smacked his lips, capped the metal flask, and stared at it in the low light amplified by his monocle. His parents would be disappointed in him for he was not the man they tried to raise him to be. Missing them greatly tears streamed down his face hidden by the mask he wore to hide is identity. If he failed to find Oranbega then he would disappear in the depths underneath Paragon City.

A slight murmur arose in the distance echoing chants throughout the tunnel. Brian paused and stopped breathing to listen and ensure his mind was not playing trick on him. He gradually got to his feet and made his way down the passage. Eventually, he turned his monocle off, dim lights in the distance now illuminated and bounced down the widening tunnel. He recognized the chanting, for it was all too familiar. Believing he neared Oranbega, he enacted the stealth his cloak offered.

Little by little, he crept closer to the source; almost sure it was a summoning ceremony of some sort. He could make out one voice in particular; his eyes winced because the throated growl hurt his ears and scarred his soul. The voice was deep and spoke in a strange tongue so raspy the bass of the sound reverberated off the walls. He crept ever closer and fear shivered its way down his spine almost freezing him in his tracks. He could not stop now; he must put two dead souls to rest. If anything to silence their wail of vengeance demanded of all murdered victim’s spirits.

He passed boxes, crates, and cargo containers, as the passage grew ever wider. They had been marked in various languages from all over the globe. Closer still, he dared to approach finding the large massive chamber from which the chanting had been originating. He stood for a moment overcome by its size. The floor had been carved flat and inscribed with ancient symbols. A couple hundred Circle members prostrated themselves purposefully around the etchings and markings. To Brian it appeared to be a huge pentagram inscribed in the floor. In the center about fifty yards away, stood a large figure with purplish green iridescent skin and bald reptilian head. It spoke into a large emerald fire center consuming the middles of the chamber. With violet faceted eyes, the alien-like creature appeared to be creating a summoning portal. Large pointed teeth glistened every time the monster opened its mouth. The sight of the humanoid froze Brian in his tracks. He felt like he should look away because he was not worthy to view the horrible creature.

Transfixed, Brian watched the events before him unfold. So enthralled he was he barely managed to notice and avoid some latecomers to the ceremony. They were dressed similarly to the Circle of Thorns, but the truth was they were not, well not completely. They dressed in the colorful green, blue, red, or black colors one expected of the cult members, but all wore a black triangle patch down the front of their robes. When the eerie light reflected off their clothes just right, a black crescent moon appeared to be sewn into the patch.

A large metallic hand reached out from behind Brian jerking him into a darkened alcove. The metal hand clamped his mouth shut and he froze again in terror staring at two yellow eyes. Not sickly yellow, more like... the blazing sun, an eternal determination fueling never-ending flames. The mouth sneered and curled revealing small fangs. Brian tried to talk, but could only mumble. The captor held him against the wall his feet dangling above the cave floor so he could not run.

“Please accept my humble apologies for startling you stranger. I know you do not belong amongst these… Nightcasters.” The voice was soft, almost soothing to Brian’s ears. He immediately recognized his assailant.

“Occam?” he whispered afraid his voice might interrupt the ceremony, "Occam’s Razar?”

The drake let his startled sightseer go confident he would not scream and bowed a salutation. “It is I, but I am not blest with the pleasure of your name Oh’ Lost One.”

Brian knew of the drake well, he had been present when Occam fled Crey with the help of Hero Corps. He got many great shots for the paper that day. None of them made it to print though. They ended up going into his rather large Crey Industries file. A few innocent bystanders had been injured during his escape. It was the day his eyes were truly awakened to the true dealings of the corporation.

The ex-hero pulled his black facemask down, “It’s me Brian… Brian Sutter.”

Razar brought his right robotic arm up to his chin and looked into the face of the human. He did recognize the hero, but he also saw pain and despair etched into his face. “News Flash, Onami Strike Force.”

“Uh…” Brian said repelling from the revulsion he felt at those names now. “Sure.”

Razar noticed felt the emotion in the response and became vexed. “Nonetheless News Flash-“

“Brian,” the ex-hero demanded. “My name is Brian.”

“Okay, Brian.” The viral poison in the response was not lost upon the half-human. “The Dark Lord is summoning an Envoy and you cannot be present.”

The term Envoy caused Brian to instantly panic. The drake could see fear and terror dance behind his eyes triggering the memory of PhoenixHawk dying to the Envoy. They were among the worst creatures imaginable.

“Are you well,” Occam asked.

“Fine,” he whispered all the life draining from his voice. He slowly crept over to the entrance of the large alcove and peered out. “Doesn’t there have to be some sort of cosmic alignment for a ceremony like this to happen?”

Occam walked silently to the frightened man. “Yes, but the Dark Lord is a god. God’s do not necessarily follow the rules.”

“We… someone must stop him.” Brian stammered.

“Yes,” Occam nodded. “There will be a point in the ceremony, right before the actual summoning that I will strike. The Dark Lord will fail tonight.”

Brian turned from the ceremony and looked up into the blazing suns staring back at him. “You’ll die. I am sure even a lone drake cannot stop a god.”

Occam turned his sight back to the ceremony, “No, probably not. From my time it was not unheard of for a single drake to stop such a powerful being. Usually that responsibility fell to the dragons. Usually they were the ones that did the one-on-one fighting, but the Dark Lord is cursed.”

“How so?”

“It has recently been revealed to me the Dark Lord cheated Oblivion by sacrificing a part of his divine spark. He may still be a god, but not like he was previously… more like a demigod now. Therein lays the true irony of his sacrifice.”

Brian shrugged unable to grasp the half-dragon's innuendo.

“The Dark Lord hates the human race. He despises them with every essence of his body. He will regain his status if he can gain followers to worship him. The process will no doubt will take thousands of years, but there are no dinosaurs around this time so he must use humans. And use them he will.”

“Why sacrifice yourself? Who will succeed if you fail?”

“I do it because I must. I have sworn an oath to the dragons to protect humankind at all costs. If I fall, undoubtedly one of your kind will take my place. Maybe even you.”

Those words echoed and tore through Brian exposing his betrayals once again. Instinctively reaching for his flask, he took another nip. He was sure if Occam were to fall, it would be by the hands of Brian Sutter. He would kill the last drake, forever removing the species from Earth.

“Brian Sutter, you must now lea…”

Occam and Brian both sensed the intrusion into their minds. The words to a lullaby rang reassuringly in their heads.

Chapter 7

Sara had been playing back her recorded newscast before turning it off to try and mentally make contact with her mentor, or Brian. She sang the lullaby under her breath by habit. A good idea since she was keeping the group mentally linked, and if the Other decided to awaken they would be threatened. She hated to push the barrier between the id and super ego, but he had to be done.

“There,” the elf known as Occam’s Bow said. Her blonde hair sparkled like gold even in the dim light. “I can sense them now.” She was almost an icon herself dressed in green tights and leather. One could easily think she was from a fantasy convention. Her carved elven bow was firmly gripped in her left hand and her quiver hung off her left hip. She barely stood five feet tall.

“Me too,” Thauma said to the elf. The two contrasted each other’s attributes perfectly. Walking next to each other, Bow looked much smaller and Thauma looked even taller in her late night clubbing outfit. A white wide brimmed hat covered her white spiky hair and mystical third eye. Her black skin accentuated by the shadows still kept a reflected the faintest of light. She wore knee high boots and a short skirt hugged her curvaceous hips.

Norman was unaware of Sara’s mental singing because his mystic helmet blocked her mental intrusion. He did have a hell of time concentrating with Thauma walking in front of him, but he enjoyed every second of the couple hours they spent tracking in the caves. Many times did his heart race as he struggled to remain calm, his pulse barely staying below seventy-five. His love for Thauma was so strong it actually pained him to be near her. It continued to wage war with his Arachnos training that allowed him to remain in control. He could not explain this attraction, other than it truly must have been destined. There was a feeling of fate in the air tonight, it sparked with electricity and excited him. It felt like his first kiss. Unfortunately, a kiss from someone he could not remember.

Occam’s Bow and Sara had originally set off to locate their mentor when they came across Thauma Guard and the Rogue Isle Protector. Apparently, both their quarries had crossed paths so they decided to search together. Sara could not help but notice how protective the Arachnos trooper was over Thauma. He was always near her, enraptured by even the slightest movement she made, a twist of her neck, a fleeting look, or a slight smile. She could feel the passion of love he had for her, of which she found quite odd. Thauma seemed to display the slightest of emotion for the Protector, one akin to amusement and maybe just a little coyness. Sara found the introversion unusual even knowing Thauma as little as she did and did not know what to make of the situation.

