《Thicker Than Water (A Superhero Story)》


 Prologue: Effects of Heroism

    Within a room, that looked more like some media exaggerated image of a conspiracy theorists room, stood a woman. She was tall, standing at just a few inches short of six feet, and she was beautiful, not in a hot way that most people thought of beauty, but in a classical elegant way. She had long auburn hair that cascaded down her back in curled tresses, even being dressed in a tank top and sweats, unquestionably casual attire, could detract nothing from her elegance and beauty. She was a Princess, a rarity certainly, even rarer would be that in the Country she is from, she actually holds some amount of power.


    Things would have been very different had she not met him, 8 years ago, things would have been very different indeed. It happened at a ball, well the equivalent of one, she was young at the time, and she had only just turned 20. She had been standing idly in a corner, gazing at all the lavishly dressed fools gallivanting about like peacocks. Though she was a Princess, the only one in fact, she had tried to distance herself as much as she could from matters at Court. The whirring of a helicopter overtook the sounds of revelry, and a silence emerged.


    Though many guests had arrived in a similar manner, none of them were so disrespectful as to arrive so unfashionably late. When the chopper became closer, the crowd became froze with fear, as missiles left the chopper and cleanly destroyed the nearest guard outpost to the event. Soon enough other choppers emerged and dozens of armed assailants sprang from them. The remaining guards put up a valiant effort but it was no use, though they were well armed and well trained, their opponents were more so.


    Even worse, they were Juicers, the street term for those who gained powers from repeated use of a certain serum. Not every serum was the same, most low level street varieties lasted a short time and many were mixed with addictive drugs. What they did, was temporarily awakened the powers of the Super Gene, and could permanently awaken them in some rare cases, though most Juicers powers were tied to the Serum, so they would be relatively useless without it.


    The intruders made short work of guards, though a few broke off from the main bunch to loot the partygoers, the vast majority were following a largely built imposing man. They were going from person to person, pushing most aside, but killing a select few. As they came closer and closer, the Princess realized what they were doing, though it seemed relatively random, they were weeding out those in line for succession of the Throne, even as far down as the 56<sup>th</sup> in line.


    As that unfortunate man fell to the ground, blood leaking from his crushed form, they approached her vicinity. They did not even need to observe or check her, to see who she was; her appearance was rather well known. She had not hidden, mostly due to being frozen with fear; she was still in the corner of the room, where she had been for most of the ball. The apparent leader was largely built, extremely so, not even the bulky armor everyone wore could disguise that fact.


    He like most of his men had a set of vials strapped to their waists in protective casings first designed back in WW2 when Serums were first invented. As the leader approached her the others with him broke off and started to round up everyone. Soon enough the only individuals standing were the intruders and the Princess. The larger man gazed at her for a time, ad appraised her, soon enough he opened his mouth and spoke.


    ¡°Dear Princess, I have been wanting to meet you for quite some time. My name is Victor Armstrong, and unfortunately I am going to have to be the one to end your life today. Do not get me wrong, I was once an avid supporter of yours, unfortunately, your lack of enthusiasm and involvement concerning affairs of Court, have led to this Purging. Do not appear so disheartened and guilty, this would have happened regardless. Unfortunately it is time.¡±


    As the man finished speaking he gave a somewhat sad sounding sigh before he backed up. The Princess looked on in fear as the man raised a palm towards her before clenching it. She cried out in pain and terror as she felt herself be lifted off of her feet and a force started pressing against her body. It was then that something truly strange happened, a fog rolled in. It was readily apparent that is was no natural fog however, simply by its color alone. The fog was darkness, not just an inky blackness, but an actual darkness that flowed over and clung to all it touched.


    The intruders nearest to it pivoted and fired on it, with their firearms and their powers, none risked moving into it or within melee distance. A near silence emerged as the men with weapons started reloading; it was then that the fog exploded into action. It flowed over those that had tried attacking it, more gunfire could be heard, but that was silenced soon enough. As the fog flowed forward the unconscious bodies and dismantled weapons of the intruders were revealed as the fog of darkness released them.


    The leader of the group turned around, but not before using his power to toss the Princess at a wall. As her form impacted against the wall, she crumpled and fell, semi-conscious to the floor, the leader watched this before turning around to get a bearing on the situation.


    ¡°Damnit.¡± He exclaimed ¡°It¡¯s Shade the fuck somehow tracked us down, EVERYONE ATTACK, JEFFREYS, GET THE SUPPRESSORS IN PLACE.¡±


    After yelling orders to his men, he faced the mass of fog, no, Shade. He raised an arm towards it, and used his power, as he did Shade and the fog moved forward. Several holes and gaps appeared in the writhing mass of fog, as a result of Armstrong¡¯s power. Inside the fog, a dark figure literally oozing darkness was fighting skillfully with the poor souls his fog drew in. The fog would billow out from his form to fill the holes made by Armstrong.


    As the figure fought and disabled most of the attackers, it bought time for the second in command, Jeffreys, to set up their trump card for dealing with other superhumans. Suppressors were the closest thing to a nullifier that existed, true nullifiers were impossible, and any facsimiles were faulty at best. The minute the suppressors were activated, the mass of fog started to be compressed. Soon enough, the figured that could be glimpsed inside the fog was revealed. Shade was tall, over six feet at least, but not taller than Armstrong, he was nowhere near as muscular, but still had a toned build, from what could be seen. Shade turned towards the leader, who was in front of the remaining intruders and spoke.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hello Armstrong, surprise seeing you here.¡± He gave a chuckle before continuing. ¡°Ok, that was a lie, we both know why I am here. You made a mistake robbing the Merchant, you might have gotten away with this whole foolish endeavor, but I owed them a favor. Anyways, let just get this over with.¡±


    Following his words, Shade exploded into motion, though his powers were lessened by the Suppresors, they were still present. He took out Jeffreys and his team, not bothering to mess with the Suppressors they had set up not long ago. Even without the use of his fog, he made relatively short work of most of those present. Soon enough every combatant except for Armstrong and Shade, was either dead, unconscious, lying broken on the ground, or incapacitated in some way.


    Shade was breathing evenly, while Armstrong, though unharmed, was in a much less composed state. He was seething with rage and incredulity, though he like most that were a part of the Superhuman world had heard rumors of Shade. It was said that when he was young, someone had captured him when he first started out as a Villain. That man subsequently vanished, as did the organization behind him. Shade came back after that, changed, he was more powerful than he had been, and swiftly established himself in the super-powered community as a villain everyone wanted to hire.


    With a bellow Armstrong launched himself at the smaller darkness clad man. The already impressive punches and kicks exhibited by is physique was being further enhanced by the use of his power. He sent a flurry of jabs and kicks at Shade, which the other man dodged with ease. Though he was stronger and more powerful physically, Shade was even more so. He dodged most moves, and those that hit her parried with a skill beyond the years of most people who have not trained for a lifetime.


    They went about fighting for a relatively long period of time, the moves of Shade that connected, were absorbed by Armstrong¡¯s power. The stalemate ended when Armstrong delivered a particularly devastating right hook. Had it connected it was possible that the fight could have ended for Shade, it didn¡¯t however, so the fight went the other way. Shade did a swift roll backwards, the absence of Shade caused the momentum to carry Armstrong forward, into Shade as he rose from his roll. He grabbed Armstrong¡¯s arm and rolled back, in a motion similar to a throw or jackknife maneuver.


    Shade didn¡¯t let go however, instead most of his body, twisted and flowed, in a way a human shouldn¡¯t be able to. Only Shade¡¯s arms remained solid, the rest of him flowed and moved until his form solidified and Armstrong¡¯s arm was pinned behind his back and wrenched upwards. Usually such a casually done move would only cause pain in its recipient, here however, an audible crack could be heard and those present all winced. Shade gave a forceful push, causing Armstrong to stumble forward, the arm dangling lifelessly at his side.


    Before Armstrong could react Shade gave a leg sweep knocking the large man to the ground. A cheer from the crowd resounded, with a few of the bolder ones retrieving their personal effects from the fallen intruders. During all this, Shade approached the fallen Princess, his footsteps calm and even. She jolted into a more conscious state as a voice emerged. It was pleasant and soothing, though still deep and gravelly as it was when Shade had spoken earlier.


    ¡°Hey Princess, ah, you are still conscious? Surprising. I am about to heal you, you are probably about to experience a pain greater than any you have ever felt, but you will live, so please, bear with it if you can.¡±


    Moments after his words faded, tendrils of darkness impacted against her. They wrapped her in a cocoon of fluid darkness, always moving, though that was difficult to see. At first she felt nothing; any noise made was smothered by the void she was in. She could not move, nor speak, even if she wished to, but she didn¡¯t, she was too preoccupied with the pain she was experiencing. It wasn¡¯t just a pain of the body, no; it was a mind and soul searing pain that eclipsed everything else.


    She could feel things one does not normally feel, she could feel her individual cells pop, burst, scatter, then reform. This could be felt throughout her body, things bursting, and then reforming, from her cells to the constructs they formed. Her skin peeled and blistered, before healing and reforming, leaving behind a smoother pristine skin than had been there previously. As her body was repaired, a soothing warmth was left behind.


    Her body was not just repaired, made whole, it was made better. Her muscles became capable of greater strength, tendons and joints gained greater flexibility. Similar changes were occurring throughout her body, Shade¡¯s ¡®healing¡¯ was not healing, in the truest sense. What it did, was returned things to the state they should have been in if they were not sullied by impurities. Though she would not be a superhuman, when this was over she would be better than most non Superhumans could ever hope to be, and her build would stay the same, just improved.


    Soon enough she returned to consciousness, this was highlighted by the signals her body was getting as the cocoon surrounding her melted away. Her reborn body was more sensitive, and what normally would only be unpleasant was rather painful. As she came to terms with the changes somewhat, and the stimulus lessened, she heard the same calming voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome Princess. Do not think of me as a hero, I was here due to less than virtuous intentions. You should be okay, be careful though, the healing process had some effects that you might have some trouble coming to terms with.¡±


    As more friendly personnel and choppers could be heard arriving, her savior, Shade left in a flash of black, his remaining fog dissipating slowly. The authorities and their assistants checked over the remaining guests, the Princess included. After they finished checking her out, the Princess gazed off into the horizon. Though most people would think she was in shock, the truth was she was planning. She would find her savior, she would meet him again, no matter what it took. She had access to the resources of an entire country after all, she just had not used them at all up to that point.


    As the Princess broke out of her reminiscence she gazed at the map in front of her, and circled a City, the City of Cross Timber, on the shores of Lake Eyrie. She broke out into a pleased grin and spoke to herself. ¡°I have found you, my Shade, soon enough we will meet properly.¡±

 Glossary (not a Chapter)

    This will serve as a glossary of sorts, and a hub of information. It will detail the characters and such that are introduced as the story goes on.


    Characters


    Major characters


    James Williamson: Main Character, has multiple superhuman identities including his maternal Grandfather''s, the Phantom, as well as Shade, one of his original identities. (putting this here, as while the MC, is the Main Character, the Major characters, will have plenty of interactions with him and such within the story. Both Minor and Major characters will be recurring, for the most part, just major characters will be more prominent.)


    Candace Marie Clarke: (Introduced in Chapter One) Has plant related powers, has been a long time friend of the MC. She is rather powerful, in certainn conditions, but does not like fighting in general.


