City of Heroes . City of Tomorrow . Since 2009, when a prodigal son returned with the powers of an ancient god and called himself Statesman, Paragon City has been the center of the super-powered hero universe. Through the efforts of Statesman and those who joined him in the war against tyranny and crime, Paragon City truly became a beacon and inspiration for heroes world-wide. A true city of heroes.

All that came to a disastrous halt on May 23, 2021 when aliens known as the Nictus invaded the earth and began their war of mass extermination. Every major city in the world was attacked, but none were more devastated than Paragon City . It was here that thousands of heroes and civilians made their last stand. It was on this ruined battlefield that legends died and were created. After months of desperate fighting and incredible sacrifice, the Rikti were stopped-though not entirely defeated. In the end, of all the great super-powered heroes who called Paragon City home, only eight survived. Total casualty figures remain unknown, though low estimates placed them in the tens of thousands.

In the aftermath of the war, Paragon City , like much of the cities of the world, lay in ruins. With most of the city's heroes dead or missing, crime and corruption seized the opportunity to fill the hero-less vacuum. Gangs of criminals-some reemerging from decades of hiding, many new and horrifying in their methods-began to take control of the city's war torn zones. Amidst this sudden influx of lawlessness, Statesman made a call to the world's surviving and newly found heroes: "Come to Paragon City 's aid!"

Paragon City . City of Tomorrow . City of Heroes . The world's last best hope of freedom and justice. Home to Statesman and the greatest heroes on earth. What true hero could resist?

After the new age, many superheroes answered Statesmen's call. MAny hereos came and new villains are popping up. A special group of heroes has formed in hopes that the evil that is Archanos will never rise to power, all the while dealing with the coming invasion of the Nictus. These are the chronicles of their adventures. These are the stories that will be told for generations. This are the Chronicles of Heroes!

A young, beautiful girl was rushing out of the colledge campus of the University of Rhode Island, now located in Paragon City, the largest city in the US. SHe was waering a Keaney Blue miniskirt and Dark Blue Hoodie with the RHU symbol on it. She reached into a messenger bag around her waist. SHe pulled out a small device that resembled a very high-tech phone. SHe pressed and help the button on the side of the device and began to speak into it.

"Man you guys are lucky! I have to go find a place with no one around and change into my outfit, while you are already all siuted up and waitng for me!"

Another female voice responded back to her, "Well, sorry Alessa, but we can't control how your powers work."

A male voice came on," Ha, maybe you'll meet someone with the ability to change powers and he can make it so you can automatically change..."

Alessa ignored the voice. She slid the phone into a small punch on her side. SHe ran into a nearby alleyway and ran very far down into it. She stopped and ran behind a large dumpster. She pulled a costume out from her bag and took all of her clothes off. She changed into the outfit and put her original clothes back in.

"I have really got to start wearing underwear more..." SHe jumped into the air and went up 30 ft and landed on a build. She was now in a sexy bunny outfit with long floppy ears and a cotton tail. SHe had very large wite gloves and boots and the costume did not have sleeves or legs so it was very revealing. ALso her hair was no longer the original blonde it was. Now it was red-orange.

SHe positioned herself onto all four legs and started to run. She was going incredibly fast. Maybe faster than a speeding bullet you could say. She was jumping form building to building, still on all fours. SHe stopped on one building to be greeted by two people. First, Another girl in a balck suit with the zipper down half way showing alot of cleavage.

"Umm... Are you sure you should be wearing it wit hthe zipper down so far and no shirt underneath?"
"This coming from the bunny queen. You might aswell be naked in the bunny outfit!"

The male greeted her next. He was much different. He was not human, he was Kheldian. He was tall and muscular. He had average sized black hair and was in a black and white suit with an S in the middle. He spoke up.

"Ya know, those should be our team colors. Black and white. It's kinda like how the X-men had blue and yeallow.(Yes all superheroes and villains from the DC/Marvel franchises are in this. But most of the mare in different parts of the world or on different planets)

"Yeha. I think thats a good idea!" Alessa jumped for joy like her regular self.

Maelina thought it was as cute as always but they had buisness to do. "Okay team! This is it! Today we will begin to find other superheroes with a passion for protecting the common good of our fair city. So go out and search for those with a want to form an alliance!"

"Alright! Lets do it!"
"YAY! Thiswill be fun!!!"

Maelina threw her hands into the air and they started to glow. Her body began to dissapear and then was gone completly. She was gone with the wind. Telon flew out in a flash. Alessa once again got on all fours and begin her building hop once more, hopping form building to building at incredible speeds.

Thiswould be the day. This would be the day that the lives for these few heroes would change forever.

