Tug-Of-War: Changing of the Seasons

 

The weatherman laughed this morning as there was snowfall just before dawn, but an expected high of 75 Fahrenheit. It was that time of the year when everyone wore coats and shorts, sandals and mittens, it was the changing of the seasons.

Neither hero was laughing when they approached one another. Stepping onto that lightly snowed ground, the blue clad hero met the eyes of the man flying down on a ball of fire. He hovered over the ground, melting the thing ice over the new green grass.

“It doesn’t have to come to this!” The fiery man yelled.

The blue man flicked his fingers, casting frost across the ground. “Yes, it does. I won’t let go!”

“You have to. It is inevitable. The seasons change, get used to it!”

“We’ll see about that.” The blue man threw a ball of ice. The fiery man responded with a torrent of flames.

The changing of the seasons was never a calm event for either of these heroes.

Continue the Story

Contest entry: What were you doing when … Giant Metal Robot

Over the next few weeks, entries for the Fiction Contest: What were you doing when... will be featured in-game, in no order of merit, except for the top three winners, who will be revealed last.

Here is the entry by Highlander:

The word had gone out to the various leagues that there was a problem in Las Vegas. I was in Phoenix having visited one of the families I had befriended in the many years I spent on this world.

The man I was seeing was an attorney, and a descendant of a Scottish neighbor I had known some five to six hundred years in the past. If there was one thing I had learned, it was that I started way too late maintaining a journal of the years and the people I had known. Even though I remembered his ancestors well, the years tended to run together. I was fortunate that his family had passed down their history. Too few clans had done so. For that reason, I had lost track of my own descendants. I would often encounter someone of obvious middle eastern descent and would think to myself “Am I his great grandfather of hundreds of generations, or was he perhaps on of Seth’s line?” Perhaps he was from the family of one of my other brothers or sisters. Maybe his ancestor had been a sibling I never knew.

But I digress. Fiona has frequently chided me that my tendency to wander off-topic was the result of having more memories than my mind could hold, and they would often come to me out of the blue when my thoughts were interrupted by a random occurrence or item that would trigger a long lost memory.

Damn. I’m doing it again. Random thoughts … triggering other random thoughts … igniting other memories.

Focus. You’re flying a Star Force craft Chained Angel had allowed you to use when you decided you needed to drop out of sight for the sake of Fiona’s safety.

I couldn’t bear the thought of her possibly becoming a target because of something I had done or said. I had taken a leave of absence from Star Force to arrange for her to stay with one of the families from my associations of the past. She’s a powerful psionic force, but she’s still working to master her powers. As such, she’s no match for the more powerful beings out there. Star Force HQ had been attacked for a second time during my tenure and my remarks concerning that had drawn the attention of BADGE’s Internal Affairs division.

For that reason … NO! FOCUS.

BADGE has dispatched me to Vegas to help deal with an imminent danger. That needs to be foremost in my mind.

The craft’s guidance system was taking me to the city, but as it turned out, it was unnecessary. The mayhem being perpetrated by the subject of the assignment rendered the need for directions a moot point. I was a hundred or so miles from my destination when I could see the action in the distance.

“Oh, boy. Looks like we got our work cut out for us.”

I questioned the onboard computer and the BADGE database brought me up to speed. Apparently, the shell of the target was built to resist morphonic powers.

Advantage: me. My powers aren’t morphonic in nature.

Dubbed “Osteen’s Monstrosity," the thing was big. And – unable to fly – I could only attack from the ground. Since Chained Angel had given me an old flyer, I had only minimal projectile weapons, which would be little use against a war machine. I set the flyer down – hopefully out of harm’s way – and determined to mount a physical assault using the only weapon at my disposal - me. A ground attack it would be. The thing’s foot was nearly as high as I was tall. Perhaps I could cripple or immobilize the object; I had little other choice.

I charged at the nearest foot – the left – and delivered a hammer-like blow as high as I could reach. The armor had proven to be highly resistant to most of the attacking heroes. Resistant, but not impervious. This would take time.

Several more blows created a crack and I used my hands to rend the metal and widen the crack enough to enter. As I began to enter the gateway I had created, I heard a scream – a young girl, apparently. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young teenager, paralyzed with fear at the sight of the danger.

I hesitated long enough to see league mate Lykos swoop in and carry the lass up and away from danger.

“Times that I wish I could fly,” I mused. “But it is what it is.”

I found my way inside the leg – an unsettling feeling - and stared upwards.

“Well, no flying up that way. Guess I’ll have to create my own ladder.”

I began to hammer handholds into the interior surface of the leg and work my way upwards. The machine moved, shaking me loose and dropping me to the bottom.

“Great. This may take a while.”