The Other stirred in the deep recess of her psyche, sensing danger from the minds in front of them. She continued to whisper the lullaby to keep it distracted weighing the decision to read the minds of those ahead. Approaching where she sensed her mentor and News Flash she realized how close to the ceremony they really were. Sara started humming the words instead of mouthing them and immediately the enemy’s minds rushed forward. She began reciting the opening prologue to the Canterbury Tales to stop herself from penetrating the thoughts too far. She could already feel the anxiety at the summoning. This was truly a great event for this splinter cell of Circle members. In each of their minds, she erased the image of her and her friends rendering them essentially invisible. She held back from going into the Dark Lord’s mind. And with his back towards them she would not have to attempt it.

“Okay, I have blocked us from their minds, but we must hurry.” Sara felt one mind she dare not enter to far.

Brian was able to sense Sara and he enacted his own mind spell seeing whom she truly was… the hero known as Occam’s Mind. A coincidence, maybe, Brian was not sure. Occam’s Mind was none other than Sara Starling, the person responsible for murdering seven people on the very floor he recently occupied in King Row. It was around her sixteenth birthday when the mysterious beatings and break-ins from the neighborhood had started. There was never a sign of intrusion only the strange attackers that scared their victims to no end. All the reports indicated different attackers and no motives. This went on for two weeks straight before the murders began causing heroes to line up on the rooftops to catch the culprits. Unbeknownst, to everyone at the time it was Sara. She was having nightmares of every attack and murder becoming the police’s first suspect, but she had a solid alibi for every instance, being asleep in bed. It took a powerful psychic to track the murders and beatings to her.

Apparently, her mutant powers were so great she could not control them and they invaded the minds of those around her revealing their fears and terrors. Her mind recoiled from the images, but it did not disconnect and continued to witness them. The super ego took over and created a phantasm from the mind of the victim in an attempt to kill the source and end the fears. The States Attorney never officially filed charges against Sara instead her parents chose for her to be locked away in the mental ward of the Zig and kept in a constant drugged state to prevent her subconscious, or conscious, mind from attacking anyone ever again. Somehow, Sara was able to push past all the countermeasures put in place to prevent the use of power and psychically contact the last drake known as Occam’s Razar. Whether, it was truly Sara or the Other was never answered.

Brian snorted slightly at the thought of the last drake. Maybe technically Occam was the last drake, but he had pictures of the half-dragon’s clone whose whereabouts was officially unknown, although he had evidence it was in the Rogue Isles. It was when Sara’s group arrived did Brian panic, seeing Thauma. He looked down unable to look her in the eyes and shrank away to the deeper recesses of the alcove.

Thauma quickly cast a spell creating a shield barrier in front of the large opening of the alcove modifying it to prevent it from passing sound.

“Brian,” she said slowly approaching him, the others stepping back.

Occam deduced what was to come from the body movements and tones. He could sense an internal struggle in Brian. He silently prayed this would be resolved swiftly; this was neither the time nor place to be counseling anyone. He glanced at the ever-vigilant Occam’s Bow who stood staring out the doorway with arrow notched. Occam’s Mind stood next to her keeping them blocked from the Nightcasters’ minds.

Norman stood against the wall silent. He should have realized Brian’s deteriorating condition; the signs were all there, he just chose to ignore them. He was livid at himself for missing the obvious mental distress of Brian.

“Brian,” Thauma stared again. “What is this?” She held up the envelope containing his letter of resignation and other last remarks.

Brian felt exposed his emotional defenses rising. He glanced at the letter, located the Protector, and glared at him feeling betrayed and desiring to act upon the emotion.

For a split second, the Protector was sure Brian was about to unleash hell against him. For another split second he almost felt guilty for ratting out someone he might consider a friend. He grew perplexed at the feeling; it was not like he betrayed Arachnos or his oath.

“Please Brian, talk to me,” Thauma begged stepping closer.

His mouth felt like lead cotton not knowing what to say, his heart sinking to his knees and replaced immediately by desolation. He heard the call of the flask once again.

“It’s not your fault.”

He finally looked at his mentor locking her gaze with his own. “Yes it is. You don’t understand.”

“Understand what? Being afraid? You would have been killed too.”

Brian reached for the flask and popped the cap.

“Drowning your sorrows in alcohol and guilt is not the solution. And going on a suicide mission against Oranbega isn’t a way out either.”

Brian took a double shot and let the liquid burn down his throat. It warmed his insides and sparked the courage he needed to go further. “I should be killed. I AM A MURDERER!” he shouted, his voice not traveling beyond the protective shield.

“No you’re not. You were not strong enough then. There was nothing you could have done to change what happened.” Thauma voice was soft and soothing but firm. She could not reach out to her former apprentice to make him understand.

“I killed her!” he blurted revealing his dark secret. Tears began streaming down his face and he again began sobbing.

Norman steadied himself wondering who could have shattered this mans life so completely. Brian seemed to have more secrets than those kept in boxes.

“Who?” Thauma said holding back her emotions trying to be the stoic all-knowing leader. She desperately wanted to help her friend get better but something was always nagging him since Aaron’s death. She knew it could not be the death specifically, but every attempt she tried to go deeper she met his stinging sarcasm.

Brian removed his duster hat, monocle, and reaper mask and tossed them to the ground. “Aura Mattson, I killed her.” He collapsed against the back stonewall and slumped to the ground.

Thauma rushed forward to console him, but he yelled for her to get away. She knelt by him bringing herself to his level. She was ready to listen if he would only tell her what the issue was. It broke her heart she could not help him. The name he spoke was not immediately familiar to her.

“She was the only reason we ever met. I was your contact for the mission Azuria sent you on. Remember, the Circle of Thorns that abducted her.”

Thauma shook her head, “Right, they abducted and murdered her.”

Brian’s red-shot shallow eyes stared emptily back at Thauma. “They chased her and she ran into me. I pushed her down and told her to get away. The picture I took of her being dragged away even made it to the front page. I am not the hero I led you to believe I am.”

Thauma was shocked. She suspected Brian was closer to their first case then he originally indicated and now she knew why.

“I have always thought of you as my sister.” He said thinking to the one he had lost during the Rikti War when his family was killed.

Tears pooled in Thauma’s eyes, but raged against the emotional dam she had built from Aaron’s death. Slowly fading was the stronger emotionless leader and in its place was Brian’s adopted sister. She too had grown to see Brian like a brother and not just some apprentice. It was one of the reasons she had suggested he join the Onami. For once, she was truly at a loss of words not having known the great weight he carried.

“And to think I would rather watch your lover die then sacrifice my life to try and save him. Taking his picture because I thought it would be great to catch an action shot. I considered him my friend, but…” Brian’s voice trailed off.

Thauma now saw the true burden and the link to Brian’s self-hate, “You did not kill him! It is not the same thing.”

“Yes, it is,” Brian said desperately looking to the others. Norman had been surprisingly silent and he could see the shock on the part of his face the helmet did not hide. Occam stood silently watching the two, but he could see the tears welling in the drake’s eyes threatening to extinguish the fiery suns. “I failed to act, in saving him or in stepping up in his place afterwards to be an example for others to follow.”

“What about all of those you have helped since then? How many lives have you saved?”

Before Brian could answer, the cavern shook violently. Occam’s Mind was balled up on the floor; the heavy emotions pouring forth overwhelmed her and her connection to everyone’s minds. She experienced everybody’s sadness at the same time, and could not handle the surge. The Other moved to protect her super-ego, but she fought to restrain it using the flood of emotions like a wall, but it was like holding torrential waters from broken damn back by thought alone. Each mind she remained linked to hammered her ego, sending reverberations into her soul.

“Occam,” Bow said motioning to the ceremony. She had been the only one paying attention to their surroundings remaining cold and impassive.

Occam snapped from the emotional cloud covering the alcove realizing it was too late. The Envoy had been summoned.

“Get to the surface!” he yelled disappearing around the doorway of the alcove.

Everyone, including Brian ran to the entrance and witnessed the drake run by the rows of surprised minions, right past a flabbergasted Saurian god, and slide into the portal that lay open at the center of the pentagram. Everyone’s jaw dropped seeing the half-dragon disappear down the cross-dimensional hole his last act to scrape his claws across the binding circle etched in stone, severing the magical protective barrier.

“Can he do that?” Brian asked. From his understanding of rituals, what the drake did was… impossible.

“This summoning circle is rare,” Occam’s Bow said drawing her bow with an arrow her amber eyes glistening in the dim light. “This particular portal opens both ways. It is essentially a two-way gate.”

“Why is that?” Thauma asked rhetorically, putting words to everyone’s thoughts.