    Jess/Lust: (Introduced in Chapter One) Former Acquaintance of the MC, she has come to Cross Timber for mysterious purposes, has deep connections to James.


    Giovanni D''Angelo/Pride: Former Member of the Seven Sins and The Syndicate, is currently Jess''s superior in the Society, now leads operations in Cross Timber.


    Douglass Silver/Shaman: Member of the League who preaches complete justic and no mercy against Villains, has several friends within the League. Has powers related to the elements.


    Minor/Recurring/Unidentified characters


    Victor Armstrong: (Introduced in the Prologue) Villain, led a mercenary group that tried to assist in a coup in an unspecified country run by a Monarchy. Was captured and imprisioned 8 years by the main character in his Shade persona. Had air related powers, was a Juicer.


    Bruiser/Bruce Donovan: (Introduced in Chapter One) Former boxer who killed an opponent when his powers awoke. Now works as muscle for several Villain Groups in Cross Timber, tried to take down the MC, but was defeated.


    The Princess: (Introduced in the Prologue) a Princess that was nearly killed in a Coup that sought to remove many of those in the line of Succession. She has spent the last 8 years using her kingdoms resources to track down her hero.


    Tara, Vincent, and Craig Williams: Three siblings, one of whom is an avid follower of Douglass.


    Terry and Scott Murray: Heroes who follow Shaman and are old friends of his.


    Sofia Rigby: Plant manipulating retired hero who is currently a teacher at Darkholme, close friends with Candace.


    Dilligence, Patience, Chastity and the other Virtues: Members of an organization in pursuit of destroying the Sins and their members.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Terms to Know


    Juicers: Supers who use a serum to grant themsevles powers, usually require a dose every so often


    Super/Meta(human): Term that refers to those with superhuman abilities that do not fall under the umbrella of magical abilities.


    Types of Powers


    Within the World of Thicker Than Water, there exist two types of powers, aside from ones certain beings are gifted as being a natural part of their physiology. Magical/Mystical powers are the least commonly seen, they are tied to ones bloodline, so they unlike superpowers are hereditary to a point. Magic, is the most mysterious of the two powers, as well as the most complicated. Magic more often than not requires a medium of some sort, usually the magical pwoer within a casters bl;ood combined with some other magical medium such as a wander or trinket. Some types of magic are more reliant on mediums or more ritualistic than others. Regardless of the magic practice, it circumvents most knowledge of the laws of physics and the universe, whereas superpwers are generally still bound within those rules.


    Superpowers are the most commonly seen of the two types of powers, while not exactly hereditary, they are genetic, and if several members of a family do have powers, they will be similar or connected more often than not. For example, during the WW2 Era, there was a Superhuman who was German born, but fought against the Nazi regime for a time, he was called Der Reise, or the Giant, he could make himself larger at will, increasing strength and durabilit with his size. His son, had similar powers, increased durability and llimited size changing. but still ultimately different from his fathers. The Super Gene, when activated, changes the persons physiology, to where they would naturally have that power.


    This is only if activated through stressful events or such, we do not know the exact factor, but Serums used by Juicers, for example, can temporarily or permanently awaken a Supers powers, but that is iffy at best. Most powers, physically oriented or otherwise, are much like muscles. The more one uses them, the stronger they can become, but after a certain point, usually, the Supers advancement lessens, this depends on talent and potential, in a sense.


    Factions/Groups


    The Syndicate: In the late 40''s, after Supers became known and started taking a more active part in society, the more convention criminal institutions started recruiting Supers. The Syndicate is the result of a pact and merger between several well known Organized Crime families that banded together to survive as more and more Heroes and Villains came about.


    The Society: Though many Villains work solo or in small groups, they are often disadvantaged against Heroes who have sponsors and organizations behind them much of the time. A group of the greatest Villains, including the original Phantom


    The 7 Sins: Though there are many Villain groups, most have hordes of mundane lackeys, but not all. The 7 sins is one such group, in the early months of 2008 a group of Villains with certain thematic powers teamed up. Each of them has a power based off of or around one of the biblical Seven sins.


    The Virtues: A mysterious group of people whose sole apparent goal is the destruction and eradication of the Seven Sins.


    The League: During the Early 90''s, a group formed, of the Greatest heroes of the time and ages past, formed to provide guidance to the younger generation. They operate much like the Society, but for heroes, most freelance heroes and hero groups have some connection, however loose to the League.

 Chapter One (and Poll)

    James Williamson was having a less than stellar day, though that was not an uncommon occurrence for him. Though his superhero identities weren¡¯t exactly a secret, few went through the effort of discovering them, let alone acting on that knowledge. There were some however, some villainous punks with just enough power that they had delusions of grandeur, that would go after him. Such an incident was happening currently, a certain Super, known as Bruiser, had assaulted him as he left his classes for the day.


    Most Villains left him alone, just due to the prestige of his grandfather¡¯s Moniker alone. James had taken it for a time, wanting to make his grandfather proud. He was far less powerful than his Grandfather, Marcus, Phantom, had been in his prime was untouchable during the night. James could generate a fog of darkness, and he could control and tweak everything within that darkness. That was not the extent of his abilities, but one of the many things he shared with his Grandparents, on either side.


    He was not the only superhuman at the school he was currently attending, but was one of the few that was not currently registered or active. Bruiser, also known as Bruce Donovan was a low level Villain who was heavily involved in the criminal activities within Darkholme University. He was once an up and coming boxer, but was fined and banned from any sporting events after his power manifested during a particularly brutal championship match and accidentally killed his opponent.


    He acted as muscle for some of the more organized criminal organizations operating out of Cross Timber. That was not what he wanted to be doing though, as a boxer, he had tasted fame, greatness, and prestige. That was the reasoning behind the current attack Bruiser was directing towards James.


    ¡°Come on Bruce, you don¡¯t have to do thi-?!?!?¡±


    James¡¯ last plea towards Bruce was interrupted by an attack from the larger man. James rolled out of the way, the ground being cracked by the force of Bruiser¡¯s gravity enhanced punch. Moments after Bruiser removed his fist from where it was embedded in the concrete. He fully righted himself before gazing at James and speaking. His voice was surprisingly cultured and refined, despite his brutish appearance.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that James, You might be more skilled than I, but you are two engrossed with staying and appearing to be normal. I on the other hand, have been embracing my abilities. Now stand up and fight me, you pansy.¡±


    James simply sighed; he stayed silent, not responding to bruiser. As the more muscularly built man threw another punch, this one was blocked, instead of dodged, the force behind the punch pushed James back. He wrapped an arm around Bruiser¡¯s limb and tried to launch him backwards, but was unable to due to Bruiser¡¯s power. James was then sent flying; he impacted with a thud against the brick walls of the alleyway. He picked himself up from among the crumbled remains of the bricks from the asphalt, which was cracked with old age and disrepair.


    James closed his eyes for a brief moment, as he did so Bruiser moved towards him preparing to finish the fight. As the large fist inched closer and closer, time seemed to slow down, just as it was about to hit, James exhaled. At that point, everything changed, darkness flashed and the entirety of the alleyway was consumed by darkness. Just as soon as it appeared, it vanished; the scene it revealed was one rather different from what had been in the alley before.


    James was standing, leaning against the brick wall, much as he had been, though the rest of the alley was very different. Bruiser was unconscious on the ground, his clothes were in tatters, numerous bruises and marks could be seen on his body. The more notable changes however, involved the alley itself, the wall that had been damaged when James hit it was repaired, even the asphalt covered ground was less cracked than it was, but still bore the marks of time.


    He gazed down at the unconscious and barely breathing form of Bruiser before shaking his head. James had been breathing heavily; even such a seemingly casual display of his power was more than a bit taxing on him. For the past several years, he had stopped exercising his powers and had instead started to become more involved in more normal ventures. This had understandably caused degeneration in his skills, though he could handle over ambitious fools like Bruiser easily enough, truly powerful villains could potentially deal with him.


    Even if some powerful villain did take him on, there were few who would go against his family; his Grandfather¡¯s alone had contacts among many notable active and inactive Heroes and Villains. He reached into his faded pants to pull out his cell to call an acquaintance to deal with Bruiser, at that moment however, an enchanting voice called out from behind him.


    ¡°That will not be necessary James; I will have someone deal with this fool.¡±


    James sighed before placing his phone back and turning around. He gazed at the familiar intruder and drank in her from. She was shorter than his 6 feet 3 height by a good half foot, though it did nothing to detract from her allure. She had short blonde hair just long enough that it framed her heart shaped face. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans that encased her hips like a second skin; she wore a colorful plaid button up shirt.


    Altogether the get up matched with her hair and eye color, a mesmerizing royal blue, made her look very much like the stereotypical image many had of a country girl. Truthfully though, due to her very nature, she could wear a burlap sack and still look better than most women prized for their beauty. IT was just how she was made, literally, her powers had to do with beauty and maintaining it in a sense, this led to her being nearly immortal and surprisingly capable in a fight.


    After a time, James finally spoke. ¡°Hello Jess, last I heard you had left the group you grew up in, the Sins, and now joined some big shot Villain group, what was it called, the Society I think it was? Anyways, what are you doing here; I washed my hands of all of you when I left.¡±


    There was a brief pause before Jess known in the Villain community as Lust, responded. Her voice was less alluring; it held a solemn vulnerability to it, hinting at the truth of what lurked beneath the shell formed by her powers. ¡°I know why you left all of us, but I truly have missed you James. That by itself is reason enough for me to be here, but that is not the only reason. The Society has sent me here to keep an eye certain operations they have going on within Cross Timber.¡±


    She then turned and started to stride away, her shoes tapping rhythmically on the hard asphalt. The tapping stopped as Jess paused and looked back over her shoulder to address James a final time. ¡°Stay safe James, and don¡¯t worry about the fool, I will send someone to clean the area up, least I can do for you.¡±


    Just before she turned and continued walking away, James gave a sigh and nodded, Jess beamed in response before giving a final wave. James watched as she walked away, he gave yet another sigh before tearing his eyes from her form and stepping backwards. If anyone was watching, he would seem to fall through the shadows of the alleyway; this was one of the abilities he shared with the original Phantom, Shadow Walking. It was also called Shadow Travel, it was simply put, the ability to traverse and navigate one¡¯s way through shadows and darkness to a destination.


    Just outside the house he was staying at, his form emerged from the shadows between his home and his neighbor¡¯s house. As the thin film of darkness covering his form melted away a cry of surprise erupted from somewhere behind him. He turned around to look, but his vision was obscured by a mass of shockingly red hair, as the person who gave the cry fell forward. James¡¯ arms shot forward as he caught her, as he pulled her up she stumbled once more accidentally pushing her body against him.


    As her body impacted against him, she, Candace Marie Clark, blushed, the pink hue spreading across her pale flesh at a rapid speed. She righted herself swiftly and pushed herself away from him, she hid her face from him in embarrassment. She recovered after some time; James just leaned back against the side of his house, keeping an eye on Candace as an amused smirk graced his features. This was not an uncommon occurrence with her, she blushed easily.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Although she was a rather powerful Super, her unique upbringing and her inherent clumsiness made her shy away from any sort of work Supers usually partook. She was one of the few from his life as an active participant in Hero and Villain affairs, that he kept in contact with. When he moved here, she followed after him, she had been planning on transferring to a different college, Cross Timber coincidentally happened to house Darksome, so it all worked out in the end.