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge Part 5

 Nova stepped out of his helicopter onto the slanted roof of the Vault. Bodies of the fallen soldiers littered the roof. The Avatars were there, quietly waiting. Only Strength made any noises, as he continued to growl.

The roof suddenly shifted upward, and the crack closed up more. Nova had to steady himself. “What was that?”

Mental said, “Elemental is currently repairing the island, so this structure does not fall into the ocean.”

“I see. What happened? Where is the Tome?”

Strength bellowed, “WE WERE FOOLED!”

Supernatural explained, “our enemy drew us into a combat over the Tome, but used the battle to break into this structure. We tried to follow once we realized the ruse, but they were untraceable. I could not see them.”

Nova quietly dove into thought as the Avatars watched him. He finally looked up at Mental. “Has the Tome awakened yet?”

“No. I do not sense it’s awakening.”

Nova said, “then there is still time. You five can sense the morphons better than our sensors. Spread out, search the world. The moment you sense the awakening, contact me. We may still be able to stop them before they do whatever it is they are seeking.”

Mental gave a soft nod, “we will help.”

“Then, go.”

***

Delta sat in the helicopter as it blazed through the skies. In his lap he held the Tome. In his hand, he held the key.

“Sir, Alpha and Beta want an update.” The pilot pointed at the small monitor.

Delta pressed a button, “This is Delta. I have the artifacts. We’re on our way.”

An altered voice came through, “This is Alpha. You have authority to open the Tome. Do not wait to return to base.”

“Understood.”

The pilot turned on the cabin light as Delta pressed the key into the lock and turned it. The sound was that of a large, old door unlocking. Not a small book. He removed the key and carefully pulled apart the leather straps. His hands almost trembling, he opened the cover. He flipped through several of the pages.

“Well!” That voice demanded.

Delta said, “it’s blank.”

“What! Not possible!”

Delta continued flipping through the ancient pages. “It could have been a decoy.”

“I want…”

Delta stopped him, “Wait... I found something.” He moved the book to the side and watched as the edges of the pages glistened in a strange myriad of colors as they left the light of the cabin. “The pages are changing.” He reached up and turned the cabin light off and moved the book around. Color grew brighter as he did. Finally, he shifted it into a shaft of moonlight coming in the side window. A few letters could be seen written on the pages, not entire words. “It’s moonlight.”

“DELTA REPORT!” That voice commanded.

“Sir, the book is responding to moonlight. But, I still can’t read it.”

“We’re sending coordinates, go to them and do what you can to read this book.” The voice cut off immediately.

The pilot frowned. “New York?”

Delta slowly closed the book. “Tonight is a full moon, pilot. And that is where it will be most visible.”

The helicopter landed in the middle of a farmer’s field. The night sky was as clear as it could be, with millions of stars twinkling around a glorious pink moon.

Delta stepped out of the vehicle and crunched over the churned earth of the cornfield. He paused and looked up at the moon for a moment.

“Hey! What are you doing in my field!” A farmer in his night clothes ran out with his cell phone in his hand. “I’ve called the police.”

Delta waited a moment, not even looking at this irate man. The moment the man got close enough, Delta swiftly pulled out a small gun, shot, and then continued on his way. The farmer lay on his field, dead.

The pilot now joined Delta, “that is an amazing moon tonight.”

“It’s a super moon. Now, let’s see what we have here.” He opened the book again and smiled. All the letters were visible, glowing with various colors. The script was an ancient language, just like the text on the front of the book. “It’s all here.” he whispered as he turned page after page.

***

Nova patiently waited while his helicopter raced across the sky.

“Are you sure this is them?” The pilot asked.

“Local police were just called about a large helicopter landing in a farmer’s field in upstate New York. It’s our best lead.”

“Okay, sir. I will... woah!” The man looked to the side just as Mental joined them, flying along.

She looked in directly at Nova and spoke into his mind. “We have sensed a strong gathering of Morphons.”

“Where?”

“Near the location we first met you this morning.”

Nova said, “that base is in New York. So, we’re heading in the right direction. Are we too late?”

“We do not know.” She answered.

“Pilot, push this bucket as hard as you can.”

***

“Sir! This is getting brighter!” The pilot of Delta’s helicopter called out.

Delta, still reading the book, was surrounded by a brilliant light. The book emitted an orb of energy that gained intensity with each passing moment. “I’m not done yet, don’t bother me!” Delta flipped back to the first page again and began reading.

“We have incoming!” The pilot pulled out his gun.

Nova’s helicopter landed in the field as the five Avatars made their appearance. In a matter of seconds, Delta and his pilot now had six enemies glaring at him.

Nova yelled, “Hand over the Tome!”