Sara sensed the gate opening exposing even more minds to the Other. Like a crack addict, the Other strained against her will to read even more dark thoughts. She fought back struggling to maintain the groups invisibility.

The cavern dropped into a dead silence, everyone holding his or her breath at the same time. Never before had anyone witnessed the event that had just occurred. Even the Dark Lord was momentarily puzzled thinking the drake was stopping his new Envoy’s arrival. The seconds stretched to a minute and still nothing emerged from the portal. Murmuring broke out and the Saurian god dared to think the half-dragon had at last finally met his end and chuckled silently. He ignored the others accompanying him, for they were insignificant. Their blood would only begin to quench his thirst tonight.

The cavern shook even more violently sending dirt columns falling from the ceiling threatening to collapse the roof on the rogue order and heroes. The air pressure dropped rapidly and a roaring explosion shook forth heralding the arrival of the Envoy. Clutched in an eternal struggle it held the drake at arms length, Occam stabbing at its face.

The hell spawn easily occupied a third of the room’s height. Already a black ichor dripped from its left eye socket where the half-dragon had scored the first hit. Several lacerations covered its arms and Occam’s continued to add to them. The Envoy howled in a rage that shook the cavern causing all non-humans to cover their ears in pain. The demon flung half-dragon down, but the drake somersaulted in mid-air and landed gracefully. The drake’s eyes radiated a red eldritch glow focusing intently upon the Envoy.

Enchanted claws sprang from robotic arms emitting their own amethyst light guaranteeing the fight was not completely hopeless. Occam growled charging the Envoy who surrounded itself with a thick inky black mist that hung thick in the air around it.

Sara stoically rose from the stone floor and in a silent agreement with her companions, chose not to flee determined to stay and assist Occam. Using her glove controls, she turned off her MP3 player and all other sources of stimuli. Choosing to hum an ancient dragon battle song her mentor had taught her, she focused her thoughts commanding the Other to obey. She unleashed the full force of her mutant gift causing reality to twist and distort to her willpower. Reaching out with her hand targeting the Dark Lord and his minions, she could feel everyone’s presence upon the galactic plane, their breathing, their fears, and more importantly their movement. She tilted the laws of physics and ever so slightly, nudged the kinetic energy around her targets stealing it from them, and breathed the force into the bodies of her teammates. Each felt a sudden surge of energy and power. Sara unleashed fiendishly numbing nightmares against the nearest Nightcasters their terrors coalescing into reality. To the group of heroes they saw only shimmering humanoids, but to the individuals affected they saw the worst most terrifying images they dared dream. From the dark recesses of their psyche, Occam’s Mind delivered unto them their own personal Hell making each one powerless to react. Sara again warped reality and outstretched her hands sending her form into the air hovering a mere ten feet off the cave’s floor. She simply manipulated gravity’s pull to counteract the fundamental force.

Occam’s Bow stepped forward sending her first arrow at the Envoy, her second against the Dark Lord, and a third explosive arrow into the rows of faithful. The arrows targeting the Envoy and Saurian god bounced harmlessly off their bodies. The explosive arrow impacted one Nightcaster and detonated shredding those standing near him with his bone fragment acting like shrapnel. She desired to help the drake, but she needed to keep back the mobs if they were to escape with their lives.

Instantly, Norman was in front of Thauma his breastplate deflecting the crossbow bolts the cult’s defenders shot from deep within their ranks. There was no doubt; his being here had been destined. The fact Occam’s Razar was here was proof enough to him. When he was selected for the Protector program, he was given complete knowledge of the procedure. Arachnos awarded loyalty with the truth. It was during his physical exam that Arachnos, and himself, discovered he had Mu heritage. After special dispensation he was allowed to forgo the Mu training usually assigned to descendants and continue with the program. For what he did remember, the recombinant DNA injected in him was two parts; the first was by some one named A. Christensen, or so the vial sold to Arachnos had been labeled. He never knew the first name, nor did the identity seem to matter to him. The second vial was labeled Drake, and had recently acquired it there was only the one vial. He had won the Arachnos lottery, allowing him to test the validity and viability of the half-dragon’s DNA. He had felt honored for the assignment, anything to promote Lord Recluse’s vision. Unfortunately, after the injection he remembered nothing until waking up in the Zig hospital ward of Paragon City. None of that could have been coincidence, even if he usually did not believe in predetermined fate.

He watched Occam dodge a sword forged from pure fire. He was in awe at the speed the drake possessed. Norman was not a fool or a pessimist, but a realist. In his heart he knew they all would not be making it back to the surface. Damn the fates for he would not let his true love fall before these parlor magicians. If any were to survive, he would ensure her safety. Death would only come when he was good and ready.

The Rogue Isle Protector took the momentary lapse in projectiles to remove his helmet. Normally, anyone to see the true face of a Protector so they could be recognized would be cursed to death. Tonight he would decide who would live and who would die. He turned to face his true love wanting her to see his face before he died.

“How’s ‘bout a kiss before dying.”

Thauma could only blink in surprise words avoiding her swift tongue. She realized the Protector had made a heroic gesture in revealing his identity, but it was his face leaving her speechless. His left eye was blue and the right brown, no doubt a result of the process of the Protector program. The mismatched eyes, sharp features, all looked familiar yet slightly different. Thauma looked on, mouth slightly agape.

“PhoenixHawk,” Brian whispered thinking the same thing.

“What’s that?” Norman asked slightly puzzled at the reaction. He might not have been that handsome, but he thought he looked okay.

“You look like…” Brian started.

“Aaron,” Thauma finished.

The reality of what they were saying burst forth in Norman’s mind linking pieces of information previously lost to the Protector. PhoenixHawk, Sutter had just said… Aaron, Thauma had followed… Her dead lover… A. Christensen… Aaron Christensen had been the original DNA donor. He had never drawn the connection until now. He considered himself quite good at unraveling political puzzles and hidden motives, but he completely missed the correlation until now. Aaron Christensen, who’s DNA he had been injected with was the legendary PhoenixHawk.

Could it explain his feeling for this woman, he thought, a love so great and singularly destined that it transcended DNA itself? He could not answer the question for whatever the answer it would not lessen his feelings for her in the least.

“I guess you like the tragic hero types don’t you,” he said creating waves of heat and sending the over his body. “My real name is Norman, and I just want to tell you that I love you. I have always loved you since the time we first met.”

Thauma was now truly speechless his words knocking the breath from her. With everything that was happening with Brian, she felt completely vulnerable. She did not have any feelings for this villain, whom happened to share a common goal with her once. Love requited was a terrible feeling for the one not receiving returned affections. The Protector had always seemed to treat her differently. She felt at that moment if she were to lead a strike force against Lord Recluse himself that, Norman would lead the way. Maybe she did feel something, but too much was happening for her to know what it was.

“Alas, the beauty remains silent. Then we shall go our separate ways.” Norman said breathing life into the fire sending the flames to dance teasingly over his skin. His eyes suddenly burst into a green light all too familiar to those that knew PhoenixHawk.

“Another time, another place then.” He turned to engage the Envoy in hand-to-hand combat feeling no regrets. Not all true love stories had happy endings.

Brian and Thauma could only exchange looks of astonishment.

Chapter 8

Sara stopped humming the ancient battle song and added the words she learned from Occam, speaking the prehistoric language of the dragons. She could feel the Other straining to rise up and swallow her essence in order to keep her safe. Her body jerked with a spasm feeling the id partially break free. The Other did not encompass or control her, something else was taking place within her mind’s eye.

She sensed him, the one who mockingly called himself the Dark Lord Ockham. He was in her mind and the Other confronted god directly, keeping her safe. Sara remembered Occam warning her if she ever encountered the Saurian god to keep her wits about her for he lied and manipulated the truth. He would make false promises in order to fulfill his desires. The Saurian could not be too long before he realized whom he really confronted. Practicing her breathing, she kept those who targeted her with crossbows, spells, or whatever to continue to see their darkest fears. She could sense her powers expanding; the battle only created more kinetic energy she could use to continue to tilt reality in her favor.

Again she reached out targeting the Dark Lord who stood mesmerized by the Other thinking he faced the true Sara. She bumped the fabric of space-time and siphoned off the increasing energy patterns feeding them directly into her friends. She continued to sense more minds across the dimensional rift her abilities still growing moment by moment. If she kept using her latent skills, the Other would soon completely overwhelm her. It was then too she realized she was drawing energy off the portal itself feeding on it like a growing storm. From the passage leading them here, she sensed a large group approaching alarmed at the commotion they heard.

+++++

Occam eluded the fire blade its heat singeing the hair on his chest. He stabbed his Crey robotic blades into the Envoy’s appendage and spun driving a thrust into its thigh. It screamed in pain and sloppily swung out.