Back at the University of Rhode Island, Rio was exiting his car and making his way across the courtyard. As he did so however, he stopped at the large mirror like sign with the schools logo on it. However, unlike most people, when Rio looked in the mirror, he didn't see himself, only Bolts. Granted he was the only one that saw this but it was still enough to freak him out every now and then. Though upon looking in the mirror-like letters and studying them further he found a strange coincidence. "U....R....I......you...are....I...." He repeated to himself as he stared into the mirror. "Hmph...like I needed another reminder." He sighed as he turned away from the sign and continued across the courtyard. Unfortunately crossing the courtyard seemed to be the last thing that Rio would get to do today as the school's football quarterback was making his way straight towards Rio. "Hey chicken sh**!!!" The man yelled at Rio from a mediocre distance of about five feet. Rio however only stopped his original path and turned to face the quarterback. "What is it today Jones....Did I unwittingly make another one of your girlfriends leave you?" He asked in an almost bored tone. As the words left his lips however whatever movement there was in the courtyard seemed to cease as well as whatever talk was going on. Jones, or Flash as he preffered to be called, just stood there with his eye twitching and his fists balled. "You arrogant piece of sh-" He was stopped when Rio through up his hand in a kind of stopping motion. "Yes, yes we get it already. I'm a piece of sh**. Look if your gonna fight me just do i-" Flash certainly wasn't going to let Rio embarass him anymore and thus cut that sentence off with an attempted left hook. All he hit however was the air above Rio's head who now seemed even more annoyed than before. It wasn't so much that he was angry but really just getting more and more impatient. When the next punch, a quick right-jab, came through, Flash would find Rio performing a one armed handstand on his forearm via a rather firm grip from Rio's left hand. When Flash tried to use his other arm to strike what he hoped was a now vulnerable Rio, all his fist struck was the palm of Rio's hand which quickly shut around his own. "Are you done yet, I'd hate to have to embarass you infront of everyone here." He sighed as if giving Flash one last chance to back out. "Fu** you!!" Flash roared as he tried to break his hands free of Rio's grip. "Suit yourself then." Rio sighed as he seemingly let his legs fall forward. Upon doing so, his shins landed on Flash's shoulders while his ankles hooked around his neck. "Goodbye, Flash." Rio grunted as he swung his body weight forward and sent Flash flying into one of the many bushes surrounding the courtyard. When the throw was complete, Rio had to perform a quick front hand spring so as to avoid landing on his face but was soon back on his previous path. "Hmph.....sometimes it's just not worth it."

Bunny jumped donw form a tall building into the grass near the front of the University. A few poeple acknowleadged her and sai, "Hey! Look! It's Bunny!" A few guys sarted to walk towards her. SHe got annoyed. "Sorry, boys! I don't have time to flirt today!" She ran off. SHe was picking up speed increbly fast.

Now, after she got her powers, Bunny had been practicing wit hher brother. He would run special drills for her to do and she was glad for it. Now when she ran she was able to dodge and avoid obstacles in her path, even in the crowded city streets. But this was one of those times when she might bumb into somebody. And whne shes going this fast, they will both probably go down, unless hes like some big guy. This guy wasn't that big. Bunny bumped into a young fellow walking from the campus. They both fell to the ground.(thats you bolts ^_0)

"YAAAH" Rio scremead as the collision with the bunny girl sent him flying forward. Soon after his back collided with one of the long stone gardens surrounding the courtyard, a kind of dazed look appearing on his face. When he woke up there were several people standing over him snickering something about a bunny. It wasn't until he arose that he saw the girl who collided with him on the ground. "That the girl who ran into me?" He asked as he pointed his index finger towards her. Several people acknowledged that, that indeed was the case so Rio walked over to where Bunny was still lying and hoisted her up by what little cloth there was on her back. "....Ya know.....if your this big of a clutz maybe you should consider walking from now on, hmm?" Rio sighed as he set the bunny girl back on her own to feet and turned to leave.

Bunny than gave a big smile after being helped up. Please! I'm a Rabbit for life. Running is in my blood... I ummm just usually do it on rooftops..." SHe then ran up in front of him when she noticed him starting to walk away. "W-wait! That was umm how were you able to be okay like that. Most people would have had something sprained or at least a few bruises. You just shrugged it off and got back up! Ha Im the superhero and you're the one helping me up!" SHe began to blush...

“Paragon City: the City of Heroes, a place where justice and hope can thrive for a better tomorrow- maybe at one point, but not anymore.” Eric Phillips thought as he walked down through Paragon City’s downtown. The area had once been a thriving area of commerce and activity, but was now a ghetto of half and fully destroyed buildings. Reconstruction had yet to begin due to the bidding wars going on in the upper echelons of the city government on what companies would receive the contracts for rebuilding the devastated city.

Eric, or rather Jonathan Swift as he was called while he worked, was on his way to a meeting with the head of Paragon City’s Department of Building and Safety, Maxwell Richards. Richards was the one currently responsible for issuing building permits in the downtown area, and he had yet to so much as allow the reconstruction of a hospital. Jonathan was determined to jump start the reconstruction process. When people had so little, the corruption in their hearts was more likely to emerge and push them into a life of crime. The increase in crime would lead to more destruction, which in turn would lead to more political games causing even more people forced down the wrong path. It was a vicious cycle that was nearly impossible to stop once begun.

Jonathan knew he needed to stop the cycle before it began, which meant he needed to convince Richards into immediate action. The head of the Department of Building and Safety needed to act now. If Richard was unwilling to start the needed change, Jonathan would take the necessary steps to get someone who would.

"Grr.." Rio growled as he grabbed Bunny the the long floppy ears on her head. "Shrugged it off?....Do you have any idea how much pain my back is in right now!?" He grumbled as he pulled the back of his shirt up to reveal a long black bruise spreading across his lower back. "Call yourself a superhero. Please leave all of that business to the one's that no better than to run full speed into a crowded college campus." He sighed as he set the girl back down and zipped around her. In his mind the only thing he could think was, "Stupid girl. Like I would give myself away that easily. No I've grown fond of having a normal life."