    The first time the two of them met, Candace was being harassed by a group of thugs working for the local organized crime group. She had been operating her parents floral shop, had been for a while since they were killed. In order to keep it running, she had to take loans; few legitimate businesses would finance such a risky endeavor, so she had to go to less scrupulous individuals. For a time she was able to keep up with the payments, as her powers aided her in making the shop carry unique and popular varieties of flowers and plants.


    Unfortunately, a recent fight between two supers, one with fire and one with ice powers, ended up killing most of her plants. This caused her to have to dip into her emergency funds, but it only got worse from there, other incidents wore away at what extra funds she had. Eventually she began missing payments, which was what led to her current situation. Though she was powerful, there were limits, she was specialized in that, she could manipulate plants freely, altering them at her will.


    However she could not make them do something out of their own nature, not so casually anyways. Had the harassed her at her shop, she could have dealt with them easily enough, but away from there, in an area bereft of soil and natural life, she was powerless, or nearly so. They accosted her just as she left a specialty store some distance from her house. It was an occult shop, ran by a powerful individual, who was a practitioner of magic and other things. The shop was a mysterious thing, when you needed to buy something it just appeared, but after you finished, it disappeared.


    It was at this moment, that the 3 men came up to her, and started harassing her. The leader of the group was an enforcer for a local Italian crime family. His name was Luka Brasini; he was the illegitimate child of the local Mob Boss. His powers, seemed mundane, making him stronger than most humans could be, but also boosting his other attributes. That however was not the true effect of his abilities, he could control biology, simply put, he could shift his skin and bones, even blood around, and that of others as well.


    He was arguably, one of the most dangerous Supers in the city, currently, it was one of the reasons he was considered the right hand man of his father. He was arrogant, ambitious, and cocky, but he also knew who he could and could not offend within the city and the country to a lesser extent.


    ¡°Sweetheart, you knew what would happen if you failed to keep up with the payments. You read the fine print; you knew this would happen that was why you were here right; you were buying wards to protect your shop? That is a no no Miss Clark, you see, it does not set a good example for us if we let someone indebted to us make our services obsolete. Though you do not take protection from us, the point is still the same; we must collect sooner than later.¡±


    The man finished speaking, as he did so, he directed one of his cronies to grab her. A slimmer, lankily built man moved forward and mad movements to grab Candace; she pushed him away before he could get a good grip. As he regained his balance Candace tried to flee, but the other man moved into her path and blocked her way. Luka moved behind her, preparing to strike her, his raised arm was stopped by something, he froze and a chill ran down his spine as a voice most in the city feared came from behind him.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Luka, Luka, Luka, see, we have a conflict of interest here. While I could care less what you do to people in your own territory, I am no saint after all, but for you to go so brazenly into a place belonging to your superiors, I am thinking maybe I should just make good on my threat to erase your little group. No you know what, I got an even better idea, I¡¯m sure I could have some people take out the Syndicate, your protectors, how does that sound?¡±


    Luka and the other two men started shivering and trembling, knowing full he could make good on the threat, and that it wasn¡¯t truly a threat, more a description of what would happen if they went against him.


    ¡°T-that won¡¯t be necessary Mister Williamson sir, we will get out of here, but she owes us money.¡± Luka stammered in reply.


    ¡°No, I think not, you see, now that I got a good look at this one, she seems to be quite my type. Yeah, I think I shall keep this one for myself. You can go back to Giovanni and tell him that he can take her worth out of what he owes me.¡±


    Luka and his goons nodded and fled swiftly, stumbling all over themselves as they did so. James walked closer; Candace started trembling at the sound of his shoes tapping on the ground. He reached out and started tilted her head up, so he could look at her more closely. Despite the fear she was feeling, the gentle and soft tone in his voice, a far cry from harsh cold tone it possessed before, calmed her down somewhat.


    ¡°Do not fear me Red, I mean you no harm. Fools like that, only understand a certain tone, a certain way of doing things. Though I am no saint, I am not enough of a sinner to take advantage of a fearful lady such as yourself. Come, follow me, you will want to get those magic doohickeys of yours set up in case some fool tries to go against me and those I represent.¡±


    He looked into her eyes for a brief moment before removing his hand from under her chin and turning away. As he started walking, Candace picked up her bag of good and followed after him. Though she still felt fear, he had saved her, and she would give him the benefit of the doubt in this situation, regardless, she would be safe once she reached her shop.


    After a while James broke from his reminiscence and appraised her once more. She was wearing faded overalls that were perpetually stained with dirt and smudges. They hung loosely off her hips, being baggy enough that her figure was somewhat hidden, but tight enough in the right places to hint at what lay underneath. Her face was bare of makeup and nearly unblemished but for some dirt smudges here and there. Many would consider her plain, not cute, or beautiful, or alluring, just plain, though others would be attracted to that plainness and even consider a type of beauty.


    His voice was dripping with amusement as he spoke. ¡°So, have you recovered Sweet Candy?¡±


    At his voice and the words he spoke she looked up, her blush deepening. Her voice was meek, but pleasant and quite audible as she responded. ¡°Yes, James, you know I get easily surprised, and don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    At her response he ran a hand through his short hair as a sheepish look crossed his face. ¡°Yeah, sorry for that, didn¡¯t expect you to be back here, forgot your classes were rescheduled for another day. I was also not in the right mind when I travelled back he-¡°


    He was interrupted as Candace spoke. ¡°Sorry, James, but could we take this inside? I have been working in my garden for quite a while and from how it sounds, this might take a bit.¡±


    James nodded and followed her as she walked through her back door into her house. As they passed through the garden a few of the plants leaned towards him. He let them pass over him briefly before they snapped back to the same positions they were in previously. Candace turned around as they entered her place; she made a sweeping gesture as she spoke.


    ¡°You know where everything is; make yourself at home while I clean up.¡±


    He nodded absentmindedly as she glanced at him a moment before wandering off, losing clothes as she went. Meanwhile James glanced around her place; it had been some time since he had last been here, several weeks at the least. She had many plants scattered around the house, the area around the backdoor lead to an open kitchen area. He moved towards the table there and pulled out a seat. He was about to sit down, before he thought better of it, he moved to a set of cabinets above the sink and searched around for what he needed.


    He pulled out a bottle of cognac, something he had gifted her awhile back once. He pulled two snifters, brandy glasses, out of an adjacent cabinet. He sat them down on the table along with the bottle before pulling a second chair out and sitting down. He sat there in silence for a time, thinking of things, he went into motion as the sound of the shower in the distance stopped. As Candace came out of the shower, she was dressed in a pair of faded dark blue pants that were much like the overalls she was wearing previously in some aspects, she wore a red tank top, which emphasized her curves.


    James gazed at her for a bit, his eyes lingering on her, as she blushed he looked away and gesture towards the chair. She dropped the towel she had been drying her hair with onto the back of the chair before lowering herself into the seat. She gazed at him worryingly as he poured out a sizeable amount of Cognac for the two of them in their respective glasses. Neither of the two of them were such casual drinkers, usually they drank alcohol only on special occasions or when there was bad news.


    He caught her gaze and responded with briefly. ¡°You¡¯re going to need it, trust me.¡±


    She nodded in acquiescence and accepted the glass he held out to her. She had just taken a small sip as he spoke once more.


    He spoke casually, but with cautiousness in his voice. ¡°So, I ran into Jess today.¡±


    Any further words he was going to say were interrupted by Candace exploding into a series of hacking coughs as the cognac spewed from her mouth. Moments later she yelled in between fits of coughing.


    ¡°WHAT?!?!?!?¡±

 Chapter Two (Hey Another Poll)

    Candace spent a few minutes recovering from her surprise. She took a sip of water as James wiped down the table and waited for her to recover. As she recovered she looked at him and spoke, her voice sounding somewhat husky from her ordeal.


    ¡°Ok, start from the beginning and tell me what the bitch wanted.¡±


    James frowned at her insult, he and Jess were once rather close, but he understood the sentiment. He nodded at her before responding in kind.


    ¡°Well, Bruiser tried to foolishly take me on; I dealt with him quickly enough.¡±


    At his words Jess gave an amused snort, she knew just how powerful James was. He had also tutored her a bit on the state of the city and the major powers, and who was strong and the like. She had even come into conflict against Bruiser once or twice, the man had propositioned her, when she refused, he like many tried to act out in anger. Unfortunately he had chosen to ask her out at the park near Darkholme, a foolish place to attack a plant manipulator in.


    Needless to say, she was the victor, that incident put a stop to many who had romantic interests towards her. Though many avoided her for a time, after the incident blew over, she gained many more admirers. There were those who were extremely attracted to and admiring of those with powers. She rebuffed any advances, for reasons of her own. Candace had a scowl on her face, though instead of disfiguring her features, it only made her look cuter.


    He sighed briefly before continuing. ¡°After dealing with that overexcited fool, Jess popped up. I did not want to stay in her presence for too long, so I was not able to find any specifics out. However, she said that the Society sent her here; I figure that she was sent here to check on their forces within Cross Timber. The fact that they had someone with a reputation such as her here means that they might be making a move on the other groups within the city.¡±


    As James paused, Candace spoke in response. ¡°Though that is worrying, with how you are acting, that shouldn¡¯t be all, James. What else is worrying you?¡±


    He paused and placed a hand on top of hers over the table. ¡°Well, I feel she may have come here for me, and though the Society has left me alone for most of the time I have been here, out of respect to my Grandfather, I worry that they may try to recruit me. Though Jess did not seem to know you were here, with me, I worry that she might find out, and then the Society would target you to get to me. Though you can take care of yourself, you know that you are not suited for fighting and combat.¡±


    He grasped her hand for a moment before continuing. ¡°However, that is not all, too many Heroes here, have become a bit overzealous with their actions, probably because they are the rejects of the League. Should the Society or even others of the groups in the city actually make major movements, then we could get drawn up in the middle of everything. We must be careful and wary, you understand me, Red?¡±


    In response Candace nodded towards him and stood up. Afterwards the two of them hung out a bit more; they watched movies and played a few games. Neither of the two of them had much schoolwork to do. Most of James¡¯ classes were neither that strict nor requiring of much work. He was more of a Teacher¡¯s assistant in most of his classes, due to certain factor¡¯s, while Candace¡¯s classes were rather easy for her, because she knew everything concerning plants, or nearly so, due to her powers.


    Elsewhere, Jess was returning to the local HQ of the Society, within Cross Timber. The building was like many within the city, refurbished and redone in the original style they had back in the 30¡¯s, when crime ruled the city. The only buildings not in the style, or mimicking it, were some of the modern hotels, and the local headquarters for the League, along with a few other privately owned warehouses and such belonging to outside corporations.


    The Society base was a building, which was once a social club, now it was a more modern club, though still held the style and ambience it did back in the day. Jess strode passed the line that wrapped around the front of the club. Though she was wearing clothes that did not fit in, such a fickle matter was of no consequence. Even if the bouncers and staff did not know who she was, her beauty was on such a level that it was a near instant pass to most public venues.


    Even in the few instances that it wasn¡¯t, her other charms made most people easily influenced. As she walked into the club, it became as silent as it had been, and the crowd parted before her, all of them, regardless of gender, stared at her. Some of them gazed with envy, or disdain, though they were the overwhelming minority, most of them were slack-jawed with awe or pure overwhelming lust. Once she would have basked in that attention, perhaps even joined a few of them but she had not felt such urges for a long time, years in fact.