Norman sent forth a blazing aura when he entered the black mist. Suddenly he could barely move his legs, the fog gripping him like the arms the damned desperately clawing their way toward heaven. His minor attack barely hurt the demon, if it did anything at all. He intended to crank up the heat for that is what he truly desired. He had burned-out three lower demons previously in order to acquire the map for his friend, so he believed he could handle one Envoy. The fire danced around his form with the promise of tasting his flesh, but he manipulated it carefully not letting it bite. He focused an intense burst on his hands and struck forth. Occam again easily dodged the demon’s fire sword and Norman’s blast hit it squarely in the chest. The Envoy actually looked surprised seeing the Protector squaring off with him. Occam swung for the head and clipped the ear. The demon howled and lunged for the swift drake catching only his shadow. Norman created a large fire around his body and watched it dance through the inky black misty merging with it enveloping the Envoy. He smiled and again summoned the most intense heat he could muster and launched out igniting the Envoys leg. The hell spawn kicked out catching the Protector directly in the chest sending him outside the radius of the tar patch mist, the air knocked from his lungs.

The Envoy changed tactics and feinted with a solid attack with its claws. The drake deftly avoided the blow, but the Envoy followed through with its expansive left wing snaring the half-dragon within. Occam cut through the thin membrane and landed on the ground with one leg and slightly off balance. The Envoy grabbed the slowed hero by his left robotic arm and used the eight-foot drake like a club to parry Norman’s leap back into the mist. The Protector had not fully caught his breath from the kick when he collided with the makeshift club and grunted from the impact. He even watched the ground rush up to meet him several feet away.

The Envoy thrilled with its new weapon smashed Occam into the ground and whipped him all around beating the half-dragon into unconsciousness. The demon cracked the limp body like a whip and seemed to release the half-human sending him flying into the alcove wall near his companions. Thauma Guard gasped when Occam’s limp form slammed into the rock wall with a bone-shattering crunch and slid lifelessly to the floor. When the creature threw Occam’s robotic arm at her only then did she realize the horror of the situation. The demon had ripped his left arm from his body. She saw blood and bone gushing from just below the elbow where Razar’s arm used to be. Knowing only a few healing spells she hastily cast them to try to stop the bleeding. Placing her hand under his armpit, she hoped the pressure point of the tall drake was similar enough to human’s to staunch the blood gushing out.

“Brian, please help me,” she begged turning toward her panicking teammate seeing the sheer terror in his eyes. Reflected in his eyes Thauma could tell he was reliving the last moments of Aaron, for she too fought off the vision knowing she must be strong.

“Bow,” she gasped looking for help from the elf but saw the lithe form collapse to the ground, five crossbow bolts imbedded into her chest. Blood dripped from her mouth and she lay there eyes open reflecting disbelief.

“Brian please… help me,” Thauma’s eyes meet his and she saw he lost to memories, too afraid to do anything. She witnessed a new large group arriving in the cavern from the same entrance they used to enter. Releasing the pressure point long enough cast another spell creating a shield engulfing her team, then looked up to Occam’s Mind. Thauma could sense the woman’s thoughts on the outer fringes of her own and mentally pleaded for help.

Sara heard her and sent forth a brilliant psychic flash toward the new combatants temporarily scrambling their synaptic nerves. She also sensed Thauma’s attempt at rousing Brian sensing his self-inflicted turmoil. They needed his help if they were to get out. With Dark Lord still permeating her thoughts, she tried a risky and daring maneuver. Sara mentally reached into Brian’s mind in attempt to shake him from his trance. She saw what he saw, PhoenixHawk pinned under another Envoy and the deathblow that followed. Brian hovered nearby snapping the scene with his camera. Probing deeper and witnessing the events that brought Brian into Thauma’s tutelage into the ways of magic she realized the source of his woes. Ever so slightly, she brushed Brian’s memory bringing the image of Aura into PhoenixHawk’s death. She focused on the girl Aura, calling Brian by his alter-ego and made him lucid.

+++++

Brian Sutter hovered above the death scene watching the few Onami Strike Force members fight the Envoy. PhoenixHawk was pinned under the demon’s leg and he raised his camera to catch the act that would destroy the creature. Through the lens, he saw the image of Aura standing next to the demon calling his name beckoning him to save them. This time Brian dropped the camera.

He stood up from the cave floor still afraid, but not willing to stand by any longer. Casting his first spell, he contacted every mind within the spells range. He sent out a second spell immediately thereafter flashing an intense white pulsing across the entire cavern, those nearest him not being attacked were put into an instant sleep. Those affected could only stand motionless heads slumped low. Brian saw Thauma pleading him to help her and Occam’s Bow collapsed on the ground. He cast the first of several quick healing spells that emanated around him in a green healing light stopping minor wounds and bleeding. Rushing to Bow and helping her to her feet, he realized four of the crossbow bolts had only lodged into her armored tunic. The fifth arrow he believed had penetrated her lung.

Thanking Brian, she tasked him to help Occam. It hurt to inhale, each breath setting her chest afire. With true Elven pride and stoicism she accepted the fact she was not leaving this cavern tonight. One way or another, the Envoy, the Dark Lord, and the business with the Nightcasters must be concluded, even at the cost of her own life. She drew back her bow string weakly and steadied herself grimacing against the pain. Her spirit would not let her fail the dragons in these last days of their waning holy war. The singular thought echoed throughout her gaining momentum. Suffering in pain each time she drew the bow she reinforced her dedication to the idea.

Brian ripped off strips of his trench coat and helped Thauma bandaged Occam’s wound, “We need to get him out of here.” He grabbed Occam’s detached mechanical left hand and placed it in the drakes lap.

Brian nodded and looked back at their only exit and the crowd blocking it. He activated the drake’s mediport, but nothing happened.

“We are out of range I think.”

Occam had been drifting in and out of consciousness only barely registering the exchange between the Protector and Thauma. He opened his eyes fully witnessing Thauma’s magical shield fail and the hordes of Nightcasters fall upon them with daggers and curved blades.

“Behind you,” he groaned rising to his feet. The pain of a long lost appendage and the cracked bones from slamming into the cave wall blinded his senses.

“Occam, please rest,” Thauma pleaded not noticing the onslaught.

“Thauma,” Brian shouted setting another row of attackers to sleep by scrambling their nervous system. She turned around watching Occam send for his chi energy from his remaining claw into the nearest Circle defender. It jerked with a spurt of blood erupting from its chest and fell a couple feet from her. Even in the drake’s injured state was he able to tap the strength of dragons. Thauma drew upon her dark powers from traversing ley-lines and launched a spell encompassing those minions near her in dark tentacles that rose from the stone floor. She fired streams of dark blasts at those rushing forward unhindered by her spell.

Occam’s Bow was now fighting hand-to-hand, her arrows becoming thin narrow daggers and her bow a curved club. Whenever she caught a free second, she fired off another arrow, but those moments were disappearing all to fast. They were too out numbered and surrounded to survive the battle. Her breathing quickened and grew shallower with every thrust. She only needed one shot with a special arrow she kept from her homeland, an arrow meant for the Dark Lord Ockham. Her opening had to come soon or all would be lost.

Brian reached for the several canisters connected to his belt and began unhooking them and tossing into the mobs of Circle members. He triggered each properly, but was shocked to see nothing happened. He thought maybe he did not activate them correctly, but each exploded just like the demo the Tsoo had him test.

“That son of a bitch,” Brian muttered realizing he had been tricked.

The Tsoo had stolen his supply and doomed him further. Now everyone with him in the caverns was condemned too. His suicide mission was going to kill those close to him and other great heroes like Occam’s Razar. He watched the drake collapse his endurance drained from his focused chi attack, but Thauma caught him.

Circle Nightcasters rushing forward and fell upon the distracted dark skinned defender. With her attention drawn to the severely wounded drake and her back to the surging attackers, Brian stepped in their way his breastplate diverting a thrust intended for his self-adopted sister. Tapping the power of his gloves, he sent the wielder flying with a telekinetic blast. He followed through to the next six sending them careening into the high ceiling only to bounce off the cold cave floor. He cast another spell wishing he had time to grab his hat that would have assisted his spell casting.

The next wave felt the brunt of his sleep spell that disrupted the pathways of neurons in their brains. They only stopped for a moment before suddenly popping awake. Brian could feel his powers draining away; too much was happening and too fast. His spells were not as strong as they should have been. He realized another failure that would lead to the death of those near him. If he had brought his camera, any camera, the powerful foci for his magic abilities, his spells would have been stronger. He thought he had weaned himself from the necessary item, but now he wished he had not.

