Don't waste your time or time will waste you. That's what he had always been told, a highly irrelevant statement to someone like him. But that’s what the clock was telling him right now, not that it was actually talking. It was a metaphor, the clock itself was not so strange on the outside as to talk; several dozen golden links making up a showy chain, and at their southern end hung a circular watch, swinging gently in the breeze as it ticked away. Even on the inside it wasn't very different, the placid glass face protecting a pair of hands gently shifting along a preset course of numbers. That was until you realized just how they were going along, the hands defiantly moving backwards, counter-clockwise if you would. Periodically undergroind brief periods of speeding up, and upon rare occassions actually coming to a complete halt.

"Time is a wastin'..." the translucent voice muttered beneath its mask, The Hero was speaking. Leaning just outside of a dark alley, which happened to located in the center of a very populated city, just outside a literal stampede of people streamed by endlessly, just as they had for the past few hours since the morning-shifts had begun. His body was tilted forward with the left foot balancing itself precariously on its own tip. Meanwhile his forearm pressed firmly against that dirty wall to his side, covering up a small section graffiti that ultimately spelled out Optimus Ryme in grotesquely misshapen letters. It had been a few days since his rather cataclysmic return, his only regret being that the cataclysm hadn't been his fault... that and he had yet to find himself a new set of clothes. It didn't even seem to graze his thoughts that he had yet to set things back as they should, that he hadn't recieved that jolt, the one that would finally restart the b--

"You really need to get that watch fixed brah." an annoying voiced jeered from the sidelines, screeching into his sensitive ears and jolting him away from his thoughts.

"Its not broken it's just Australian you douche bag!" he snapped back quickly, head whipping around to face the kid only to find he had already disappeared into the crowd. From beneath his mask he issued a heavy sigh, the arm that had been suspending the watch infront of him dropping away from the wal, shoving itself and the watch into his worn pocket. It took a few seconds as he was holding the chain and not the head, finding that he had to shove his hand particularly deep to make sure the watch itself was actually inside his pocket.

Time was indeed starting to run short, even his laziness had to admit that unless he hurried up there wouldn't be any spaces left for him. How embarrassing would it for his own brain child to be captured by one of the very same idiots that he constantly complained about taking up his valuable breathing space. No that wasn't going to happen though; he was definitely going to recapture it and maybe a little bit more. He would earn his spot, though he could very easily steal one.

"I just hope this is the alley Mike lives in." he said brisquely, setting himself upright and stepping out into the crowd, refusing to move as he simply stood there, letting the tides of ongoers break against him like water against rocks. Much like the watch in his pocket he was refusing to go with the tide, and as soon as the people had realized that they were already spreading away from him, edging closer to the sidewalk to give him his space. After all no one wanted to shove the strange looking fellow with a mask on, he might be crazy, or even worse... one of these super powered freaks that had been starting their fights in public. "I'm going to feel real stupid if that isn't his box, standing out here all day like a ten cent hooker..."

"all systems online" A deep robotic male like voice announced in mikes head. Mike opened his eyes. Everything in his vision was shaded in green, with thousands of numbers scrolling now on the bottom right of his view. After a quick second the green shading dissapeared and mike could see the world in its true colors. The alley he was laying in was dark and dirty. The filth could be seen collecting on the wall that mike was resting on. Mike yawned and looked around his surrounding's,as he looked around a figure came up in his vision. The tracking system in mikes brain outlined the figure in blue and it seemed to have a human form. As mike stared at the figure statistics rolled down his right eye.

age: unindentified
bloodtype:N/A
height: 6.0
weight: 235 Ibs



Mike snorted and rose from his refuse. "thats Lan alright" he said to himself as he approached the figure.

"How can you ever expect to get the drop on anyone when you announce it every time you boot up." the Hero stated in a droll voice, in truth his sensitive ears had been too overwhelmed with the constant screeching of the city life. Rather he had felt Mikes presence, and who couldn't feel it when a nearly half-ton cyborg in a compact human form began to shove its way through the filth of the streets. His left foot lifted up, only enough so that he could twirl about on his right heel, only to bring the foot stamping down like a brake bringing him face to face with his newly located... 'enemy'.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call me by that name anymore, I'm incognito." the sarcasm literally dripping from the tip of his tongue, anyone who was anyone already knew who the face behind the mask was. Even those who didn't would recognize the mispelled name scrawled on the wall in paint as his alias, he had dabbled in the musical business a bit... everyone was doing it. He gave a light wave of his hand in Mikes direction, dismissing any possible response before starting a rather slow yet confident stroll back into the alley.

"I'm sure you already know why I'm here, Mister Kern. It is unfortunate that you've been lumped in with someone like Sam, but rules are rules. So lets start your lesson." With only a sparce several feet seperating the two Hero came to a stop, his feet sliding to shoulders-length and his arms sweeping themselves out to his side. His mid-section was completely undefended, or so it seemed at the very least, those mismatched eyes showing the grin that the mask hid away. "A free hit, so you dont die as fast as Oric did."