    She ignored the gawkers as she walked up the elaborate spiral staircase that connected to the upper balcony. The upper level was more tastefully done than the dance floor and booths placed below and beneath it. It had a few booths and benches facing out over the dance floor below, but behind that a somewhat more formal setting located in between the booths and the bar located against the back wall. Jess made her way to one of the occupied booths, the man sitting there was astonishingly handsome, some would say perfect.


    He had dark hair, and an exotic swarthy coloring common amongst those of meditating descent. He had two stunning women next to him, though they paled in comparison to Jess. As she approached the man, he gave a dazzling smile towards her. The scantily clad women by his side scowled at Jess, with open hostility in their eyes. The man, Giovanni D¡¯Angelo, rose up from his seat and hugged Jess; who awkwardly endured it; he then turned around and looked towards the women who had been accompanying him.


    ¡°Unfortunately ladies, business before pleasure, as much as I would love to partake of your fruits, there are more bitter things I must deal with. You two can wait for me in the back, if you wish, while I deal with this. I thank you if you still wish to put up with me.¡±


    He smiled at the two, as he did; they looked at one another before exploding into smiles, they rose at the same time. They flowed towards Giovanni; they both embraced him and shared a kiss, with him and each other, before moving on towards the back. They glanced back at him occasionally, giggling, as they moved past him, they pushed Jess out of the way, or tried to. Giovanni smiled back and yelled towards them as they moved on.


    ¡°Thank you for your faith ladies.¡±


    After he spoke, he turned back towards Jess, and gestured back towards the booth he had been sitting in. As they sat down a waiter walked over and dropped off some drinks. Giovanni took a sip of his water before glancing at Jess, it was not an appraising glance, but one uncaring for her situation, and was what many would call, undressing with the eyes. When he had finished with that, he spoke; his voice was just as enchanting as his appearance, though Jess was unaffected.


    ¡°So, how did it go, Lust?¡±


    Jess gave a sigh before responding. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you thought to accomplish sending a punk like Bruiser against him, the Scion of the Commander and Phantom. Even the most skilled of Supers would not go against him so lightly, the incidents he has been a part of in the past, have led to him being on a pedestal within the minds of many. Not to mention, his Father, and Grandfather have many connections with notable Supers, you of all should know that, Gio.¡±


    She sighed again before continuing. ¡°Haaa. Well it went about as expected, he tried to resolve the incident peacefully, when that did not work, he fought, and then utterly destroyed the poor man. He was less than pleased to see me, sadly, he probably suspects why I am here, and why I approached him, but he probably does not realize you are the one behind the Society here.¡±


    As Jess finished, Giovanni nodded, then stood and spoke while walking away. ¡°That is good, Lust, remember to keep an eye on him, but don¡¯t get attached.¡±


    Jess took the drink she had been given and walked to the bar area located at the back of the balcony. She dumped the glass into the sink behind most bars, and dropped the glass in as well. She grabbed a fresh glass from the back of the cabinet before looking for a sealed bottle and opening it. She had learned from past experiences, and became more cautious when accepting drinks, even from colleagues.


    She sat down, and looked over the dance floor, in another time she would have joined those most worthy of her attentions on the dance floor. Jess might even have stirred up the lust and attractions of those present, whipping the dance floor up, maybe even causing an orgy or two for fun. A similar situation happened when her powers awoke, so many years ago. It had been her first Prom, back when she was still going to school with James. That school, much like Darkholme, had a high concentration of Supers, and those with Super potential.


    James had already had his powers for a while, since birth, or nearly so. Jess, on the other hand, had been normal, well, as normal as a person without powers, born into a family of Supers, could be. They had been friends, not extremely close, but they grew up close to one another, so they were still reasonably close. An anti-Super group, Humans for Purity, those who advocated for a pure human genome, untainted by the unnatural filth that they consider superpowers, and attacked the Prom.


    Many of those attending were up and coming Supers, or at least those with powers, they were useless however, or nearly so, when the group attacked. The school had hired out, for the dance decorations, which was a ruse, for the HFP to set up their assault. The doors to the auditorium burst from some outside stimuli, scattering metal, glass and stone everywhere. The instant they did, screams erupted, from panic and those injured by the shrapnel. 20 or 30 individuals with cheap disguises and assorted weaponry entered.


    A few of the more confident Meta¡¯s rushed towards them, only to fall down in shock and surprise when the bullets actually were able to hurt them. They had swiftly separated the assorted students and chaperones into groups, male and female. Jess had been hiding behind James, when the attackers tried to separate them; James stepped forward and stopped them. He had taken out three of them with his physical skills before he got shot. The bullet entered his neck from the side, he fell down, and as the blood leaked from him, a scream could be heard emanating from Jess.


    That was not all, however, along with the scream came a wave of something, exploding out from her. It hit everyone, and affected everyone differently. Those farther from her only cuddled behind those stronger and more impressive, but those who had been around her and James, most of them collapsed. They hit the laminated floor like a sack of potatoes, each of them convulsed with the overflowing stimuli she pushed at them. Jess collapsed to her knees soon after, from the stress and exertion.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    She looked up, as she heard a bunch of thuds, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground. The sight was somewhat surprising, as James, who to her knowledge had been bleeding out on the floor, was decimating the remaining intruders. The wound on his neck was knitting itself back together, it was almost grotesque, the skin warping and wriggling as it repaired itself. As the last one fell, a cheering erupted throughout the auditorium, during it James walked slowly towards Jess and helped her up while asking.


    ¡°You ok, Little Angel? Sorry for surprising you like that. I had to catch them off guard to make sure you weren¡¯t hurt. Let us get you to your mother; she should be able to help you better, especially in your current condition. Congrats Jess, you got powers now.¡±


    As he spoke, he had helped Jess up, then had lifted her within his arms and started to carry her out, regardless of everything going on. No one tried to stop him; he had just helped save them, not to mention none of them were that foolish. As he spoke and carried her, she blushed a bit at his endearment and words, and she cuddled more into the warm firmness of his chest. Her eyes passed over him as he carried her with little effort to where they needed to go.


    He had shown such care and tenderness towards her, that kindness was a far cry from the animosity and disdain that had laced his gaze when they last met. There was not always such animosity between them, once Jess, Candace, and James, were all friends, close friends in fact. After James rescued Candace, he would stop by her shop from time to time; she also lived there as well, to save costs and such. One time he brought Jess, who he was still close with at the time, with him to her shop.


    Jess liked pretty things; flowers are generally beautiful by default, Candace¡¯s were more so. That began their friendship, the two would hang out, even without James, though that was a minority, they both had been rescued by him before, and so they had common ground. Sadly though, the harmony and friendship between the three of them ended, it all began with Giovanni D¡¯Angelo, the Unbleeding Angel. At that time, he had led the Syndicate, or nearly so, he handled most matters within the North-Western hemisphere.


    He had assisted his father, an Italian born Don to attain power within the Syndicate, which in turn allowed him to climb the ranks easier. His powers had to do with being better, simply put, than most humans, Super or otherwise, in nearly all aspects. Another affect they had was to make him rather, difficult to harm, he could not bleed, rather it took a massive amount of force to make him bleed. He was not more durable, per se, just damage did not exactly stick to him as easily as it did others, and he was somewhat similar to Jess in that regard.


    Just as jess¡¯s body was always in a beautiful condition, Giovanni¡¯s was nearly always in a condition to be better, than other people. He was well known and feared, as well as respected, even more so than his father and the head of the Syndicate. What was less known, was that he was so much more than the Unbleeding Angel, he was also Pride, the leader of the Seven Sins. Unlike most of the other members of the Sins, his powers had little to do with his corresponding sin, but it fit him.


    Italians are generally a jovial and passionate people, they much like many people of the Mediterranean had an arrogance inherent to them, rooted in their bones. Within Giovanni, this was taken to the extreme; he had an arrogant, confident, cockiness, that when coupled with his impeccable appearance, mad him irresistible to many, men and women. Many, but not all, Jess, was among those, immune to his charm, which was part of the problem.


    He had grown so used to power and prestige, and being wanted, that when he met Jess, he was surprised and intrigued. She was the first person that he had met, that was not fawning over him. Over time, the intrigue, developed into an obsession, however, for all his arrogance, Giovanni was not a fool, well not that great of one. Jess was connected to many notable Supers; her father was Faust, a notable Super who was neither a Hero nor Villain, who was responsible for the powers of many current Heroes and Villains.


    Her mother was Lilith, a Villain with light and healing oriented powers, who has since retired and works helping the League in recent years. It was not just her familial connections, that made approaching her troublesome, but also who she was friends with. Her protector was the Shade, the Phantom, arguably one of the most dangerous Metas, regardless of persuasion. When Giovanni was elevated to his current post, back when he was still in his teens, the Don, the Boss, true leader of the Syndicate, laid down one rule, which he must not break.


    That rule was simple, Do not cross the Phantom, many had tried, much more powerful men had tried, they all had failed, their impressive stories ended, their legacies broken by their foolish choice. Though Gio was not a total fool, he was still too colored by his arrogance, to fully contemplate the consequences of what he was going to do. He knew full well what would happen when he sent the Enforcer, Luka, to track that girl. The loan was a minor thing, which the local leader had set up in order to acquire the woman, Candace Clark.


    However, when Giovanni got word of Shade, working in Chicago, and was an enforcer for one of the independent groups there, he set up Luka, to run into James. Afterwards, he set plans into motion, to make Jess his, when she became friends with Candace, it only made things easier. Jess¡¯s powers, made her more beautiful, and gave her an allure, but it also affected her mentally, it made her more playful, but also more possessive. He had spent much, to inquire into her situation and to find out everything that he would need to attain the object of his obsessions.


    Despite the changes to her nature, she was very loyal to her friends and her feelings of friendship, towards Candace and James, were genuine. What Gio did, was arranged, to have a Super, a rather ancient man, to create a potion of sorts, to help him remove Jess¡¯s inhibitions and control. It happened during one of the annual meetings the Sins held. Giovanni, being the gentlemen he was, had gotten her a drink, such an incident was not a rarity to her since her powers awoke.


    After the meeting ended, Jess went to meet with James and Candace. They were meeting at Candace¡¯s shop, before heading out to a club for the night. Jess had been wearing a black dress, a tight little sheath, with a slit up the side. Candace was wearing more casual clothes, but they fit her, and were much fancier than clothes she usually wore. She had been wearing a silk top, that was nearly shear, but not quite, it revealed enough to hint at her assets, but still covered them.


    When they arrived at the club, Jess took her rightful among the grinding crowds on the dance floor. It was nothing too unusual; she enjoyed teasing and partying, always had. Whatever had affected her that night, took effect when she saw James and Candace dancing together, closely. The three of them were not the only people with powers there, a few of the bouncers, and several of the partygoers had powers as well. She approached a tall lanky man, with spiky dark red hair, a known Meta with a penchant for mischief and fire.


    The two of them started dancing; well what they did was barely called dancing. This continued on for a time, but when the man got grabby, Jess stopped him. She leaned in and whispered to him.


    ¡°Calm down Tiger, you will get me soon enough, but first could you do a little something for me?¡±


    The poor man was so addled with lust and want, that he would do anything, to simply be in her presence. Jess¡¯ power did not just make her more attractive, it could also amplify the attractions others felt, towards her or towards others. It was not that cut and dry however, it was difficult for her not to be in an attractive state, her scent was nearly always attractive to others. Additionally, her very presence, let alone skin contact, could make those around her slaves to their lust, and her, after a time.