The oncoming mix of Guardians, Guides, and Thorn Wielders met the force of his eldritch telekinetic ability. Only the last lone green robed guide felt the weak punch delivered from Brian’s left hand. His fist throbbed in pain, but he still knocked the attacker off balance. He kicked out with his boots and knocked his momentary foe back into another column of advancing attackers. He watched Thauma cast another healing spell on Occam where she laid him against the wall. The drake was still alert, but it was obvious he was in a great pain and needed serious medical attention.

Brian looked down the passage were Occam’s Bow was valiantly fighting off the new arrivals. Her moves came in quick spurts and were deadly. It almost appeared she was dancing to a song of death. He looked down the retreating corridor, considering his options. It would be easy for him to engage the traveling powers of his boots and speed away from here. He could not bear to witness the deaths he had caused again. He sent out a wave of green healing energies around him to delay the inevitable.

He then noticed Thauma’s new cell phone. He ran over to her and grabbed the new piece of technology.

“I need to borrow this,” he said snatching it from her hip.

She turned and nodded knowing why the camera phone was needed. She watched Brian put another advancing rank of Circle members a sleep with the built-in flash of the phone. Not wasting any time she again cast enchanted barriers around her ally’s to help turn back the arrows that were sent their way. Realizing the end was near she fired another spell encompassing a close group of attackers in black tentacles holding them in the place. There were just too many of them, how the Dark Lord turned so many Circle of Thorns members against themselves to create his own legion would remain a mystery. If they failed to stop them here, millions above them could die and the repercussions would reach even further. Someone would have to warn others of what was coming. It was then Thauma realized she did not care if her life was sacrificed. She missed Aaron too much and recent events only dug into an unhealed wound. The realization shocked her, but came as no surprise.

“Brian,” Thauma said realizing he was the only person in the cavern fast enough to make it out alive. Occam’s Mind was keeping many of the Nightcasters trapped by their own fears stretching the limits of her powers. Occam’s Bow was fighting hand-to-hand and Occam was too injured to make the journey. The drake had already proven himself by sacrificing his life in the past and was willing to lay it down if ever became required. She knew his students would do the same for him. His words of wisdom would be sorely missed, but there was no one left to miss her anymore.

The ex-hero turned his attention to his former mentor.

“Brian, we need to warn the city,” she explained. “You’re the only one who can make it back and bring help.” She did not believe the last statement; help was too far-gone to reach them in time. She was accepting her destiny then, longing to be in the arms of her lover united in death.

Brian turned away from Thauma gasping for breath. No, he thought, can she read my thoughts. He froze and glanced past Occam’s Bow down the dark tunnel. Tonight he was responsible for everyone’s death and habitually reached for the flask of liquid courage. Taking a gulp and snapping the cap back on the urge to race down the tunnel overwhelmed him, but could not understand why he was not off and running. How could he stand on the shore of eternity and watch them drown like he did in the past?

Chapter 9

Norman held his ground lost in fury, although the black inky mist surrounding the Envoy and holding him in place made it easy. He was not afraid to die now that he had professed his feeling to the one he loved. A love she probably could never return. With Occam out of the fight, the demon’s wrath fell totally upon the Protector, like the ferocity of fire. The flames danced off him in its frenzied feast and devoured the surrounding air. Light and heat poured into the cavern, the world rotated on the singular battle. Norman’s fire tried to feed upon the beast of hell only to join with it. Those nearby were consumed by thousands of tongues.

The Envoy battered the Protector with claw attacks and kicks. Norman blocked what he could and kept a defiant all-knowing smile behind blazing green eyes.

“Bring it on Beast! You’re a candle compared to my fury.”

“Your death shall be the first soul to feed my new Master,” the Envoy snarled his voice reverberating heavily of the stone walls. It stomped down with its leg, thick like a tree trunk, and squashed the irritating human to the ground.

Both Thauma and Brian stiffened petrified at the statement they both heard. It was identical to one over three years ago. They dared to look on seeing the Rogue Isle Protector pinned underneath the Envoy’s leg. This was no illusion of the mind, but reality. A chain of events had restarted mimicking what happened to PhoenixHawk long ago. The beast drew back its arm as if to drive its clawed hand through the Protector burying it deep into the ground. Simultaneously, Thauma and Brian yelled out launching their last spells before the fatal plunge. Thauma threw out her arms firing dark bolts of energy only to have them bounce off the hell spawn. Brian cut a large path of synaptic energy, similar to Sara’s power in a wide arc stunning all of those between him and the Envoy. They Envoy unfettered struck out stopping short; mere inches, and released a large fireball instead engulfing the Protector.

Norman laughed. The Envoy had him completely pinned to the floor unable to wiggle free, but he convinced the stupid beast he could handle any amount of flames it could throw at him. The first wave he focused and set out enveloping the duo.

“Is that it?” Norman taunted. “I couldn’t even light Brian’s cigars with that fire.”

Norman summoned all the heat he dared muster and created a stronger and bigger bonfire. He rotated the column around them ensuring he kept the hungry flames off his flesh. Any Nightcasters daring to remain near or still transfixed by Brian or Sara’s powers became enveloped in the flames and burned to death. The temperature rose twenty degrees within seconds and the deep cool cavern now lit up with bright orange and yellow flames.

The Envoy chuckled and summoned to it the true fires of Hell.

Control, Norman thought, I must maintain control. The idea of Thauma dying to this beast fed his fury and imparted upon him a degree of control over the inferno raging around him. Maybe, just maybe he could indeed burnout the Envoy.

+++++

Occam felt a gust in the once calm air. It rushed from the surrounding passageways into the blazing melee and rose in plumes through cracks in the limestone roof to escape somewhere above. He could think of no plan that would allow them to kill either the Dark Lord or his new ally. They did have one chance and sensing Sara at the boundaries of conscious thought, he reached out.

“Sara, please link the group.”

Occam’s Mind heard the call and did so; the thoughts of Occam could now be heard in the minds of those present. She shuttered at the inertia building up so close to the magic portal. The frictions of two different planes of existence created a nearly infinite power source to those gifted to sense and use it. The energy called to her and the entity deep within, but she resisted for such an act would overwhelm her and release the Other.

“We have one chance to stop the Dark Lord and Envoy,” Occam said. “We must work together and send them into the portal then close it. It is our only chance; they cannot be released upon your world together. All of our efforts must be concentrated on keeping them off balance.”

All nodded, except Norman whose form was lost in the rotating whirlwind of fire and Brian who was contemplating leaving his friends again.

The air grew hotter still and the fear Sara was using faded. Hovering above the fray near the alcove, she released everyone’s mind. She could still feel the Dark Lord struggling with the Other in her mind. The sudden loss of her fear attack and the sudden tearing of her mind as the Dark Lord was forced out panicked her. She reached for the power the portal offered and brushed against it sending forth a pulse of mental energy encompassing everyone’s psyche, but it was too much. Her pulse penetrated the minds of those on the other side of the magical gateway as well. Every fear and horror ever imagined flooded her mind causing her to gasp in shock. The Other reached out to envelop her, to protect her mind. She tried resisting, but the battle was already slipping away from her vision. “Help,” she gasped audibly and mentally to her confidant drawing his mind henceforth. She knew what must be done and was afraid at what may happen as a result. Sara also knew Occam was too proud to ask it of her.

“Sara, stay with us. We cannot do this without you. Fight the urge focus your mind,” Occam answered. Tears pooled her eyes for she knew what was to come. “No. I can’t hold it back; you have to do this without me, and you know it. It’s the only way.”

“I cannot ask it of you.”

“You don’t have to.”

There was a pause like the universe itself stopped waiting for the two to exchange goodbyes.

“Will you catch me,” Sara asked sobbing.

“I will always be here for you,” the large drake said eyes like the sun extinguishing with tears. He knew what price Sara might pay for her inner demons.

“I lov-”

The Other had arrived.

Swimming contempt in the kinetic energies surrounding the portal it soaked the raw kinetic power in like a sponge. It was disgusted at the horrors revealed to Sara and would smote all sources of the evil. The living id enveloped her in a psychic shell protecting her from the harm and the images of malevolence they had brought.

Sara felt her consciousness slip away until reality was just a pinpoint of light, like a distant star. Falling into herself, she focused harder than ever in an attempt to protect the minds of her ad hoc team. The Other was usually not forgiving and made no distinction between good and evil. It was also there in the darkness, alone and falling, she heard the voices of those from the other side, their secrets opening up to her. She shook in fear at what they were planning to do and what was to come. Reaching her thoughts out she tried to warn Occam, but the tiny thread of reality she held onto only allowed her to protect the minds of her team.