Delta continued flipping pages as he answered, “I have already won this, Nova.”

Strength yelled, “WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, HE IS AWAKENING! KILL THE HUMAN!” He launched himself at Delta just as a bright flash of light exploded from within the book.

The shock wave sent Strength flying back and the others to stumble away. It threw delta across the

ground and slammed into his helicopter with such force that a large dint was left in the side.

Once the light calmed down, the tome lifted into the air, colored smoke and light swirling around it as it moved in the air. An old man’s voice came out in a jovial tone. “Greetings, human, avatars, it is good to finally be awake!”

Mental stepped forward. “Keeper, are you safe?”

“Why, of course I am. It’s a lovely moon this eve, is it not! Oh, look, there’s Nova.” The book flew across the area and got right in front of Nova. “It has been many years since we last had contact. Though, then you did not know I was aware. My author, Merlin the Great, thought highly of you.”

Nova said, “and I thought highly of him.”

“Yes. Now, I’m pleased to realize that you initiated the contest of magic champions already. How wonderful, how wonderful indeed. The humans, they are using my gift with great efficiency.”

Nova said, “yes, the contest is almost concluded. However, right now we must get you to safety. There are those who wish…”

“Yes, yes, I know. Learn the valuable knowledge within me. Let us leave. I will be seeing you again, Nova.” The tome opened up and became a bright light, then vanished.

Without a word of thanks, all the other avatars left just as quickly.

Nova’s pilot said, “that was quick.”

“They are good at that. Now, let’s see what we can learn from our enemy and his helicopter. We finally have a chance to…”

The enemy helicopter, with Delta laying on the ground near it, exploded. Nova dove just in time to not be skewered by a shard of propeller.

Looking up from the ground at the burning pile of debris, Nova muttered, “damn.”

On a distant cliff, days later, a man stood and looked out across the ocean. His dark suit was tattered in places and his face was bruised. He picked up a cell phone and put it to his ear.

"This is Delta, reporting in."

The voice on the other end spoke.

"Yes, we lost the Tome. But, I have committed it all to memory. We have what we need."

Continue the Story

Coloring Event!! FREE MP

 Hey everyone, time to pull out those finger paints and sharpen those crayons. Yes, it's time for another coloring event. I provide pencil sketches that are the base for some of my paintings for power card art in the game, and you add your own color and background. No winners, no losers, just artist. 

I really enjoy these events, I love seeing how creative and unique each person is. The personal touch added by each player shows off their own style. You don't have to be a pro to participate, just have fun.

For my part, I love working on these sketches. For these events I often provide the base sketch I made to start a new power card or item card. When I do art for the game, sometimes the art is aligned with a need, such as when we need a new movement power card or a pic for the next raid, or something like that. However, sometimes I just paint over a sketch, turn it into a hero, and add it to our stock of art-to-be-used. The sketches are figure studies I have done. I do these studies just to keep my eye sharp and to explore various poses. Thus, several of these started out as a general figure study that I eventually used to paint as a power card. 

That all said: Here are the rules

• Keep the art PG-13
• Add color however you wish.
• Use the provided sketches for the coloring, you may add background and other elements to the character and image.
• Post the finished versions in this thread on the Facebook page.
• For each of your colored pics you earn a sell-back power card. Each player can earn up to three 'Good Job' power cards, each worth 10mp. 
• Have fun.
• This event will run through May. 
• We will feature the finished images in special in-game news feed posts.
• NOTE: If you want a larger version to color, DM Me (Dan Peyton) and I will send you one. Facebook and Blogger condense images for space.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge Part 4

 

A trio of black helicopters flew fast over the open ocean. There were no markings on them, no lights to show them off, just the machines. Against the black night sky, they were nearly invisible.

Inside the lead helicopter, a team of black-clad soldiers patiently waited. In the center of this legion sat a dark suited man with a large, old book in his lap.

Delta carefully caressed the book, touching the leather straps binding and the golden lock, keeping it sealed. Ancient letters were etched into the wooden cover. Each letter emitted a strange glowing light.

“On approach to target.” The pilot announced.

Delta stood and approached the front of the craft. He leaned over and looked out across the dark watery landscape. “Do we have eyes on the target yet?”

“We have the island on radar and on visual.”

Delta said, “good. Now, prep the EM cannon.”

A soldier in the back flicked several switches and then pulled out a small computer screen on an arm attached to the side of the helicopter.

The pilot said, “we have anti-aircraft weapons activating!”

In the ocean near the building, large pillars lifted in the water, each carrying a massive laser emitter.

Delta said, “EM blast!”