BUnny saw that he was hurt and after he wlaked away, she took a few steps foward to follow him and then stopped and put her head down. "I'm sorry. I g-guess since I'm a superhero I have to be more careful. Im really sorry. I hope that heals..." She did not turn to him. She couldn't make eye contact with him. She crouched down and then jumped soraing high into the air and landing on a close building. The she just sat there on the building, sad.

"Whew...Glad thats over." Rio sighed as he ducked into one of the hallways and reexamined the bruise. "Heh almost gone already." He smiled as what used to be a long dark bruise was now scarcely more than a red mark. "Still....maybe I should keep an eye on that girl." He pondered as he stepped into one of the lockers. From within there a stream of bright light shook the room as Bolts emerged forth and jetted around to the other side of the school before anyone would notice. When he was back outside, this time on the opposite side of the buildings so as to avoid being spotted so soon within the courtyard, he lept up and was suddenly floating a few feet over the roof top where Bunny was. "Gotta make this look good." He thought to himself as his body suddenly began to glow brightly before it slammed into the rooftop next to bunny like a bolt of lightning. "Ya know....the kids right. You should be more careful."

"AHHH!" Bunny jumped up, and I mean jumped up. SHe was so shocked she bolted thirty feet in the air befoer landing back on the rooftop on all fours. She calmed down but was still upset and was stammering. "Wh-Who are yo-you?" She then realized who he was talking about. "Well, Im sorry were not all great superheroes like you... I just was excited. I didn't know it was hurting him that bad. I was in a rush. I'm kinda doing something really important..." She than sat down in a fetal postion with her arms covering her bent legs and was face out towards the city.

"Uh huh..." Bolts chuckled as he rose up from his kneeling position and walked a little closer to the edge of the building. "If what your doing is so important and your in such a rush. Shouldn't you be moving then?" He smiled lightly as he turned his body so that his heels were hanging just off the edge of the building. "Just a thought." He said with a light salute as he let his body fall off the buidling. Just before impact however his body again began to glow brightly before a strange light shot off into the distance. Oddly enough though it would seem as though Bolts were still falling. But if one looked closer they would see what appeared to be a second Bolts flying across the courtyard. Just how fast was he moving?

BUnny smiled at what Bolts said and blushed. She then realized he was gone. "Awww, I wanted to talk to him somemore." She herself jumped off the building but landed on the ground. She could be seen getting on all fours and speeding quickly in Bolts direction. She appeared next to him and was still running. "Hey! I can take a break if I want. I mean, Im just trying to find other superheroes. Isn't that hard in a city like this! And I never got your name!" SHe smiled at him and hoped he would talk to her.

What Bunny was talking to wouldn't respond. It didn't quite have that ability. Though if she examined it further she would be able to stick her hand right through it. It wasn't Bolts but merely an illusion of where Bolts had been. Unfortunately the real Bolts hadn't expected Bunny to be following him and thus cut his escape route short. As Bunny was flying along after his after image, Rio was exiting the locker he had previously used to change. He himself was startled when one of his own images ran into the locker after he exited. "Da** that gets me every time he sighed as he slammed the locker door shut and watched as another image passed through it. When he left the hallway he saw bunny chasing after the tail end of his last image and thought for a moment. "Crud if I don't get away from here she might figure the whole thing out!" He cursed at himself as he ran back to his car.

BUnny chased the bolt of electric energy she thought was Bolts. "Come on! Please talk to me! Stop ignoring me. Im not afraid to chase you into that locker room." She ran in after him and hope she would find him. I'll get you! There is only one exit in this locker room and I'm in front of it. Yo ucan't hide in here foever!"

((Sorry its so long, I just wanna get my character’s basic personality established.))


“Hello, my name is Jonathan Swift, I have a three o’clock with Mr. Richards.” Jonathan said to the receptionist on the thirteenth floor in one of the few buildings left standing in downtown Paragon.
“Ah, you’re here. Good, Mr. Richards has been expecting you. Please, go on in.” the receptionist responded cheerily.
“Thank you.” Jonathan responded as he passed through the tinted glass doors to Maxwell Richards’ office.