+++++

With tremendous effort and pain, the swift Crey drake launched away from Thauma startling her. He leapt in the air, caught Sara’s falling limp body, and gently laid it upon the ground. He ignored his aches, for true loyalty, dedication, and love transcended all things. After he gently set her body on the ground, the Other struck.

It bent reality to her will forcing everyone’s fears into existence. In a blinding flash, every human except most of those allied with Sara physically faced their deepest darkest fears. No one was spared save the Dark Lord and the Envoy. Their was one person in particular the Other did not spare, whose darkest secrets held true horror, the awfulness of guilt and betrayal. She could not let any darkness exist regardless of what Sara wanted. Brian’s suffering would finally end.

Occam’s Bow displayed no surprise at the events. A singular action played throughout her mind and when the opportunity immediately presented itself, she acted. Thauma rushed over to Sara and Occam when they collapsed on the ground to offer more healing magic. Bow knew whatever kept the Dark Lord from intervening in the fight was now at an end. His purplish green form darkened against the column of fire. More Nightcasters closer to the Saurian god burst into flames from the heat, but the prehistoric god seemed unaffected. She reached for the enchanted arrow. An arrow forged from the greatest magicks of the elf world and blessed with the love and gift of life. She notched the blazing white arrow and delivered the gift to Earth with the wrath of the elven race. Although the power in the arrow was great, it would only maim the Dark Lord and not kill. It struck the ancient god directly through his right knee.

The Dark Lord actually shrieked in pain and only those few not invaded by the Other covered their ears at the horrible cry. Paragon City shook above threatening to rezone the entire metropolitan area in the image of Faultline. The god crumpled to his left knee gripping the injured one.

No one understood the venomous threats the Saurian hissed, but Bow and Occam.

Thauma enveloped Sara and Occam in a magical force field. Sara still was breathing, but remained unconscious. She reached out to bubble Occam’s Bow when a stream of dark energy from the Dark Lord traveled through the force field and the female elf before exploding on the back wall of the cavern. Occam’s Bow lifeless body fell to the earth, dead before she hit the ground. “No!” Occam and Thauma cried in unison.

Occam tried to get up but his wounded body resisted. He too should have been unconscious from the pain, but his dragon blood strengthened his determination. He rose unsteadily, but Thauma Guard rushed to the elf’s side.

The tall ebony skinned mage knew immediately Occam’s Bow was dead, her body as limp as Aaron’s when he faced the Envoy and lost. Sweat trickled down her face, resulting from the intense heat of the firestorm raging near the center of the cavern next to the portal. It was like the sun had decided to rise from the very spot.

“Now Thauma,” the Dark Lord proclaimed causing her to shiver in fear in knowledge such an evil being knew her name. “You will join your companion in Hell.”

Occam tried to throw himself in the way of the dark blast shooting at Thauma. He was weaker than he realized and fell way short of her location. He could only watch helplessly when the dark energies discharged.

The Other, absorbing all the kinetic energy available, appeared before Thauma in a shimmering bluish white light, her form resembling exactly Sara Starling. It would not allow it any more. The energies meant for Thauma dissipated around the Other.

Through a pain filled haze, the Dark Lord saw the foolish child. He was angered at her defiance at not joining his cause. He knew the true power she wielded and desired her enlistment among his minions. Such a disciple with her power would feed his impotent strength by an order of magnitude. The young one obstinately refused.

“I know what you are afraid of Dark Lord,” it said mocking him.

“I fear nothing,” he growled vibrating the walls and floor of the cave.

“Today all will witness your fear.”

The shimmering white image of Sara raised an out stretched hand. “Hail the return of the Dragons.”

No one ever could have guessed what the look of shock and surprise looked like on the ancient Saurian god. One would have thought the gods feared nothing. They would have been wrong.

To the humans three brilliant multicolored strobe lights appeared before the Dark Lord Ockham. He yelled in insolence for he and the drake only saw the true forms of dragons; they had returned from pre-history. They swarmed the Dark Lord like a hive of large angry hornets. The large lights buzzed and crackled with energy and the injured Dark Lord swung at them and released all the powers it could think of in an attempt to rid the Earth the zealous creatures.

The Other turned toward Thauma and smiled before it too faded into the battle scene. The tall mage did not understand what she saw. She was sure Sara was now dead and it was her ghost that was striking back before traveling to the afterlife. Another team member had fallen and although she had not known Sara well, only meeting her on girl’s nights out, she felt a sudden sadness for her. Her death was what waited them all.

“Brian,” Thauma said turning toward her once apprentice. He stood staring ahead with that thousand-yard stare she had seen before. “Brian you’re our last hope to warn the city. Azuria must be told of the Dark Lord’s plans.”

Brian turned toward her and blankly looked at his mentor and sister. He vaguely heard Thauma. Sweat trickled down his face and he stared passed the multitude of battles, the dragons attacking the dark lord, and the fiery tornado that enveloped Norman and the Envoy. Near the portal Aura Mattson stood smiling and it burned his soul. Behind her the image of Aaron stood, his brown eyes forever extinguished from their green light of life. She beckoned him closer, but he could not move, locked in place by Aaron’s frown. He wanted to run and leave the world behind. Her calls to him increased and she began getting angry. Brian backed up slowly; they were going to haunt him forever unless he acted now.

+++++

Norman felt the fire licking the hairs of his face and dancing among the cracks of his breastplate. He sweated in the blaze and felt the ground beneath him softening and liquefying. He tried to keep the fire off his skin, but failed his hair burning off. He needed to burn hotter if the group were to have a chance to send the Envoy back through the portal. A ground of molten stone would allow that to happen. He reached deeper inside, farther than he ever thought possible and summoned the greatest heat imaginable. Even in the uncontrollable fiery whirlwind, he knew it was not going to be enough. His thoughts drifted to Thauma, he could not fail her. He wanted her to live, and was ready to make the sacrifice. With what he thought was his first selfish act he gave in to his flames knowing from his flesh an even greater tremendous heat would be born.

The Rogue Isle Protector took a deep breath sending the hellish flames down his throat and into his lungs where it devoured them. It feasted upon his flesh sparing not even his fireproof clothes. It gnawed on the weak spots of his uniform creating holes and even managed to melt parts of his breastplate. Norman lost track of Thauma during the melee and hoped he brought enough of a diversion so she could escape. Norman’s flesh melted off his bones feeding the bright beast but never satisfying its hunger. The bones cracked and sizzled like firewood before succumbing to ash... so passed Norman from this world to the next.

The Envoy laughed deeply and let the fires of Hell subside showing the heroes who was still standing. The flames turned a hotter bluish white and further melted the stone around him.

Thauma could only look on horrified at what transpired. She wished she never had to witness such an event again and would probably get her wish. The third member of their team had fallen. She collapsed near Sara and waited for her turn. She hoped it was not going to hurt, but seeing Aaron again would make up for the pain. She begged for Brian one last time to leave and warn Azuria.

So Brian ran.

Maybe he should have thought it through first, because he found himself running from Thauma and Occam enacting the traveling spells contained in his boots. He heard Thauma cry out to him, but he was already half way to the Envoy and the Dark Lord. Facing the ones he killed he realized his fear was irrelevant. He remembered a stray phrase that said courage is how you act when frightened. In a brilliant streak, he raced toward the Dark Lord and his Envoy. He faced his fears refusing to back down to them. He was almost at the portal when he finalized his plan. He realized Aaron and Aura were offering him his redemption and a price paid in full for their murders.

The Envoy scarcely saw the streak of yellow from within the bluish white flames and barely managed to swing its flame sword at the new combatant. Brian’s destination was not them but the gate behind them next to the one he murdered. He leapt up, assisted by his special made boots, over the otherworldly creatures, and cast the spell he planned to use to raze the city of Oranbega. The spell could destroy a building with ease and required months of verbal practicing to speak it correctly. He knew the spell forwards and backwards. He chose backwards. With the telekinetic spell reversed, it would draw his targets to him instead of pushing them away.

The words rolled effortlessly from his lips and he even chose his anchor wisely. Brian dropped though the portal managing to snag the Dark Lord, the Envoy and even some Nightcasters in the field of effect.

The humans tried to stop their descent but could not and were easily pulled through the portal. The Envoy leaned forward resisting the spell, but the molten earth only caused him slide backwards dragged into the gate scratching deeply grooved claw marks the entire way. The Saurian god fought the hardest with one good knee and a trio of Dragons assaulting him.

“Thauma,” Occam growled realizing victory was at hand, “Hit the Dark Lord.”