The outline that made outline that surrounded mikes now visible opponent turned from a bright blue to a light red. Mike squinted a little as he reached for his side arms. Not saying anything He drew both his pistols and aimed for lan firing rapidly.

exactly three hundred bullets where fired from the pistols, Certain bullets exploded as they hit walls and garbage cans sending large chunks of cement and shreds of metal towards lan. most bullets where aimed for lans upper body and head but some where also going for his legs and feet.


"whats the matter lan? cant keep up?" mike taunted as he continued to fire.

"That certainly is a good first hit." Hero shouted over the constant stream of gunfire, the final word cutting off with a light grunt as his body impacted with the cold stone alley wall that was ruining his manueverability so. Great... he could already feel his clothes getting dirtier with the grime.

Mike was certainly less silly and lovable then he had remembered, for the first few seconds he had just stood there, arms spread wide as he expected the cyborg to draw some large unweildy weapon. Perhaps a giant ball and chain or an oversized version of the power saws you might find in a Home Depot. But all too soon for Mike he had spotted the hilts being drawn and he had sprung into action. Guns were a dandy thing, being that they evened the odds so quickly between the powerless and the powerful, Hero had encounters with the deadly tools in the past and every time the constant stinging of bullets was a reminder that he hated the future. He had flung himself forward and to the side, aiming himself for what else... the wall.

Thats where he found himself now up against the wall, already having leapt six feet up so only the highest bullets would scrape at his heels, in an almost spider-esque display he flung himself towards the opposite wall. Mid-flight, metal chunks and pieces of garbage spraying him, dirty clothes and several small cuts in his skin later, a trash-can lid was coming his way. His right arm snapped itself out, fingers curling around the cold tin, it was relatively undamaged save for the charred steel along its right side and two or three bullet holes through the center. Whipping the thing around a second letter the lid was sent spinning through the air, over the hail of bullets in a B-line for the right side of Mikes skull. Meanwhile Hero was already on the move, leaping from one wall to the next.

As mike continued to fire a large red arrow started to blink to the top left of his view when mike turned his head to see the imminent danger he noticed a trash can lid flying at him in full throttle. but before mike could defend himself the lid collided with his for head in a large clanging noise. The impact sent mike twirling in a backflip once before he hit the ground.

Mike lifted him self up slowly revealing to Hero a large gaping wound in his forhead. but he was not bleeding. instead a shimmer from a unknown material could be seen.


"well Lan you really do know how to give a few shots. I presumed you got weaker. What with being an inferior specimen and all."

Mike quickly rose to his feet and took a moment for the targeting system to pick up hero before he continued to fire."

Where'd you go?...."

"Isn't this set up a little stereotypical..." the complaint was low, half to himself and half to the hapless cyborg below him. Mike wouldn't have long to contemplate the irony of the statement though, already Hero had rebounded from the wall he had thrown himself into; bouncing overhead was the least of his plans though. Deep inside that strange cortex, so different from the human mind his pressure began to exert itself. Some humans called it telekinesis, the term was about as accurate as it was going to get. The air itself was beginning to gather and swirl on its own will before him. A flick of his wrist forwards, a sudden tearing sound vibrating through the air, and a wave of heavy air was already well on its path to colliding with Mike.

If Hero had been fighting a regular human, that single shot might have been the end to it. But why would he be picking someone normal. The enemy was a cyborg, just its weight alone told him enough to know that even if his attack did catch him off guard it wouldn't hit with enough force to do much beyond rock him on his heels. It was just a front however, a front a much heavier follow up. Hero's legs sank inwards, letting him crouch along the length of the wall while absorbing all of the impact. In an instant all his leg muscles uncoiled themselves, launching him off the wall only seconds behind the wave of air he had sent out. Twisting slightly in mid-air his course was simple and obvious. He would land feet first as hard as he could, right ontop of Mikes head. If the wondrous mechanical man was still standing after that, then he'd have to start improvising.

A large label flashed in mikes vision.
"CAUTION" The warning said. Without thinking twice The cyborg activated the boosters in his feet. Blasting him out of the alley in speeds almost unmeasurable. The impact from Lans attack Turned the floor that mike was originally standing on into a large crater. Not to mention Lans second attack two seconds later, if that would of hit mike it would of done serious damage to his navigation and targeting systems in his brain.

Mike pushed one foot forward into the ground wiping the concrete aside like a pile of tissue and sending cars flying into buildings. Mike was more careful when fighting hero, he has never engaged in combat before with this being. The mechanical being looked around himself. He knew if he opened fire with his pistols again hero would merely dodge them, A bus was parked near Mike. He wasted no time to grab the bus,Lift it over his head and through it straight forward at hero.

The bust was going straight so it could fit into the alley, in speeds only a little faster then an F1 racer.