“Mr. Swift! Nice to meet you.” Richards said as he stood up to shake Jonathan’s hand. Richards was a tall slightly overweight man with slicked back oily brown hair. He was wearing a white suit with a red tie. “So, may I ask who you’re representing today? McDaniel, Guan, Jackson? We are getting closer to coming to a decision.”
“Actually,” Jonathan responded, “Today I am representing the people of Paragon City.”
Richards let out a hearty laugh and replied “The people? I wasn’t aware they were putting forth a bid worthy of consideration.”
Jonathan let out a soft sigh, “Well, here’s the point. There are more people out on the streets than ever before, most without work. It won’t be long until they begin to cause trouble for what people do have means to sustain themselves.”
Richards leaned back in his red cushioned chair, “I see, having people turning to crime is indeed bad…but it doesn’t really concern me. Once we have a company to begin rebuilding, I am sure they will employ some of these people who are currently out of work.”
“And the rest?” Jonathan asked, “What about them?”
This time it was Richards who sighed, “To be frank, Mr. Swift, I don’t give a damn about anyone who is not giving me something, or making me something- In other words, business partners and employees. Now if you don’t have anything to offer, I’d appreciate it if you’d show yourself out of my office.”
“I see. So that’s how it is.” Jonathan said. “In that case, I do have something I can offer.”
“Ah, good to see we’re seeing eye to eye.” Richards said straightening up in his seat, “What have you got?”
“Power.” Jonathan said simply.
Richards gave Jonathan a confused look and said, “Power? Why, I have that Mr. Swift, would you care to elaborate?”
“Superpower to be exact, Mr. Richards. You see, I am one of the few heroes who survived Paragon’s…remodeling. This is due to the fact that I am not one who fights. I have the ability to bestow powers upon others.”
Richards eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, “Really now? What proof do I have?”
“You will have a power if you go through with my deal.” Jonathan said. “After all, what do you have to lose?”
“You have a point.” Richards said, “So go ahead, bestow upon me. Then I’ll see what I can do to help the people.” Then, in thought, “ Though, having a witness like you would be bad. I hope for your sake that you can’t grant powers, Mr. Swift. If you do, I’ll just have to eliminate you before you can become a threat.” Jonathan read Richards’ mind as the thought passed through. So this man was completely corrupt after all.

“Very well, you seem like a man who would appreciate having ears in high places. Information is valuable after all. So, how would enhanced hearing suit you?” Jonathan said.
“Very nice, very nice.” Richards said, “Proceeded when ready.”
Jonathan walked up to the desk and placed his hand on the side of Richards’ head. A quick flash filled the room and Richards blinked a few times.
“So-“ Richards began before stopping a letting out a pained shout. “You weren’t kidding about enhanced.” Richard whispered, wincing even at that volume.
“So I suppose this will be excruciating.” Jonathan said, pulling his pistol out of his suit.

Before Richards could utter a sound, Jonathan fired the pistol into Richards’ neck and voice box, preventing him from making a sound. After letting Richards stew in his pain for a moment, Jonathan fired three more shots into the man: two in his chest, and the third into his forehead. Richards fell over onto his desk with a thump, expired. The speaker in the room came on, and the voice of the receptionist came through.
“I’m sorry the meeting wasn’t beneficial Mr. Richards. Shall I send the cleaning team up?” Jonathan turned and walked out of the room. He should have scanned the woman earlier. It was a shame she was corrupt as well. As he exited the door, Jonathan fired three shots into the receptionist’s torso. Walking over to the desk, Jonathan ripped the records of his appointment out of the receptionist’s log. He had covered his other tracks earlier. As he stood near the desk, Jonathan saw a flashing light beneath the desk. The receptionist had managed to set off the silent alarm. The police and perhaps one of the few heroes left in the city would be on their way. Jonathan moved quickly the staircase and began to descend, keeping his mind’s ears open. If someone came, Jonathan would have a slight foresight to danger.

Shift had stopped with the wind. She was now part of the water. Only everything below her waist was one with the liquid. It felt weird. That she could be in the water not have to move at all and still float above it. It just took a simple thought and her legs would be liquid. And her umm other body parts below the waost. That felt really weird. SHe jumped out with her phone beeped and buzzed with a red flashing light. The words on it read the address to a building. It listed people already shot. She notice the name of Mr.Richards. "Ha... I hope he's dead.... I better go get this guy though..." She knew she would be there before any ofte police. She once again became one with the wind and soared through the air. I na minute or two she was at the building. She ran through. No one was there.

She thought the guy was still in the building. It was a tall building. 13 floors. She sighed. "Great...Just grreat.." She began to run up the stairs. It wouldactually be easier to find him this way. She ran up and up but was not seeing him at all. The nshe stopped. She was face to face with a not too tall man with clean nice black hair." Well.. You don't look like the murderer type.... SO you're the one that killed that scumbag Richards?"

When Bunny tried to open the locker that she had chased the image into all she would see was an empty locker filled with several now charred books. Rio however was entering the locker room now as if trying to put on an act like he hadn't been there all day. In fact he was on isle just across from the one where Bunny stood as he opened up his own locker and began changing into his track clothes. "Ya know....theres a sign outside that says this is the boys locker room for a reason."

“I am indeed not a murdered.” Jonathan said simply, “But I did exterminate Richards and his secretary. I for one believe only humans can be murdered and Richards did not meet those criteria.” Jonathan kept a close thread on Shift’s mind. If she was going to make a move, Jonathan needed to be prepared. He knew he was physically outmatched, but he still knew he had a chance to escape.

Jonathan spoke again, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to leave. The police will be here soon and I need to find a competent replacement for Richards. Someone who will actually help the people of this district. You can stay here and inform the police that this was an incident of vigilante justice, and the murderer’s name is Jason McLean. He works in accounting and didn’t like the games Richard was playing with bidding wars while the citizens of Paragon were suffering. Now, pardon me…”

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I- I just-Did you see another guy come in here? He looks kinda like you except with a different hair color and in all black. He was a superhero?"