Thauma was in shock after witnessing Brian’s actions. She was dazed at losing yet another team member. She had been waiting to die and Occam’s remark was almost lost to her. Only when the Envoy slid into the portal did she even comprehend what had transpired.

She stood up with all the hurt from loss, suffering, and loneliness. Her magic summoned the most powerful force field she had ever, or may ever create, and flung it with the power of a woman scorned at the Dark Lord knocking him completely off balance into the air. Brian’s telekinetic spell instantly sucked the Saurian into the magical gateway bridging the two dimensions.

“We must close the portal,” Occam shouted through the continuing battles of fear that raged around them. About half the remaining Nightcasters had fallen to their own fears and the drake worried that the Other would attack them once they were gone.

“How do we do that?” Thauma asked helping the drake to his feet.

In response, the portal shuddered and exploded, the ground itself ripping apart. They had their answer, the portal was now closed and neither knew exactly why.

Chapter 10

He stood naked in a small clearing surrounded by an overgrowth expanse of green trees. Not sure how long he had been standing there waiting, or for whatever he was waiting for, but he felt he must continue to be patient. Before him, in the warm morning air, was built a low white marbled altar with a fire pit carved in the center of the smooth surface. A cord of wood was stacked neatly among the burning embers feeding the small flames. The blackness of the curved depression indicated fires had been started and burnt on the altar for an untold number of years. A small black spider ran out from within the flames and scurried down the altar. He lost sight of it in the tall grass and thought the whole event seemed rather odd.

He gazed upwards at the rising sun shielding his eyes with his left hand. The light felt warm against his skin and he felt idyllic. Something was missing though, he felt he had to be somewhere and meet someone, but time was running short. If he could even remember who he was maybe, he could figure out everything else.

The small fire flared up briefly drawing his attention. He watched the blaze feeling a familiarity in the chaotic random patterns of the flames. He saw shadows dancing in among the flames a companion to the ballet. Looking deeper, he saw a female form shadowed in the darkness with a light spiky hair…

A bright light burst from above encompassing the clearing blotting out the heavens and he was awed at its radiance. He fell to his knees prostrating himself before a god. He felt naked and ashamed and begged for forgiveness at his failure. He was not sure what he failed at, but then the light was suddenly just gone. He could not ever remember swearing a belief in a god before and pondering the situation. Someone to his right gripped his arm.

“It’s okay,” a gentle voice said helping him back to his feet.

The man who could not remember his name glanced at her. She had deep red hair sparkling blue eyes. Her smile was gentle and calming. Again, a tranquil feeling washed over him. All he could do was smile back at her. She wore a crimson robe open to the front revealing her nakedness for anyone willing to gaze at her.

“Welcome Destined One,” a voice rang like chimes from his left.

Another equally alluring beauty grabbed his other arm. Her hair more radiant then the sun and her blue eyes reflected the depths of the oceans. She smiled seductively at him and he actually blushed. She was dressed identically to the woman on his right.

“Yes, welcome back,” came a male voice from in front of him. The trees parted from the clearing and out walked a dark haired man. He was dressed in a full crimson robe revealing nothing, but his was adorned with purple and gold stitching not like the simple affair, the women wore.

“Back?” the man with no name said. “Where am I and who am I?”

The man smiled a friendly smiled almost laughing at his plight of memory. He approached the altar and the flames reacted racing ever faster.

“Yes Norman, back. It is with great pleasure that we meet you once again.”

Norman brows furled. “Where am I?”

“Inconsequential,” he responded glancing to the east.

Norman followed his gaze and noticed the dark clouds gathering at the horizon approaching the eclectic group. The robed man frowned at the sight.

“We must be quick about it then.”

“Quick about what,” Norman asked.

“You are the Destined One, born of Mu, blessed with the blood of dragons and yes, you were here once before when you died receiving their blood.”

Something rang true in Norman’s mind. A key turned and the events of the last few minutes of his life thrust forward breaking the bonds of amnesia.

“I don’t understand.”

“No my child you do not. You have been so blessed to become the instrument of our revenge against our enemies that stretch back eons. We sent you back once before, but you were given a gift born of blood and amplified by the accursed dragons. You have it in you now to return whence you came.”

Norman’s memory completely returned, but he could not remember being here before, although it did seem very familiar. “You are of dragon blood, an Assassin of the Gods. We will assist your return but you must remember this, our time for revenge is near. It is closer now than it ever was and it will be complete. Seek out Scirocco of Arachnos and he will instruct you in your heritage and you can claim true power. Believe not in false prophecies, because Lord Recluse is only a tool manipulated by us to reach our ends.”

The dark haired man gestured to the woman to his right and she thrust a bird into his hand, she pulled from a green sack he had not noticed her holding before. He held the bird by its legs near its talons. It was twice the size of a pheasant and if it were not the maroon gold plumage with iridescent neck feathers, he would have thought it to be such. It batted its wings in an attempt to escape and he nearly let go. He held the large bird up when it tried to peck at his naked body.

“You hold in your right hand a phoenix of legend,” the dark haired man continued.

The blonde woman placed a dagger in his left hand and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. He looked down at the blade that seemed almost carved in stone, but the handle seemed made of silver with minor settings of various jewels.

“In your left is a dagger carved from the petrified heart of a dragon.”

Thunder rolled from the east and Norman watched lightning flash again, the storm grew closer still. He still had many questions, like what if he did not want to be an Assassin of the Gods, just thinking it sounded preposterous. He had studied what information he could about Occam’s Razar, which really answered very little. It seemed to him the title these unusual familiar strangers imposed on him were greatly exaggerating.

“I don’t understand,” Norman said holding up the dagger and phoenix. “I died how I can return?” He could tell the dark haired man grew impatient, but breathe deeply to remain clam.

“My son,” he forced a smile, “the legend of the phoenix has been… embellished a bit. The true phoenix, when it dies, is consumed by flames so it can be reborn from its own ashes. It is not impervious to fire, much like you. You have reached the pinnacle of your abilities this will become easier for you, even if you were not phoenix-born.”

Norman stood surprised, telling the story that way seemed to make sense. Occam had said humankind forgot the true face of dragons seeing only what they became; maybe the phoenix legend was the same way.

“Kill the phoenix, claim its life, and return to whence you came and avenge our kind once and for all.”

The Rogue Isle Protector smiled back at the dark haired man. He understood now. Paying no more attention to the divinely beautiful women at his side, he held the phoenix out over the fire and cut of the birds head off with the knife. The blood from the phoenix fell upon the flame like gasoline and the fire rose up consuming the bird.

“Do not let go,” the dark haired man said.

The phoenix’s body responded violently almost tearing its headless burning corpse from his grasp. Norman tried to control the flame, but could not. The fire ran up his arm and immediately spread all over his body. He screamed from the pain, but held tight. Once again, the Protector was consumed by flames.

+++++

The small band of green robed guides scoured the empty cavern; their bright glowing green eyes amplified the little light that existed. They found wooden crates filled with supplies and the scenes of a large battle.

“Here are the remains of a summoning portal,” the leader said traversing the cooled molten ground. He recognized some of the portal etchings but apparently, an extreme heat had literally melted the stone. Large claw marks were forever etched in the floor from where the heated rock had melted.

“Here,” one of the guides reported bringing a strange red metallic helmet to their circle leader. “I found it near the empty supply alcove over there.”

The leader grasped the helmet and rotated it in his palms. The traitorous Nightcasters had been here and the fact they missed them ticked him off. What did make him happy was the dozens of bodies they found littered everywhere. It was though their true god had struck out in vengeance as payment for their heresy.

“Do you think any escaped?” another member of the scout party asked.

The leader shrugged. It did not matter; they were on the run and their numbers dwindling rapidly. History would soon forget the threat of Nightcasters and the Circle of Thorns would in time rule the world. He crouched to the cavern floor and dusted off a modern armored chest plate that appeared to have survived a great heat. Attempting to wipe off the charcoal and ash, he uncovered the dulled red image of a spider. He knew the symbol of Arachnos immediately, but did not know why was here. Further digging through the ashes, he found a partially burnt uniform and belt. The belt seemed almost untouched. He watched a small breeze catch some of the remains and twirl it into a small vortex. What he failed to realize was there was no breeze in the cavern.

Norman was reborn unto Earth in flesh and blood rising once again from his ashes. The four Circle of Thorn members did not scream because there was no time. The thunderous fiery explosion erupted filling the cave and Norman coalesced from the very heart of the flames and ash hovering in the middle the previously darkened cave. He gently lowered to the floor fully clothed in his Protector regalia. Although he looked like he had walked through a blast furnace, his breastplate melted in places, scorch marks, and holes pocked the spandex-like material.