    The position the fire user was in, was such a state, he was very conscious of her and susceptible to her suggestions and orders. He nodded to Jess, in an absentminded way, though his attention was locked on her, and he listened to her words like a devout patron being gifted words from a holy apostle.


    ¡°Good, now, this is what I need you to do Tiger. You see that man over there the one with the cute redhead? I need you to go over, and rough up the guy a bit, just enough to scare him off. If you do this correctly, you won¡¯t just have me by the end of the night, but maybe her as well, wouldn¡¯t that be nice, Tiger?¡±


    The man glanced over to where she gestured before he nodded excitedly, appearing much like a puppy following the path of a bone, or a child being offered a treat, he was salivating as much as either one as well. After that, Jess moved to the side as her new minion went to work, he pushed his way through the throng of bodies scattered across the floor, many people voicing their dissatisfaction at his actions. He ignored them, as he made his way towards his quarry; the two were sitting of to the side of the dance floor.


    He stared at Candace, for a brief time, before exploding into action, one moment the club was full of excitement and the right kind of tension, the next a massive gout of flame spewed towards James and Candace. While most of the people present were blinded by the sudden flash of light, James was not affected. When the light flashed, he felt a burst of heat, in that moment he pushed Candace away, she was rather susceptible to fire, a quirk of her powers.


    Despite his quick action, Candace was still injured, as she fell to the side, James sent out a burst of pure blackness. It pulsed out acting much like a wave, but rather than flowing out, it formed a wall against the Fire, holding out for the moment. He moved away from the barrier, while keeping an eye on it, he called out to Jess, who had moved away, unseen, after setting her new minion into motion.


    ¡°Jess. Can you hel-¡° He was interrupted by Jess moving towards Candace and replying.


    ¡°Yeah, I will take care of Candy, you deal with the Hothead.¡±


    James moved out to deal with the fire manipulator, whose Meta handle, was actually Hothead. Jess moved over and grabbed Candace, holding her gently, but firmly. She spoke gently to Candace, who was too addled from the shock and pain to pay attention to Jess¡¯s features, which were laced with a hint of cruel malice.


    ¡°Come on Candy; let¡¯s get you some place safe, away from this.¡±


    Jess slowly took Candace away, to one of many backrooms of the club, away from the chaos and hubbub that had overtaken the dance floor of the club. Soon enough they settled into the room, with Jess gently stroking Candace¡¯s hair, calming her down. Over the moments, Candace became more and more relaxed, as she did; Jess started speaking, just as she started gently massaging Candace¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Relax, Candy, you are safe now. Did you know, the only real difference between pain, pleasure, and all other things we feel, is how our body interprets the sensations.¡±


    As Jess spoke, all sorts of sensations flowed through Candace, stimulating her. She started trembling at the sensations she was feeling. Pain, pleasure, anxiety, nervousness, all emotions and feelings flowed together, each sensation merging into the next. Soon enough she was near comatose at the sensations, they were no longer feelings that could be described by simple words like pain or please, they were simply intense feelings, that would stay with her, forever. The sensations were so intense that she was only able to barely hear the next words Jess spoke.


    ¡°You feel those sensations running through you, right? I am truly saddened that it must come to this, especially since we have become so close as of late, but at least you will go without any pain. James is mine, you cannot have him.¡±


    Just as she finished speaking a yell could be heard, it was filled with rage, a dark rage that she had not heard in his voice for many years.


    ¡°Jess, what have you done?!?!?!?¡±


    As she started to turn a mass of darkness picked her up and threw her into a wall. She was disoriented for a moment, then she caught sight of him, James Williamson, the Shade, in all his wrathful glory. Darkness dripped from his form, his eyes were orbs of pure darkness that absorbed light, he was akin to some ancient vengeful god of Darkness. She did not have a chance to answer as he wrapped her in a cocoon of darkness, leaving her in complete silence but for his next words.


    ¡°I had hoped you were better than this, Jess.¡±


    Those were some of the last words they spoke, until many years later. She remained there for a time, but the cocoon dissipated before the police showed up to scour the place. It was a final act of kindness from James.


    In one night, the friends she valued most were lost to her. That loss changed her, made her embrace her powers and very nature more. Despite that, she did not lose all her dignity, sure she became crueler, but, even if she had lost James, he remained with her in spirit, that kept her from going too far. She had left the Seven Sins relatively recently, to distance herself from that life. She could not stop being a Villain, it was all she had known, and no Hero organization would accept a Villain of such renown as her.


    She only had one real choice, join the Society, it would give her some measure of protection from other Villains, but it came with certain responsibilities. Thus she came to Cross Timber, to help them with certain endeavor. Unfortunately, Giovanni, had left both the Sins and the Syndicate, and was with the Society now, though he had less power than before, he still had a position of power over her. She knew he had played a part in the events of that night, but she did not know the specifics, and the shame and guilt of what happened kept her from acting against him.


    Jess broke from her thoughts of the not so distant past and looked over the still thriving and full dance floor, before giving a sad sigh and downing her drink.

 Chapter Three: (Hey Another Poll, Sorry)

    James woke up as sunlight filtered into his bedroom through the drapes. He gave a loud, extended yawn as he stretched, his joints popping, leaving pleasant warmth in their wake. He jolted as the rather grating sound of his alarm broke the peaceful silence of his room. He leaned over smakcking it a few times until it was silenced. He breathed out a sigh of relief before letting his body fall back onto his comfortable bed. He twisted around for a bit, before reaching under him and pulling out a comic book, in surprisingly good condition.


    It was an old comic book, published in the 40¡¯s following the events of World War 2. It followed Jew-Jitsu, a Jewish Metahuman active during WW2 and catalogued his conflicts with his Nemesis, the Kung Fuhrer. Though many thought it was just a satirical take on the harrowing events of WW2, James knew different. His Grandfather, the Commander, also known as Andrew West, left him this comic, and the others in the series. Jew-Jitsu was a real person born as Benoni "Ben" Shimshelewitz, though the events of the comics were definitely satirized, they were rooted in truth.


    Ben was part of the Number 10 Commando, a group of Soldiers all with powers, formed to combat Nazi Germany, their allies, and the threat they represented. He stayed with the group from their formation in the early days of ¡¯42 until they took Berlin in 1945. He held of the German forces alone, to give the other members of the joint Soviet Allie task force time to seize the Nazi research into the metahuman condition.


    By the time they took the city, Ben was nowhere to be found, he had vanished, along with Hitler, or the monstrosity that Hitler had become. To honor his sacrifice and the memory of the man who had saved them more than once, the Commander had a comic series worked on and published by some skilled men. The series was quite popular among civilians and was an amusing take on the events, eventually it was made into a tv series at a much later date.


    James gave another yawn before tossing the comic towards an end table located to the side of his bed. He swung his legs of the side of his bed and slid down till they touched the floor. He slid off his bed and stood to his full height of 6 foot 4, he scratched hair before heading to the bathroom connected to his room. He paused before the mirror and gazed at his reflection, his eyes roving over his half bare form.


    He had dark brown almost black hair; it was short, barely reaching his neck, his eyes were brown as well, though not nearly as dark. They were a light brown that seemed warm in the right light, though in the right circumstances they could be as cold as the dark void of space. Though his body was not nearly as impressive as those who sculpt their bodies through dieting and exercise, it was still quite a sight.


    Most Metahumans were attractive people, a gift of the Gene that granted them their power, but their power also determines their appearance to a certain extent. James favored his father and Grandfather in build, having enhanced reflexes and physical attributes tended to make for an impressive physique. He was not musclebound or built like a body builder, he was more like a sleekly built big cat, and when he walked his skin seemed to struggle to contain the power of his muscles.


    He was currently wearing shorts and nothing else, his usual attire for bed. The shorts were old and faded the red appearing nearly pink, the drawstrings hung down in front of him slightly. He left his bathroom after a time, grabbing a change of clothes from his closet, before heading into the shower. He came out after a time and proceeded to brush his teeth, shaving was not needed, an aspect of his powers inherited from the Phantom.


    Most of his house was lightly decorated, the bathroom was no different. The walls were decorated with a seashell motif style wall paper, the mirror was bordered by metal and the sink was a pale ivory, somewhat obscured by a several commonly seen bathroom items. His room was painted a light red with black trim, his floor was clear and any clothes and such were put where they belong, in the hamper or closet. All in all though his house and the rooms in it had a lived in look, they did not have the usual clutter or messiness one would expect from a college student living alone.


    He was wearing an unadorned gray t shirt along with a pair of light sweatpants. Usually he wore less restricted clothing such as baggy shorts and tank tops or sleeveless shorts. It was not that he lacked a fashion sense, he could dress quite well at times, he just tended to go more for functionality rather than fashion. Though the costume he wore, being cloaked in shadows, is effective at hiding his identity, he has not had a true secret identity for some time, at least among certain circles.


    James walked through his house briefly before finding what he was looking for, his backpack, or what served as it. He had no real need for book bags, dugffel bags, satchels, or even pockets, one aspect of his abilities let him store things in a dimension of Darkness, that he called the DarkSpace. He was the only person that had access to it, not even the Phantom for all his skill and power could access it.


    The Phantom¡¯s identity was and always had been public, back then, back in the day; there was respect between Heroes and Villains. How Heroes and villains operated changed after the Vietnam War, much discrimination against those with powers emerged and Heroes and Villains, new ones anyways, had to protect their families and themselves. That eventually evolved into today¡¯s system, the names and handles of Supers were public, to a point, but still protected by certain countermeasures. James was broken from his thoughts as Candace called out to him.


    ¡°James, James, pay attention, we going to Darkholme together today then?¡±


    James nodded in response before linking arms with her. She was wearing black and red, her shirt was a plaid button up with grey, black, and red. Her pants were a tight black denim, they highlighted her hips and legs. Her current outfit was a far cry from the baggy ensembles she usually wore, as they walked, she was gathering attention, though she still was not astonishingly beautiful, she was still ravishing in her own way currently. Candace blushed from James¡¯ attention and looked away before speaking.


    ¡°So, like what you see James?¡±


    James looked at her in surprise with widened eyes, while she was normally shy, and blushed often, such teasing and flirting was an abnormality. James eyed her with worry for a moment, taking in her appearance once more before he replied teasingly.


    ¡°Indeed I do Candy, I always have.¡±


    As he responded a teasing smile graced his face and he chuckled slightly. Candace¡¯s blush deepened as she took in what he said. She leaned into him gently as they walked to Darkholme. To everyone they passed on the streets they looked like a couple who were in love, which was not too far from the truth, they did care for one another, being friends for several years tended to make people, rather close.


    The two of them walked together in a rather comfortable and cozy silence. Soon enough they reached Darkholme, it was outside of Cross Timber, further inland by about a mile. Darkholme was a not just a single building, but many buildings, 15 in all, spread across the equivalent to several normal city blocks. The massive campus was surrounded by high stone walls, at least 10 feet in height, each section of wall topped by a wrought iron fence, increasing its height further.


    The center of the campus was dominated by the main building. It was the first building constructed on what would become the campus of Darkholme. It was a massive gothic style building, among the oldest in Cross Timber still standing. It looked like it belonged in some ancient medieval fairy tale; it was carved from stone, with buttresses and towers mounted with gargoyles and other grotesque statues. Once the building housed numerous classrooms and even held quarters for all staff and kitchen facilities.