SHift meanwhile, was puzzle by the man. But impressed. He was taking the law into his own hands and thats what superheroes did. She let him go. "Don't worry. The police will be "informed", Mr.McLean...." She let him pass through

"He was in here a few minutes ago. Then he just kind of kept coming back over and over again without leaving. Then you showed up and started asking me questions again." Rio sighed as he decided to just skip gym today. With a mild gruff of annoyance he put his regular clothes back on but this time pulled a guitar out of the locker with him. "Now if you don't mind..." He grumbled as he took hold of Bunny's ears. "Stop peeping!!" He roared as he launched Bunny out of the locker room and proceeded down the hallway to the courtyard.

Bunny got up and got mad. "I WAS NOT PEEPING! DON"T WALK AWAY FROM ME WHEN I"M TALKING TO YOU!!!" She ran up to him. "How do I know you're not trying to protect him from me? You might be trying to help him by not telling me where he is!"

"Why the fu** should I protect him!!?" Rio roared as he turned around and walked towards Bunny. "Besides why are you so concerned with talking to him anyway? He the reason you ran me over earlier!!" He growled now standing no more than a few inches away from bunny.

High above the skies of Paragon City, an unmarked helicopter hovered in place, the Arachnos insignia placed directly on the side of it in a show of allegiance. Standing just inches in front of the side portal which could inevitably lead to his death, Aboiyde Belech stared down into the streets populated by citizens who milled about their pathetic lives not unlike insects.

In the mouth of this African-born madman, there was nothing but a Cuban imported cigar, unlit. Illegal in the USA, of course, but as long as Arachnos provided what he requested, Belech had no scruples about breaking the law.

Turning his head to the side to look towards an armored soldier, drone-like in appearance, almost like those pale white rejects from a certain Hollywood trilogy. The voice of this weathered commander comes out soft, but firm.

"Activate units 1, 3, 22, 47. I want them on standard operations, no fancy showboating you Americans seem to be famous for", he said while motioning his "hook", a pseudo prosthetic where his left hand would've been to several metal pods no larger than roughly 2 meters in height.

Switches flipped, the soldier motions as the pods are released one by one from the helicopter, the portholes beneath them opening. The deadly cargo spreading out in a uniform double rank.

Meanwhile, the lawns of the University of Rhode Island

Students chatter amongst themselves, some walking, others flying. Mutations and special endowments weren't unusual, after all. This quiet morning was then abruptly interrupted as the metallic meteors from above land on the soft green lawn of the campus. The pods fall apart as metallic men, as they were emerge from the small craters. Servos whine softly and the red eyes of the automatons focus on the students around them, all before they raise their assault rifles and begin firing in random directions.

Above, Aboiyde Belech smiles faintly to himself, something that hadn't happened in over thirty years. Surely this is going to be an interesting day, the thought slipped off.

"WELL I"M SORRY THAT ARCHANOS WANTS TO KILL US ALL IN PARAGON.ME AND A FEW OF MY SUPERHERO FREINDS ARE JUST TRYING TO FORM A TEAM AND WE"RE LOOKING FOR HEROES! YOU DON"T HAVE TO BE A FU**ING DICK ABOUT IT!" Then suddenly, the phone on Bunny's strap flashed and buzzed. It was going crazy. She read it. URI campus:EMERGENCY. She quickly stuffed it back in. "Well I'm sorry I can't stay and argue but there's a crisis going on at the campus apparently." She ran off in a huff.

Elsewhere, Spectral and SHift were getting the message. They too flew to the aid of the colledge. The three met at the same place. All three looked around for signs of trouble. Then they saw. Huge metal thugs shooting at people. They had the Archanos emblem on both sides of their arms and on their backs. Bunny smiled, "This should be fun...." She ran off at incredible speeds towards the enemies. SHift protested. "No! Wait Bunny! We have to-*siiigh* Man she is so ignorant." Spectral smirked, "Oh just admit it. You love her...""WHAT?!""HAHA just kidding!" Spectral flew off to the enemies as well. Shift followed.

BUnny was busy handling of the drones. One fired at her and she easily dodged. The other came form behind and swung at her with his gun. She ducked and gave him a swift uppercut in the chin. He went flying back. Two more dornes came and the three were surpised she was able to knock him down. "What? Super Strength...duh..." She jumped into the air very high and landed on one of the drones. She took his gun and started to shoot at other drones, laughing manically. One came up and the drone that Buny was on was yelling,"GET HER OFF! GET THIS BITCH OFF ME!!" The drone he was yelling at began to shoot at her but she dodged and came from behind his arm and he shot there and she moved again and shot the drone in the arm. "AHHH I SAID GET HER NOT ME!" She then came from between the legs and the drone shot there and you can probably guess what happened next. The drone fell to the ground. Bunny got up. "You should work on your aim." She did a back flip with her feet out which kicked the drone right in the stomach. SHe landed back on her feet right into two kickss in the face and then a puch in the stomach which sent the drone flying. The other two were dealing with drones of there own.

They all backed up to each other in a triangle formation. Many Many more drones were coming. It had to be more than 50. "Uh-oh...We could use some help..."

Several of the drones were now screaming about something, though there were to many surrounding the three for them to be able to see exactly what it was. Soon after there was a large flash of light as what appeared to be an entire row of drones were launched into the air. At the base of this flash was the silver-haired hero from before. "Did you miss me?" He chuckled as the other drones began firing at him. Incredibly enough however the bullets seemed to be wizzing right through him but the drones were each falling one by one. Something was hitting them though it was nearly impossible to see what exactly. Then from above the other three heroes at the center of the mob another voice called out. "This is just a little suggestion." He called out calmly before both his hands seemed to light up with in a blaze of electrified energy. "But if you don't want to get fried then moving would be an excelent idea!"