He could not but help to feel his appendages to make sure everything was still with him. The memory of his afterlife was still clear in his mind. He did not know if he was the same person he used to be, but for the time being he would have to go along with this new self. Everything had changed, patience and time was required to decide on the best course of action.

Norman checked the contents of the metallic pouches on the inside his belt. The contents were still there and seemed to have survived the fiery combat. He rebooted his helmet and already twelve hours had passed from when he first revealed his true form to Thauma. Gripping Brian’s mediport device in his hands he headed back toward the surface. If he was fast, he could get a free ride from the Paragon City emergency system and still maintain the value of the device. He had a sneaky suspicion his true love had survived.

Chapter 11

Thauma Guard walked wearily down the Chiron Medical Center in Atlas Park still wearing the clothes from the night before. She and Ginger Blaze had plans to go out the previous night until Norman arrived brining a contingent of Longbow with him. Now her attire gave one the impression she was employed by a chimney sweep company and had had a rough night.

Arriving alone at the elevators, she pressed the button for the third floor a bit more exhausted. She and some members of the Onami had spent the last couple of hours going through Brian’s apartment. Voltech ended up kicking her out, promising to take care of Brian’s personal belongings. Thauma had been at his place in Founder’s Falls and his Kings Row apartment was an indication of just how far he really had fallen. The signs seemed so evident with hindsight and she silently blamed herself for letting him hit rock bottom alone.

The elevator dinged on the third floor and opened up. Walking into Sara Starlings room brought back emotions. Occam stood like a sentinel holding Sara’s hand and his eyes still never lost the passion of the sun. His left arm was in a sling.

“How is she?”

“Unchanged,” Occam responded laying her hand down. “She is still in a coma. No brain activity.” He was worried about Thauma; his outside observations of the Onami Strike Force was telling him they were approaching a turning point. One that could cost more lives if not acted upon. “How are you?”

“Okay,” the tall ebony women said. She curled up on one of the visitor’s chair, unable to fight off fatigue any longer. The events already over twelve hours ago seemed like a distant dream or somebody’s bad writing.

“How are you holding up?”

“I will survive. My friends at Paragon City University are already assisting the hospital staff in preparations to replace my arm. You should go rest, nothing more can be done.”

From the fetal position, she eyed the big guy and sighed. Silently the loss of the others finally caught up to her. She wept years ago for Aaron, but with Brian, Norman, Bow, the feelings she buried for the best of Onami assaulted her. She fought back feeling like she was losing Aaron all over. She could not go through it again.

“Is Brian still alive?” she asked.

Occam thought a second before answering. He had seen the other side when he emerged upon the Envoy. It had not been another dimension that he was expecting. “I am not sure. It is possible, but I will not lie, the Dark Lord will be furious and so will the Envoy. No one person has ever escaped their wrath.”

“You did, once.”

Occam shook his head know to what she referring. “No, I sacrificed my life even then. I find myself blessed to once again able to offer that life for humankind.”

“Why did he do it?” Thauma asked referring to Brian.

“One can only run from their true self for so long. We saw that at the end.”

“There had to be another way.”

“Maybe, Brian had to figure it out himself.” Occam responded. He then realized she was not truly referring to Brian. “Thauma let him go, its okay.”

“What?” she said sitting up from the blue recliner.

“He would not want you to suffer as you do.”

Emotions long buried erupted drowning Thauma. She gasped and her heart raced grasping what the drake meant. Brian’s sacrifice opened an old wound of loss, emptiness, and abandonment. She struggled for breath mouthing Aaron’s name silently. The half-dragon saw the truth even when she did not. She fought back tears refusing to suffer the torment once again.

Occam stepped over to her to offer comfort and she got up and almost fell into his strong thick arms. Humans were so emotional to the drake a trait he shared far too easily with them.

“I can't let him go. Without him, I feel empty, like there's a hole in my heart. If I could, I would gladly die too, to be with him again.”

“No my child,” Occam said consoling her. “Face your loss and remember Aaron for his achievements in life, not for his absence in death. Brian would want the same.”

He held on to her for a few minutes before the door to Sara’s room opened bringing the hero known as Stateside in.

“Occam, I am glad you’re here,” the dark skinned man said. He wore the red, white, and blue uniform of Homeland Security. Under a new executive order signed by the President of the United States, Homeland Security was authorized to employ what ever means necessary to achieve their objectives. More specifically, they were authorized to deputize metahumans into a National Guard Order in defense of the security of the United States. Paragon City was the perfect place to start such a beta program. Individuals registered became official U.S. federal employees. Stateside was the first to enlist under the executive order and would help lay the foundation for a more formal organization that would follow. His use of the broadsword and advanced prototype body armor was guided by Occam’s Razar’s, by Stateside’s request. Occam even sponsored his petition to Thauma in order to join the Onami Strike Force. He was so dedicated to fighting crime he fought for the government by day, and at night, he fought for the Onami Strike Force.

Thauma broke the comforting grip of Occam and went into the bathroom to compose herself. “What is the problem?” the drake asked.

“I need to get you out of here,” Stateside responded blankly. “There is a warrant out for your arrest.”

“Why?”

“This morning Crey Industries filed lawsuit against Hero Corps for the falsification of your former membership records, and for theft and destruction of their property, among other charges. Paragon City University and your name also appear alongside the Hero Corps. Your Hero License has been suspended by the City pending the trial. I believe the University will be kicking you off campus, too.”

Occam was stunned. He had wondered if his association with the selfish organization of Hero Corps would come back to haunt him. Apparently, it had. He still had details to plan to return the elf known as Occam’s Bow to her homeland and this only complicated the matter. He would have taken down Crey Industries long ago if it was not for the fact the Countess and her minions partially ran legitimate businesses. They surrounded themselves with the innocent and did so by the thousands. If Crey fell, the innocent employees would suffer too. The challenge of taking on an organization like that was completely foreign to the drake. During his time, the differences between good and evil were more evident. When the dragons needed to wipe out evil, they just acted. Nowadays that was not always the best solution.

+++++

The Rogue Isle Protector slipped out one of the hospitals windows before anyone could even respond to the false arrival of News Flash. It was already the evening of the next night. He must have waited in that clearing far longer than he thought. Using the gadgets of Arachnos, he was able to locate Occam and listen in on the conversation. When he heard his love, it took a great resolve to stop from rushing down there to proclaim his return from the dead. He dropped behind the hospital hidden by darkness. He had overheard the plans about how to get Occam out of the hospital, so he waited like a ghost in the darkness.

A black limousine pulled behind the hospital near the entrance. Thauma and Stateside left first and the latter ran the fifty feet or so to the vehicle to hold the door open for her. Norman watched his true love and wanted to say something, but the words failed him. Occam opened the door to the hospital slightly peering into the darkness toward the limousine.

“Drake,” Norman said from the darkness.

Occam’s brow furrowed his dragon eyes piercing the darkness easily enough. He saw the Protector and hid his surprise, although he had sensed he would meet the man again. He left the hospital and sprinted to the corner of the building in two steps.

“Occam,” Stateside said trying to move the drake along to the vehicle. He could not see whom the drake was speaking to. The drake waved him off, “Why am I not surprised to see you?”

“What’s it like to be a drake?”

The question smacked the half-dragon squarely in the jaw. He then realized why, “Aaron’s blood is not the only DNA you were mutated with was it?”

The Protector nodded.

Occam knew something like this would come forth again. When Crey cloned him, such methods proved unavoidable. In time he was able to convert his clone to embrace his dragon heritage and serve humanity. He was now in places unknown fighting evil and searching for himself.

“Come with me Norman,” Occam proclaimed offering his right hand. “Claim the true heritage of dragons and help me fight the evil in the world.”

Norman tried not to laugh, but it just blurted out. What a outlandish thing to tell say, Norman thought. “You have got to be insane. It is ludicrous for you to think all drakes fought for humankind. I am sure some even helped the downfall of the dragons that made you the last drake.”

Occam realized he had been premature. He had hoped Norman sought him out because the true path of dragons had opened up to him. This adaptation would take time.

“Very well then,” Occam said turning toward the limousine. “What should I tell Thauma about your return from the dead?”

The Protector was really ticked, his pulse rising to seventy-two. The audacity of that claim just floored him. He truly believed Lord Recluse held they key to a peaceful society. The world was just not ready or willing to make the leap of faith.

“Tell Thauma whatever you want.”

With no more words between the two, he leapt in to the air and into the night sky and the half-human watched him go. Thauma deserved the truth. He would have to watch her closely over the next few weeks. An idea came to him; maybe he could put her on the path of healing after all.

Norman, one of the few Rogue Isle Protectors, had a meeting with Scirocco to attend to anyway