    It still housed some amount of the staff that kept the sprawling campus presentable, but in the early 40¡¯s a smaller building was constructed, in the same style as the original, that would serve to house teachers and students, which would be enlarged over time. As Cross Timber became larger, the learning institution increased in size, the campus would expand, its buildings would become larger and more would be built, but they would remain in the same style, being more reminiscent of castle¡¯s or other such medieval fortifications.


    The two of them parted shortly after entering the campus, James headed to the building closest to the Main building. Candace on the other hand headed to the far end of the campus, where a greenhouse made of stone and glass was built. It also had a small garden area outside it, which was walled in, the walls paled in comparison against those around the campus, but still stood waist high. She was one of the few students who took any botanical related classes, luckily the work she did paid for her classes easily enough.


    While the two of them went to their classes, certain other events were happening in Cross Timber. Though James and Candace as well, had been long disconnected from the Hero and Villain communities, there were still those, who thought of them as being one or the other. Just as most left Candace alone due to her closeness with James, James was left alone due to his familial connections, though he cut ties with them long ago, few would risk the wrath of those close to him.


    One such individual uncaring about James, his connections, or his current standing as a Super was Douglass Silver, going by the name of Shaman. He could wield the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Lighting, as well as others. He was rather powerful, especially for being so young, just out of his teens, though he did not hold a real position of power among the League many would not hesitate to do as he asked and followed him.


    He was currently holding a meeting within the bowels of the local League HQ in Cross Timber. The building was easily the largest building in cross Timber, by size and height. It was more akin to some skyscraper, standing at over 15 stories of glass and steel. It was located in the center of Cross Timber, not far from the waterfront, it was currently busy as usual, dozens if not hundreds of people were filing in and out of it constantly.


    Though it was extremely tall, the bulk of the HQ was actually below ground, but not in the conventional sense. The building did indeed have several expansive basement levels, mostly storage, but the storage elevator that led down there, also went deeper. With a little bit of magic, some creative architecture and ingenuity, the elevator was made to be able to access a pocket dimension, not all that dissimilar to James¡¯ DarkSpace.


    That pocket dimension was where the bulk of the League HQ¡¯s permanent staff stayed, it also allowed access to the other League buildings scattered around the US with a few in major countries outside it. Most of the rooms were for Training or similar endeavors that required rooms made of Metacrete. it was a specialized concrete made from a formula thought up by The Brain, for the Soviets during his ¡®stay¡¯ there in the 80¡¯s. Metacrete is resistant to powers granted by the M-gene, but is rather brittle when hit by certain types of magic.


    Brain was better known as Logan Tyler Jefferson, an American Born Meta, he owned and operated Xylon pharmaceuticals. Xylon was one of the premier creators of medications and drugs related to supers. Most Meta¡¯s boast an increased resistance to common antibiotics painkillers and such, so Xylon raked in the cash from Supers of all levels, as they were one of the few legal providers of drugs actually affective for those with powers. The Government classification for Metas with intelligence or mind based powers was named after him, Brain.


    Brain is well known in the Meta community, as many of his products, new and old, were centered on quality of life for Supers. He developed clothing lines with materials that were more durable and would remain unharmed, or relatively so, when a Super used their power, such as a fire manipulator ignites their whole body, or when James travels thorough shadows. Unfortunately they were rather expensive, which was not that unexpected, the Big organizations, got slight discounts for their uniforms and such.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Training rooms and holding cells were not the only rooms within the pocket dimension, they just happened to be the vast majority. It also held meeting rooms; they were not the same as the elaborate corporate style rooms held in the building above, but more cozy informal things. They were also free of any surveillance equipment, as was most of the Dimensional Complex, which helped with clandestine meetings. Though the League, for the most part, worked within the bounds of the law, there were times that they had to meet with criminals or discuss certain things, that is what these rooms are for.


    There were around 6 people in the room counting Douglass himself. The room was small, only around 10 feet by 11 feet or so, the walls were covered with a wood paneling. There were several tables of assorted sizes in the room, a lamp in a corner held a lamp, which provided most of the light. The largest table in the room was a coffee table, around it there were several plush recliners and a couch.


    Douglass glanced at the others present; he first looked at those directly in front of him. There were 3 people sitting there, they were siblings, two men and a woman. They all had the same dark hair and each had blue eyes, but beyond that the 3 had little in common. The first of the three was a slimly built woman in her 30¡¯s, sitting on the leftmost seat of the couch. Her willowy build would suggest she was a dancer, but she was more skilled at other physical pursuits.


    She was the eldest of the siblings, her name was Tara Williams, as a Hero she went by the name Brigit, after the Irish goddess of healing. While she did have some healing powers, her abilities were mostly towards self-healing. Due to the healing factor she had she was strong for her build, stronger even than many Supers with superstrength or similar abilities. She was known for her love for fighting, and while she could find ample employment as bodyguard or such in the civilian or Villain markets, her family wanted to be heroes, so she went with them.


    She would be rather beautiful, normally at least, if it was not for the numerous scars and blemishes scattered across her body. She had short hair, styled in a jagged pixyish look, almost seeming punk in style. Her face was crossed by one large long scar from left temple to the right side of her mouth. Her golden tan just made it easier to see that scar, and all others. She got that from a Knife wielding Villain in 2003, it was during that that her powers awoke. The Villain had just carved her face when the pain started to fade, being replaced by somewhat itchy warmth as her skin knitted itself back together.


    The Villain was so surprised by that, that it allowed a human cop to take him down. Unfortunately her healing factor just healed the wounds and damage; it did not erase the scars. It was during that incident that her two siblings gained their powers as well, not all that uncommon in stressful situations. The one sitting next to her, located in the middle of the three siblings, was the group¡¯s protector, while she was their guard dog.


    He was large, extremely so, being nearly 7 feet tall, he did not have a v shaped body. Instead it was as if his entire body was hewed from some massive chunk of stone. His body had a broadness that began at the shoulders and continued downwards, giving him a blocky build. His limbs were thick and robust, much like the limbs of some mighty tree. His nose had the angular look to it, which was the result of having been broken a few times. His skin was a darkened tan, from his time in the sun, it was easy to see his muscles ripple under the skin like some living Greek masterpiece.


    Despite his looks and build, he was not a fighter, well, not exactly anyways. He, Craig Williams, also known as Blockade, was a pacifist, that only fighting he did was in the defense of others. His powers were defensive in nature; he could create invisible walls, force fields really. He used them to protect himself and others, they were capable of enduring the force of an anti-material rifle, all 13,000 odd pounds of force, meant to destroy vehicles, could be absorbed by his walls.


    The last of the three siblings was short, the smallest of the three, the youngest as well. Vincent Williams was only 19, 7 years younger than Craig. He was not even 6 feet in height, barely reaching 5 foot 8 in fact. He had the same black hair the others did, with his being the longest of the three, reaching his shoulders. His looks were the palest and least marred of the three, he still had some baby fat on his face, and had boyish looks. He was thin, almost scrawny, lacking the toned physique of Tara, whilst neither possessing the raw muscle power of Craig.


    While his sibling¡¯s powers were more geared towards protection or fighting hand to hand, Vincent¡¯s powers were more powerful, but could not be used in close quarters or even in enclosed spaces. He could harness the power of lightning, not electricity, but lightning and thunder, very powerful forces of nature, but rather temperamental as well. His Hero name was Caddo, taken from a legend about brothers who became thunder and lightning. While his two siblings were only there to protect him, Vincent himself actually believed in what Douglass spoke of, complete justice for the victims of Villains and harsh punishment to the Villains themselves.


    The two others in the room, were sitting in chairs, flanking Douglass, they were members of his actual team. The two were also siblings, twins in fact; they both had elemental powers, in a sense. The eldest of the two men, Terry Murray, had nature related powers and went by the name Druid. His brother Scott Murray could take on the form and strengths of the element of Earth, he went by the name Golem.


    They were nearly identical to one another, except for a few key differences. They were both around 6 feet tall in height with athletic builds, similar to surfers. Terry had green hair and green eyes both, a gift from his powers, Scott on the other hand, had brown hair and brown eyes. Scott¡¯s skin was tinted a light brown, which was often mistaken for a tan, while Terry¡¯s was a slight green, though it was not too apparent.


    The two of them had followed Douglass to the League, and had acted as harbingers of his will, in a sense. The three of them had been friends for a while, and were all affected by the incident that caused Douglass to have such a hatred for Villains and disdain for how the League and the world handled Villains. Douglass glanced at the assembled people before opening his mouth to speak. Douglass, much like his father, Senator Jonathan Silver, was a rather polite and charismatic speaker.


    ¡°Thank you all for showing up today. Most of you I know believe the same as I do, that Villains are allowed too much freedom. Through the efforts of myself and a close politically savvy acquaintance of mine, we have discovered an old, rarely used law, that will serve our purposes as well.¡±


    Vincent and the twins, perked up at that revelation from Douglass. Tara and Craig were as impassive as ever, though they shared a worried glance. Douglass gave a brief chuckle before continuing.


    ¡°The law was created in the late eighties in the aftermath of discrimination of Supers and those with powers following the war in Vietnam. It was created to deal with the resurgence of Villains, which was in part caused by Villains from previous era¡¯s, Villains whose identities were known. They had been taking Supers under their wings, fostering the next generation of Villains. What the law did, was allow government agents to apprehend and imprison those even suspected to be villains, or those that share names with villains.¡±


    Douglass paused with a smug little smirk on his face, Vincent, Terry, and Scott all waited with abated breath. Tara and Vincent, once more exchanged glances; these were filled with visible worry. Though they cared for little else aside from their family, if this law started being actively implemented again, things could get rather ugly.


    ¡°Fortunately for us, nearly everyone signed up with the League is classified as a Government agent, loosely, but still a government agent. I have discovered several individuals that stay and go to the nearby college of Darkholme, which could be decent targets for testing out this law. Should our apprehension of them be successful, we should be able to rope others in to our plan. We will go into motion later today, in the afternoon, when classes have ended. The twins and myself will strike the first blow against the Villains, For Justice!!!¡±


    Douglass¡¯ last words were echoed by everyone else in the room, except for Craig and Tara. The 3 siblings were the first to leave the room, Tara stood up first, then Vincent. Craig was the last to stand, as he did so, the couch seemed to groan in relief. They all nodded their respects towards Douglass before leaving. The man himself and the Twins stayed behind, after the Siblings left Terry spoke.


    ¡°Are you sure it is wise to not include those three from the first apprehension. Despite the fact that Blockade and Brigit, are not as believing as our cause as Caddo, they are rather powerful, and would follow Caddo, if we had drawn him in.¡±


    Douglass took some time before responding, he stood up and went to a cabinet before pouring the 3 of them something to drink. Though they were all underage, Douglass had high clearance, which let him access most storage containers. He gave a smug chuckle before sitting down and responding as they took their drinks.


    ¡°That is indeed true, however, I will use them for more difficult endeavours, away from Cross Timber. Though strong, those two will never follow my ideas, now should they happen to perish, while protecting their beloved brother, in battle against some Villains, then that will be saddening, but hey, Caddo would be a good fit for our group, right?¡±


    After he finished the 3 of them shared a laugh, he took a slow drink before continuing.