BUnny smiled the nthe three of the heroes moved out of the way. they did not know what he was gonna do but they were all looking in anticipaton. Especcially Bunny.

"Lightning...." Bolts whispered silently as he brought both hands behind his back, causing the two balls to form into one, roughly ten foot wide in diameter. "Burst!!" He roared out as he launched his hands towards the drones below him. Upon doing so the energy that had been amassed in the form of the ball exploded out into a continual beam of electric energy, frying most of the drones directly below it. When the dust cleared, there was a large crater in the ground where Bolts was now standing. "Hmm....maybe I should have held back a bit." He sighed as he looked at the destruction he had caused. "Hope I didn't blow my car up..."

((Ok, first off, I was doing this back before that "Kamehameha!!" commercial became cool))

BUnny lit up with excitement."THAT THAT WHAT GREAT!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" She then abruptly pounced and glomped on him sending them both to the ground.

Shift had impressed Jonathan. He hadn’t fully expected her to let him go as she did. Not many people agreed with his methods, but it seemed like at least some heroes saw that extreme methods were not malicious.

No sooner had Jonathan left the vicinity of the building than he heard loud explosions from across town. In the distance he could see smoke. Were the Nictus back? Jonathan moved as quickly as he could to a television. On the news, a reporter was going into detail about the occurrences at the college campus. Jonathan gritted his teeth as he watched. This wasn’t good. The city likely wouldn’t survive a second attack.

Jonathan thought hard on what he needed to do. He had been able to sit out the last conflict because Heroes burst from every nook and cranny of the city to assist, but now- there weren’t enough heroes to get the job done. Was it even worth it to put himself forward? Would it help? After all, there was nothing he could do alone…but perhaps someone else. Jonathan looked around, reading the minds of those also viewing the story around him.
“Glad I’m not there…” came from one.
“Damn hippies getting what they deserve.” came from another.
Jonathan looked with disgust at the people surrounding him. All corrupt. In an ideal circumstance, he would kill them all, but now was not the time. Jonathan began to turn away when a young boy, no older than thirteen caught his eye. The boy had red hair and freckles, and wore a white windbreaker over a red shirt and jeans. The boy was staring hard at the screen, hands balled into fists. Jonathan thought it a long shot, but he delved into the boys mind.
“Why?” thought the boy, “Why does it have to be like this? People are being hurt again and I can’t do anything...” Jonathan looked upon the boy with interest. It was a long shot, but might be worth it.

Jonathan walked over to the boy and whispered so only the boy could hear, “Do you want to make a difference?”
The boy was startled, and asked confused, “What?”
“Do you want to make a difference? If you had the ability, would you put your life on the line for others with no promise of something in return?” Jonathan asked.
The boy seemed to have gotten his bearings, he looked at Jonathan suspiciously before saying, “Someone shouldn’t need anything to help others. It’s natural for people to aid someone in need.”
Jonathan looked the boy over. His thoughts matched his words to the syllable.
“Then I give you this chance.” Jonathan whispered. “I will give you the power to protect, go and use it.” Jonathan reached out and touched the boy’s side. Slowly, he granted him power. The boy was endowed with enhanced strength, enough to juggle Jeeps like beanbags. Jonathan also granted the boy control over this power- it was at his command. After granting the power Jonathan spoke again, “You now have the strength needed to fight them. You are not immortal, you can be hurt, and you cannot fly. The rest I leave you to figure out.” Jonathan began to turn, but then added, “And tell no one of me. If anyone is concerned, during the attack you were exposed to chemicals and received this gift. And be aware, that should you be unworthy of this power, I will come and correct my mistake.” With that, Jonathan left the boy and began towards the college campus. Jonathan couldn’t help, but if he could find the few- the few people left uncorrupted in the city. He could do something about the state of the city. At one point superheroes were commonplace; the politicians could not restore that. Jonathan could, and he fully intended on doing so.

"S-sir...all units have gone offline", the soldier quipped to Belech. A small nasal exhale was let out as he stared downwards into the skyscape of the city. Motioning his hand downwards, the helicopter descended slowly into the streets below, coming almost down to the lawn of the campus.

"Clapping" wouldn't be the proper term to describe the physical motions Aboiyde was making, as it was just an open palm smacking softly against the curve of a hook. Stepping downward, he revels in the smells of that day's air. Electricity, sweat, adrenaline, oil, it was all ecstacy inducing, and on an almost absurd and mental level, orgasmic. It brought back memories long forced forgotten.

Eyes scan the participants in the battle, before words were spoken. "My, my. Such youthful enthusiasm. But alas, the world has changed, no longer are the wars of men fought w/weapons and lives, but with 'powers' and 'gifts' belonging in the realms of Gods", the unmasked sarcasm rang out. The wrinkled brow furrows softly at the young man in the crater, presumably generated by himself.

Though unarmed, Aboiyde had not come down looking for a fight. This was just a mere experiment handed to him by Lady Kalinda, nothing more, nothing less. If anything, he was more than prepared to defend himself if it came to it. Or...he could motion to have the pilot release their "pet".

Bolts had to crawl out from underneath Bunny's death grip when Aboiyde showed up. Usually when someone came to speak with you so calmly after the recent display, it meant they were up to something, even Bolts could figure that out. Without hesitation, the silver haired boy climbed out of the crater on the opposite side of where Aboiyde stood and picked up one of the decapitated drone heads. "This yours?" He asked as he held the head up slightly, almost like a trophy. "I certainly hope they don't cost much."

James Wiggins, surgeon of Paragon City Hospital, holder of several medical science degrees, proud owner of an SUV, is currently working on saving a little girl's life. She was riding her bike when a freak explosion went off that launched her across the block, breaking her legs, ribs, arms, and pelvis. Right now her ribs are getting extracted from her lungs. Now her arms are getting thrown back into socket. Now her legs are being sown up. And she's done. Everyone congratulates Mr. Wiggins on his success. Now Mr. Wiggins leaves, gets in his SUV, drive home, and contracts leukemia. He leaves his home in a sharp looking white tuxedo and fedora, surgical knives in the suit, and a few in his hat, he's ready to go, to kill and stuff like that.

((YOU KNOW WHAT BRING OUT YOUR "LITTLE PET"))

Shift stepped up. "You know what? We aren't scared of you at all. SO do your worst cause we're ready!" The three got inot cool fighting poses and were ready for battle.

The poses done by the youths left the tall Aboiyde unphased. Many a time had young men gone to war in his days, none returning home without physical and mental scarring, ah yes. Those were the lucky ones. A small quiver at the edge of his lips, perhaps a small semblance of a smirk? From the weathered and worn out appearance of his face, it was somewhat hard to tell.

His right hand goes up, and he seems to reach until the sky to grasp the vague outline of the sun, lost in thought off in a distant land. "Oh, I see, if I don't at least maim them slightly it'll be a failure. Oh well.", the words spoken to seemingly nothing, perhaps delirium? For what it was worth though, several of the Wolf Spiders emerged carrying a large containment pod, it was larger than the rest, but nowhere near lighter. Rather, several of the inactive drones within the vehicle had to be activated just to move it.

The rough size of the canister was at least twice Belech's own height, his hand lovingly caressing the cold exterior of the pod. "Let me ask you, children. Have you ever seen a fragile creature like a caterpillar go through metamorphosis? It matters not if you have or not, really, but if you've ever seen how such a grotesque thing could become such a beautiful marvel, then perhaps you'd understand this...little gift i'm leaving you.", his words resounded as the tanned leather shoes stepped back into the threshold of the helicopter.

Slowly at first, the whirring blades accelerated until it lifted itself high into the sky, too far for conventional "gifts" such as leaping could reach, but close enough for a skilled sniper or well-placed munitions round to bring it down.

Holding up the small remote, Aboiyde presses the red button, the soft click of both button and the deeper thunk of the locks on the container coming off simultaneously resound amidst the chaos. The canister itself sits quietly for a moment, an opaque mist softly wafting out of the seams, when suddenly a large metallic fist slams it from the inside, sending the "door" flying several hundred meters away.

The "butterfly" emerges from it's "coccoon", A broad-shouldered man of at least twelve feet in height steps out, his body mutilated by the machinery that both augments his body and keeps him alive. The skin having lost most of it's pigmentation, though a sickly yellow hue could be seen. Wires and cables stretch across the body erupting from the skin and re-entering. The automaton, as it were, is completely naked, yet sexless. All appendages had been replaced by metallic prosthetics, all which gleamed black under the sun, the heavy steps causing minute tremors as it walked forward and stood, awaiting the reaction from it's assessed adversaries.

Shift studied the monstronsity. It didn't look like much, but if Aboiyde was so calm it had to be trouble. SHe studied the material of the enemy, as always. It was some kind of metal. Easily mergible, but getting her hands on it would be harder. "Task Force...this is it. Our first real fight as a team. Don't let me down. ATTACK!" Shift flew at the beast and when she was right next to it, vanished. Spectral turned invisble and was next to Bunny. "You think you can distract this one" "No problemo!" Bunny soared at the beast and large retractible claws shot out of her fingers and toes. They shot out and went flying at the Robot's face. Bunny jumped on the enemy with her legs wrapped around its neck. She began to repeatidly punch the robot in the face over and over again. She had superstrength afterall, it had to do something...

"Ya know....you could've tried talking to him before you begain wailing on his head." Bolts sighed as he took a few steps forward towards the monstrosity while the Task Force did their own thing. He expected he would soon see most of them lying on their backs soon anyway and that would be when it was his turn to do something. "But by all means keep doing what your doing. I'm sure it will work." He grumbled with a slight huff of annoyance as he stood about ten feet away from the beast with his arms crossed.