    ¡°I want you two to prepare, though we should be able to handle the targets easily enough, The Shade, will be there. We will not target him yet, though he is on the list, he is too high profile a target for a law that has not been used in several decades.¡±


    The Twins nodded, gestured their thanks before they left to do as bid. Once he made sure they were gone, and he was truly alone, Douglass pulled out a special cellphone, capable of bypassing the dimensional interference. It took a few moments before the party on the other end picked up. He stood up as he started to speak in response to their inquiry.


    ¡°Yes, I have set things in motion, we will strike today and test the waters.¡±


    The next few minutes where mostly silent as he listened to the person on the other end. He just hmmed in response to any statements made. After a short time, he ended the call and sighed, before once more collapsing into the plush recliner.


    Elsewhere, far from Cross Timber, seven individuals were meeting; they were discussing things of importance and note. The room they were in was a rather large square, 30 feet by 30 with a ceiling of 11 feet. The room was bare, not even painted, the walls and ceiling both were the dull grey of concrete. The only permanent fixtures marring the surfaces were a single heavy metal door near in color to the blank walls and a light. The only other notable things in the room were a single round table, seven chairs and the people within those chairs.


    There was a silence that hung about the room like a storm cloud, and then it was broken suddenly, akin to a stiff breeze blowing the storm cloud away. The first to speak was a tall handsome man, built in the way many imagined belonged to the stereotypical Hero. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his musculature was easily apparent through his clothes. He had a broad chin with a cleft neatly dividing it, he had short blond hair, with a shock of it hanging over his forehead.


    ¡°My brothers and sisters, thank you for coming. Each of you should have received the news concerning our Greatest Enemy, the Seven Sins. Though they have not been united for some time, especially since Lust left and Wrath went missing, they are still an impressive force.¡±


    The words the man was about to speak were halted as one of the others assembled, a beautiful blond women, equal to lust in appearance. While Jess was an unquestionably beautiful woman, the one who spoke was equally if not more so in a way. While Jess was all raw sensual beauty and lush voluptuous curves, those built like her, were not necessarily the women you take home to your mother.


    The women who spoke, on the other hand was nearly the complete opposite end of the spectrum of beauty. She was almost plain, but only to those that judged beauty by the amount of makeup a women wore or how tight her clothes were. Her skin was unblemished and pure; a pale tan graced her unmarred skin. She was unsullied, pure and chaste, for that was who and what she was, Chastity. The voice she spoke with was as pure as her appearance; it was mellow and rather pleasant, though it carried a hint of impatience and anxiety.


    ¡°If you have no new news for us brother, than why did you call us? We are all busy, and have been preparing to act against them eventually, as we decided when we last met. So tell me brother, why have you interrupted our plans?¡±


    The next to speak was not the first man, but another, he was small and slight, not being what many would call a midget, but still short none the less. He was old, or appeared so, he had weathered many years and events, and had endured them in patient silence waiting. His voice was not the most loud or commanding, but when he spoke, those who heard it felt compelled to listen due to the wisdom it contained.


    ¡°You must have patience Sister Chastity, I am sure he was getting to that.¡±


    Chastity merely nodded in response before glaring pointedly at the man who first spoke, Diligence.


    ¡°Though they are still powerful, I believe our persistence may soon pay off. Lust and Pride have been spotted within Cross Timber, according to our sources; the status quo seems to be waning. Should they survive the conflict, which will be a good time to act, even if they do not, we can still easily adjust accordingly. As we always have we will endure and we Seven of the Virtues will endure, and cleanse the filth of the Sins from this plane, As We Must.¡±


    Diligence¡¯s final words were mimicked by each of the other 6. Their words echoed about the room for a time before they faded and were replaced with the sound of chairs scraping on concrete. After the grating noise faded each of the Seven left, exiting through the single entrance and exit. As soon as they did the round plastic table and metal chairs shimmered from existence. The light of the room flickered before plunging the room into darkness before the room too vanished. Soon enough it was as if nothing had ever been there.

 Update, teaser, and stuff

    Chapter Four


    After Candace and James parted, he headed towards the first building he had classes in. It was pretty much just an add-on to the main building, that was how close it was, but was considered separate due to the short distance between them. It was much smaller than the main building, but still impressive in size, being akin to a large church or small cathedral, though far from either in style.


    The building housed a series of rooms akin to lecture halls, with only a few hallways connecting to the rooms on either of the two floors. James glanced about as he entered, taking in the room, the walls were made of carved stone, much like those in every building on campus. The desk located at the front of the room, not far from the door, was a large wooden affair made from solid oak.


    The room could seat 40 to 50 students, more if the others stood, the seats were arranged with the seats in the back being of a higher elevation, with each row after that being higher than the last. Each seat had two cushions, one for the seat itself, then one for the back of the chair, along with a small desk attachment that was removable which folded up and down for easy access to the seat.


    The room was decorated with superhero memorabilia, as that was what the class was about, Supers and their History. The instructor was a normal human, but was an expert in the field of superhumans, and was once a researcher on several projects trying to find the source of the M-gene. They were unsuccessful, as far as they could tell, the gene just naturally occurs. Presumably it has been occurring throughout human history, if the legends of monsters and such were taken to be stories about those with powers.


    James had just settled into his seat in class when the instructor made an announcement. The Instructor was an average looking middle aged man with light brown hair. He was wearing a suit or something akin to it at the least, it was dark gray in color, formalwear was the equivalent of a uniform for the teaching staff of Darkholme, for the most part. His voice was monotone, as dull as his suit was in appearance, so his voice was in tone and inflection.


    ¡°Hello Class, we have a new student, recently transferring from New York, please welcome Jessica Rogers.¡±


    At that name, James twitched near imperceptibly and gazed at the door, moments before she entered the room. The room seemed to get brighter, and all those in the room, even those still half asleep or working off a hangover from partying the night before, perked up and were at perfect attention drinking her appearance in. Several of the more flirty individuals called out to her while others whistled and catcalled at her. She winked at them and gave a sensual smile as she walked up to an available seat, her hips twitching as she walked, entrancing most of those in the room.


    The silence was broken by a loud thud as the instructor slammed a heavy tome against his desk. The sound and rumbling echoes causes those who had been staring after Jess to look away, many with embarrassed or sheepish looks on their face. Jess ignored their reactions and the sounds as she walked slowly about the room, glancing for the right place. Her eyes sparkled as she spotted James, before picking up her pace and heading near him as fast as she could. Her voice was gentle and enchanting, though held a nervous hitch to it, which was far from normal.


    ¡°H-hello James.¡±


    James ignored her, looking away before returning his head to the position it had been in before the Instructor spoke, cradle on his arms. At his silence she walked to the side before sitting in the seat to the left. As she did the Instructor started speaking in his dull and monotonous voice.


    ¡°Today class, we shall be discussing the Era in which Supers first publicly became involved in WW 2, our discussion will begin with the Commander, Andrew West. ¡°


    James tuned out the droning of the instructor as he lazily turned his head to face Jess. Though it would not be apparent for most who gazed at her, James could tell that Jess ad been crying recently and was even now trembling, not from sadness, but from fear, a far cry from the flirtatious teasing persona she had worn when they last met. James gave a weary sigh before speaking, his voice was low and quiet, and few would be able to hear him or know he was speaking unless they watched his lips move.


    ¡°Why are you so afraid Jess? If I was so inclined to violence as I once was, I would have killed you then, on that night. You deserved less than the mercy I gave you for what you did. Candace can barely hurt a fly normally, and she did not deserve what you did. You know what fire does to her and her powers, yet you played around with that Super, made him attack Candace and I. You then compounded your sins by trying to kill her, it may have been pleasant, but she would have died regardless.¡±


    At this point, Jess was near to tears from the words he spoke. As no matter how true they were, they were rather harsh. She cleared her throat before opening her lips to speak. The sensual quality of her voice was dampened, nearly nonexistent really as guilt and shame overtook her voice.


    ¡°I¡­ am sorry, I am, I had no choice, I couldn¡¯t not do it at tha-¡°


    The continuation of her words, which had begun to sound rather important, were interrupted by the monotonous droning of the Instructor.


    ¡°Mr. Williamson, I know you are doing well in all your classes, but do you think that allows you to ignore the current discussion and to bully Miss Rogers?¡±


    James glanced at Jess for a brief moment before raising his head and looking towards the Instructor, before responding. He had a tired and frustrated tone in his voice as he spoke.


    ¡°We both know I have no real need to listen to most of the monotonous drivel you spew, even less of a reason today. You were speaking about the Commander, others know him as Andrew West, and I myself call the old man Gramps. There are very few things recorded about him that I do not know, that I have not heard from the man himself. I could tell you about members of his Team including Blackbird who went missing soon after the Berlin Wall fell, or about how he first met Robert Gregory, the Metal Manipulator hailed as the first publically recognized Hero.¡±


    James paused for a moment to take in a breath, as he did many students around him started laughing at his words. The Instructor was livid; his skin was turning red from embarrassment and rage. He was about to speak when James continued speaking, uncaring about the reactions of anyone.


    ¡°Those are just the things I am legally allowed to speak of. And do not begin lecturing me on my rudeness and threaten me with meaningless reprimands. Even if I was in a mood to care currently, the Headmaster would not allow any punishments against me, even if they did, my family as overprotective as they are, regardless of the fact that I cut ties with them due to differing opinions, would end you, this school, and anyone else involved.¡±


    James gave another sigh, this one filled with a longing and tiredness only heard from those long past their prime reminiscing about the good old days.


    ¡°I apologize for my outburst, but please continue, I am sure that at least few of those here actually are interested in the censored view of history you teach and believe in, so please.¡±


    As James returned his head to the cradle of his arms, there was a somewhat stunned silence, and then a few of those that were more familiar with James and his way of doing things began laughing. Soon enough even those who were initially shocked by the seen began laughing. Even Jess who had been nearly in tears not long ago was smirking at him, while giggling softly, in awe of his antics. James turned his head towards Jess, a gentle smile on his face; it gradually disappeared as he appraised her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Haaa. We can speak after the day is over Jess, I feel you were about to say something important before he interrupted. We¡¯ll meet under the oak in the Courtyard, ok?¡±


    Jess nodded slowly, seeing that she agreed to it, James nodded slightly in return before closing his eyes. Once he did Jess gave a sad little smile as she gazed upon his form before turning away, sniffing slightly, to pay some amount of attention to the Instructor, who had begun speaking again.


    While the two of them endured the still somewhat awkward atmosphere in the class, Candace was doing things in her class as well elsewhere on campus. Her class was rather small, and had few people in it, only around 7 in all, including Candace and her teacher. Candace and the teacher, were remarkably similar, they both had plant based powers, though uncommon, that was not too much of a rarity. What really made them seem similar were their appearances.


    They both had long flowing red hair, Candace¡¯s a dark red, while her teachers was a burnt copper. They were both rather pale, with smooth white skin, though Candace lacked the freckles her teacher had in abundance. They both had the same soft curves, though her teacher, whose name was Sofia Rigby, had a more filled out build. Candace had blue eyes, a rather rare pairing when coupled with her red hair, Sofia, had green eyes, but they were a peculiar hue, not the typical emerald green, but the soft green of chlorophyll.


    Many who met or saw the two of them together often thought they were sisters or even mother and daughter. They were different personality wise however, while Candace was shy and demure for the most part. Sofia was nearly the exact opposite, being the stereotypical fiery redhead most of the time. Another way they differed was their powers, while plant oriented, Candace¡¯s were currently limited to manipulating existing plants, while Sofia could generate and practically conjure new ones as needed.