"SHUT THE FU** UP! WE KNOW WHAT WE"RE DOING!!" BUnny continued to wail on his head. It was leaving smal dents. "Man. He must be made of something tough. Now would be a good time to do it, guys!!!" "Right!", the other two said in unison. They appeared again and Spectral grabbed Shift by the waist. He lifted her into the air and they both bacame intangible. "OKay, Spectral! Go right at him." Spectral zoomed at the beast and droped the intangible SHift on him. SHe was inside of the robot. She thought hard and then her body became the same material the robot was. Infact, she was one with the robot now." OKay Bunny, get off now!" She did what she was told and jumped off. SHift began to make the robot punch itslef in the stomach repeatedly. She then took the wired that came out of the skin and back in a nd ripped at them, removing a few. Unfortunetly, the beast still had some thought. She could control the robot side but not the human side. If it had a human side.

As the Task Force fought the butterfly on the college campus, Eric made his way through a ruined clothing warehouse in downtown Paragon. Eric had changed out of his suit and tie, and adopted a informal dress of a t-shirt and blue jeans, his hair was unkempt and he wore a black and orange baseball cap. He was now simply Eric Phillips, a civilian of Paragon city. He carried with him a black canvas bag, half full with various clothing, accessories, and scraps. Eric knew if he was going to keep granting powers, he would need a disguise. Even if they were not corrupt, not everyone would know the value of anonymity. Eric planned to continue his clean-up of Paragon’s government as he replenished the hero population. Having his identity compromised would make achieving both agendas impossible. Picking up a blanket made from silver colored silk, Eric grinned, this was the last piece he needed. Putting the silk in his bag, Eric started towards the exit.

As Eric moved he scanned minds nearby him. None of these people were worthy of power. Many were uncorrupt, but- they were also weak. Their minds were weathered to the point of surrendering on life itself. Such a mind could not handle power, it would be too much, and the corruption within their hearts would engulf them and lead them to a path of misdirected aggression, causing pain to those whom they would have previously called companions. Eric also realized other complications of granting powers as he walked, such as too much power corrupting, to little power leaving a want for more, the power altering an individual’s life, and the change causing corruption. For all he could do, Eric needed to keep track of everyone he granted a power. To do this, he would need more resources then he currently had. So many complications, but at least Eric had time on his side. Everything would come with patience and rushing matters could only lead to fatal errors.

As Eric left the department store and headed for home, the young boy he had granted super strength arrived at the college campus and had thrown himself into the fray. The young man dashed across the college campus and stood in awe of the creature in the air above him. Other heroes were fighting it already. The young boy clenched his fists. It was his turn to fight too. Looking around, the boy spotted the door which had previously contained the monster. The boy ran over and picked it up. Taking a running start, the boy tossed the door like a discus towards the monster’s center. He hadn't seen Shift meld into the thing. Unfortunately, the boy still had little to no control over his powers, and the door sailed over the monster with easily a twenty foot cushion of air between the door and the monsters head. Frowning at the result, the boy began to glance around for another object to throw.

In response to the physical threats presented by both the annoyance pummeling it's head, and now the thing controlling the beast involuntarily, a small humming began to come from deep within the psyche of the monstrosity.

If one were to judge, the scene for both the inner-mind of the original subject, and those who would be considered part of "it" would see nothing but a forgotten wasteland, a dense fog obscuring everything, the acoustics of the realm manipulated only by the sing-song hum. There came a voice, soft at first, which amplified into a terrible bellow, "Oh little rabbit, struggling just makes it worse....".

Not far from where one could see was a clearing within the mist, a tall man wearing nothing but a smock smiling grotesquely at the visage of what was once a voluptuous woman, blindfolded and mouth sewn shut. The mad "surgeon" plays with his prey softly, quietly, giggling as he goes about his mad fantasy.

Rather than a face, there was an ivory mask, the mouth and eye holes leading into a black abyss which consumed all who saw it. "This little piggy went to the market...this little piggy~", his ecstatic voice echoes, the scalpel cutting shapes into the screaming captive as they float and dissipate.

As if on cue, the head looks up. "Get out, get out get out get out get out!", the voice screams now, like a banshee.

The body of the "butterfly" slumps over, as if now dead or deactivated. But no sooner than a few moments later, the wavelength of the power current shifts dramatically and chaotically, shifting every second or so, making impossible for both the Arachnos controlling it, and the one who had merged with it nearly impossible.

"He" turns to the young man who had thrown the lid of the capsule at "him". Ignoring all reason, and for that matter, the directives of it's progneitors, it bursts into a mad rush towards him, those maroon eyes focused on one thing: The grisly death of the young man.

From above, the man known as Aboiyde Belech silently watches, and ponders what the outcome of the conflict will be, but then again. It matters not, now. If it came to it, he'd possibly join the fray.

"NO! Leave him alone!" a voice form the distance called out. A girl the same age as Bunny appeared. Wearing no clothing but atomically correct details could not be seen, except for the butt. SHe threw her arms at the enemy, even though she was over ten feet away form it. Her arms stretched out the grabbed the enemy by the legs. SHe pulled as hard as she could, but she could still not pull him down. She grew four more arms and shot them at the monster and pulled wuth all of her might. "Specral! Get Shift out of there! Bunny! Move out of the way!" SHe directed her attention to Bolts, "You! QUICK! I can't hold him forever! Do some kinda blast or something!" SHe was haivng trouble holding it back so she grew six more arms but they came out of her back insted of her sides. So now this beautiful, naked girl with 12 arms was trying to hold back a giant Human-butterfly-robot monter thing form killing some kid. The only thing th egirl was thinking was how cute Bolts was... Paragon City: The weirdest city on earth....