    The Greenhouse was large, though not comparable to most of buildings on Campus. It consisted of one large room, which held an assortment of different plants below the Glass roof, as well as a half dozen other smaller rooms that were used for private projects. Candace was in such a room, she was still wearing the same outfit she had been when she and James walked to Darkholme. Unlike when gardening at her house, this required a more hands on approach, quite literally in fact.


    This was much less messy because of it; she had just started reexamining her project when Sofia opened the secured heavy door and entered. Sofia glanced at Candace¡¯s attire for a time before opening her mouth to speak. Her voice was strong and brash, an unexpected thing for one of her appearance. As she spoke a mischievous twinkle emanated from her green eyes.


    ¡°So, I can assume by your attire that you have finally decided to pursue your young man? On a more school appropriate note, what are your plans with your rose? I am excited to see what plans you have for it, your abilities are more suited to much finer plant controlling than mine.¡±


    Candace paused what she was doing and turned around, a blush spread across her face. She looked down for a moment before meeting Sofia¡¯s eyes. She gave a nervous chuckle before speaking, an equally nervous tone in her voice.


    ¡°You remember the woman I told you about, Jess, the one who was friends with James before something happened and she tried to kill me?¡±


    Sofia gave a loud raucous laugh, though unladylike, it gave her a certain charm. Her laughter faded before she responded.


    ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Yeah, I remember you telling me about her. I myself would probably of done something similar, very few women would be like you and do what you had planned to do. I would not expect such a thing from you though, that was rather surprising when you first told me.¡±


    The blush that had been fading from Candace¡¯s cheeks returned full force at Sofia¡¯s words.


    ¡°Well, I was becoming close friends with the two of them, and did not want to lose either of them. It happened anyways, luckily after a while James and I have become closer, but it still isn¡¯t the same as the time the three of us were together. He grew up with her, practically, they had known each other for years. She has arrived in Cross Timber recently, and I am worried that she could take him from me, regardless of his reaction to what she did.¡±


    Sofia gave a sigh before she patted the worried Candace on the shoulder and responded.


    ¡°You must trust James, besides the results might surprise you. We all have reasons for the things we have done. Enough about this though, tell me about your rose.¡±


    Candace had been about to speak when Sofia changed the subject. She sighed and closed her mouth before turning back to the rose and gesturing for Sofia to stand next to her.


    ¡°What I am planning on doing with it is make it much more aromatic and able to periodically release bursts of its fragrance, kind of like a natural air freshener. The stem holds thorns that are normally invisible, lying flat against the stem, but when carelessly touched, by most anyways, they will pop out. They act much like stinging nettle barbs and inject some chemical irritants. I thought that would be useful for a defense mechanism if I introduce them to the wild.¡±


    Sofia smiled and nodded repeatedly, before she spoke, awe and admiration lacing her words.


    ¡°Very impressive Candace. I especially like the thorns bit, no rose should be without its thorns. I look forward to the final product. I have been here with you long enough, I must check the other less skillful plant enthusiasts.¡±


    Candace nodded and focused on the flower in front of her, she laid a hand on it, stroking it gently as she went to work. Plants were complex and primitive things, at the same time. They were similar to humans in a way, having similar parts, ¡®veins¡¯, ¡®skin¡¯, ¡®organs¡¯, and though plants were not sapient or even sentient by any means, they were interesting objects in many ways.


    Soon enough time passed during the day, the sun made its way across the sky before ducking slightly beneath the horizon. Most students transferred between rooms for their classes James and Jess included. Jess only had that first class with James, and she had assorted other classes afterwards. Candace was one of the few who had the same class, technically, throughout the entire day. As long as she occasionally created things of use to Darkholme, they had no qualms with what she did.


    Most of the students and less important staff were in the process of leaving by the time Jess and James met. The custodial staff was going about the halls and rooms, cleaning from building to building. During this the Headmaster and the main staff, well the majority of them were there, a few were busy finishing up with other endeavors. The Courtyard was located in front of the main campus building; incidentally, inside the building was also where the staff was holding their meeting.


    The campus of Darkholme was intertwined with stone paths leading from building to building. The Courtyard as it was named, had several paths going through it, they circled around and towards a series of benches and a stone amphitheater. The area between the main building and the amphitheater had a massive oak tree located in the middle of it. On either side of the sprawling tree were small fountains, only 8 feet wide, with a stone rim around the edge of each to allow for sitting.


    There were rows of much smaller cherry and birch trees along the straight portions of the stone paths. The paths crisscrossed and circled around the Oak tree and each fountain before meeting each other to form one path leading to the main building and the Amphitheater. Jess and James were meeting under the Oak, James was already there. He was sitting with his back against the trunk and one leg flat against the grass while the other was bent at the knee.


    He was sitting with his eyes closed, waiting, he opened his eyes as he heard a set of familiar steps approach him. He gazed at Jess for a moment; she always had been beautiful, even before her powers awoke. Even now, her nervousness and anxiety lent a haunting beauty to her features. That was one perk of her abilities; she could practically never not be beautiful. As she got closer to him, James called out to her and stood up. His voice had a caution and weariness to it as he spoke.


    ¡°You can stop there Jess, now what did you want to say?¡±


    Jess stopped as he had told her to do, before nodding in affirmation. She shifted around nervously for a few moments before she opened her lips to speak.


    ¡°James, that night, I was not exactly in control. What I believe caused my actions began during a meeting with the other Five Sins.-¡°


    Her words were interrupted by massive rumbling and crashing sound as a section of the wall surrounding Darkholme crumbled as a massive earthen form forced its way through. Two other much smaller forms followed Golem through the giant gap created in the wall. Candace had just left the Greenhouse when she saw James speaking to Jess in the distance. She froze, but once the wall exploded, she rushed towards them after being momentarily distracted.


    At the noise the remaining dozen or so students, not counting Jess and James, as well as most of the remaining staff rushed out and over to see what the noise was. Most of the staff were cautious, as while capable, they knew that anyone foolish enough to do what the 3 in front of them did, would most likely either have good reasons, legal authority to do so,  think they do or be astonishingly powerful.


    ¡°Do not be alarmed fair citizens, I am Shaman, a member of the local League branch. We are here to apprehend a suspected Villain as allowed by the Villain Apprehension act of 1982. Do not stand in our way or we have the authority to apprehend you as an accomplice.¡±

 Update and decision (and stuff)

    Ghosts of the Past


    This world of ours is no stranger to Supers, to Heroes and Villains with great powers doing what they will with them. Those with powers have always existed throughout our history, but until World War One they were thought to be purely fiction, just the result of rather fanciful imaginations. It was in 1912 during the Battle of Arras that Supers first came into public view. An English tank commander by the name of Bernard Ross was part of the disastrous mission assaulting Monche-le-preux. they were without infantry support and were hit by their own support. After World War One ended Supers came out of the woodworks in every country, and for many years would serve as a source of moral and power for nearly every war afterwards.


    Out of all the Villains that have popped up over there is one who is considered to have been the most dangerous. He went by the moniker of Shadow, though many know him by his real name, Stephen Blackmoore. He started with petty crimes at first but escalated soon enough, becoming a feared gun for hire. He would attain most of his Infamy during the Cold War Era, working for any country that would pay, racking up a kill count that more resembled the casualty count of a natural disaster rather than something caused by a man.


    Towards the end of the Cold War Era he garnered even more infamy, he set up a Nation in Europe, many of its citizens were remnants of countries once part of the Soviet Union. As time passed it grew in population, but not in size, gaining many Supers and criminals seeking safe haven. Both the nation and Shadow''s own infamy grew as governments broke themselves trying to take them down. Despite its nature, the nation did and has contributed much to the world, albeit said contributions are mostly criminal in nature.


    It was in 1997 that he was captured, he had left his country alone, to attend the birth of his sole grandchild, Frederick Blackmoore. Despite all his faults he risked capture in order to see his grandson, no one has been able to figure out why, and his nation has persisted in his absence. That is how Shadow''s ''Reign of terror'' which had gone on for so long ended, he was incarcerated in the Rock, the prison for Super powered humans located on the newly revamped Alcatraz.


    In an effort to lower the chance of a Super becoming a villain because of no choice or no supervision an organization was created, the Superhuman Oversight Council. The SOC or Council as most call it is an international council which governs Supers worldwide, it was spearheaded by those responsible for the shadows capture.. They work within the governments of the world with the assistance of the various Superhero groups, chief among them the League of Heroes.


    It was in the late 90''s that they began the Super training Initiative and started a single Superhero Academy based in the US, on a floating island in the sky. It was called Mellow-Brook Academy for Superpowered Youths, it would provide guidance for high school and college age Supers, teaching them how to properly use their powers and teach them what they would need to know for both life as a civilian and/or Super. Not every student is a Hero, or even the child of Heroes, but they are taken in regardless and supervised. It is not the only school of its kind, but was the First and still remains the most influential.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Despite the fact that there are students of Mellow-Brook that have become Villains, the majority have gone on to be heroes or their Sidekicks. Though most student Supers enter the Academy and its affiliates willingly, this is not always the case. In some cases it is because the potential students are afraid or have close attachments to Villains. In other cases it is because they do not wish to be contained or held captive for one reason or another. These students are nearly always captured soon after discovery, but there are a  few exceptions.


    One such exception is a rather curious Super, Frederick Blackmoore, Grandson of the Shadow, who is still feared even after all these years. His father had no powers, which many considered fortunate, and when Frederick was born he was scrutinized but it seemed he had no powers either. After he turned 16 it was discovered that this was not exactly true, not by any means. He had been visiting a hospital when it was attacked, a Super had been launched into it by his foe and a massive piece of rubble had hurtled towards him.


    When he came out from the impact site unscathed those watching him quickly figured out he had inherited powers from his maternal Grandfather, a little known Super who went by the moniker Mr Invincible, which was quite true. Frederick had inherited his power of immutability, simply put he was a constant, and no phenomena could affect him so easily, not time, not gravity, not even death, or other Powers. It was upon that discovery that the SOC reacted foolishly and out of fear tried to capture him, they failed then, but would eventually succeed. Now he is entering Mellow-Brook, a place where The Shadow is used as an example of what not to do and is still highly feared.


    Prologue: How time Flies


    Frederick Blackmoore, or Rick as he liked to be called, had been on the run for a long time, it had been just over four years since he started running, a little over that since the incidents at the hospital that day. He was currently in a place that he considered his hometown, the Birthplace of Mr Invincible, Robert McIntyre. Not only was he in the city of Cross Timber, but he was in its largest bar of the place ordering a drink.


    Considering his infamy, the fact that he was considered a fugitive, and that his picture was posted in every place he would possibly go, Cross Timber included. many would think he was foolish for entering a public place so casually, that was not the case however. Most of the people of the town knew him, really knew him and so would not react to the SOC propaganda concerning Rick. Even if they did, most respected Mr. Invincible too much to even think about doing anything to his flesh and blood.


    Regardless of that there would always be people seeking the reward on him, but that did not concern him at this time. Rick was at the Dead Man''s Hand, as the bar was called, for 3 reasons, the first of which was to legally get a drink to celebrate his twenty-first birthday. The second of those reasons is very simple, and directly connected to his third, he wanted his presence and location to be known. The third of those reasons was he was planning on turning himself in, willingly, after so long.