Outside the helicopter, on the underside, a rectangular box opened, and a weapon extended. A bright blue energy blast shot out and hit the side of the building. A wave of the same blue light exploded in all directions, eventually dissipating before reaching the helicopters. The lifting pillars stopped moving and any lights on the building were all extinguished.

The soldier at the weapon controls said, “registering a full hit. We have neutralized all electronics. Residual magnetic effects have already ended.”

“Good.”

The man shoved the controls back against the wall and then asked. “Should we prepare a rocket launch?”

“No.” Delta looked at their scanner readings. “It is as I thought. That building could withstand a nuclear blast. Have all three teams ready for combat. We deploy as soon as we arrive.”

All three helicopters hovered over the building. Lines were dropped and the black-clad soldiers rained down, taking up a defensive formation around the surface of the flat roof. The last soldier to descend from Delta’s command helicopter had a metal lockbox in his arms. He set it down and then stood over it.

“DEFEND THIS BOOK!”

One of the other soldiers said, “from what, sir?”

The ground shook, and waves grew with intensity. Suddenly a man on glorious white wings landed in front of the leader, the Master of Supernatural formed white lights in his hands. The Master of Tech flew in using rockets on his feet. He dropped The Master of Strength in his first pass and then landed next to him, his arms forming into laser cannons. The Master of Mental came down, floating through the air with grace.

There was silence as she seemed to look at the lead soldier with focus. Finally, she grew worried and spoke with her mouth. “Why... why can I not read your mind?”

The soldier tapped his helmet, “best armor in the world. Now, stand down!” He took aim, as did all the other soldiers.

Supernatural let a bright flash of light burst out to grab everyone’s attention and then said, “do not fight us, humans. We will not be defeated. Give us the Tome or perish!”

The leader pointed directly at Supernatural and said, “I don’t take orders from you.” He shot, but Supernatural dodged the bullet.

Strength launched himself at the soldiers and sliced guns to pieces. A small team of the soldiers met his attacks, using special energized weapons to counter his moves.

Tech attempted to assist Strength, but another team of these soldiers targeted him with magnetic weapons, blowing parts of his body away. He would swing around and absorbed the fallen parts while he shot his lasers at them, but they were faster than him. Each time he regained a limb, they blasted another off.

Supernatural went for the leader. He was incredibly swift and avoided the gun fire. He grabbed the leader by the throat and threw him across the roof. Five other soldiers bore down on Supernatural. His speed was blinding, but they were keeping him at bay.

Mental swooped down and attempted to use mind-blasts to upset the soldiers, but their helmets protected them from her power. She then used her powers to create waves of telekinetic energy, but they blocked this with energy barriers that they formed from special arm bands.

Mental landed and pushed her hands out, creating a telekinetic barrier to stop them from attacking her. She projected with her mind to the others. “They are ready for us! We cannot best them. Elemental, you must sink this island, it is our only hope!”

Strength yelled, “We can stop them!” He suddenly twisted around and threw his sword. It went right through the chest of a soldier attacking Supernatural. He dodged his own attackers and slid under several fighting against Tech, and ripped his sword out of the corpse of his victim. He spun around quickly and kicked another soldier in the gut. “CHANGE ENEMIES!”

Supernatural turned on those who had been attacking Strength, Tech turned his attention to the soldiers fighting Mental, and Mental went after the men fighting against Tech. The battle was suddenly shifting. However, so was the entire building. The structure rocked and rumbled as the earth moved and the tidal waves crashed against it.

The pilot turned the helicopter as they made another pass far over the building.

“Sir, it looks like our soldiers are being overwhelmed.”

Delta merely smiled, “I expected no less. Those creatures are incredible, I never believed mere humans could best them, even with our special enhancements.”

“You expected this battle to fail?”

“It isn’t failing.” Delta stated.

Suddenly the building cracked as part of the island slid into the ocean. A full corner of the structure was now hanging over open water, and it was about to fall.

“They’re going to sink the island!” The Pilot called out.

“I know.” Delta’s smile was vicious now. After a moment, he said, “get me closer to that building.”

“I’ll try.”

They flew over the opening in the building, and Delta opened the side door. He jumped out, landing in the middle of the combat. He entered the opening in the wall and was gone.

Master of Strength grabbed a man and flung him over the side into the ocean. He roared and then looked for his next enemy. What he found was his compatriots standing, and a rooftop filled with fallen soldiers. The building lurched to the side, and he had to kneel to keep from sliding off.

“STOP SINKING THIS PLACE!”

The building stopped moving and all the Avatars approached the metal box.

“Is this it?” Supernatural asked.

Mental reached down for it, but she was stopped when Delta crawled out from the hole. In his hand he held a glowing golden key. He smiled at them, “Ah, how nice to finally meet you. It would benefit my work greatly if you would come back with me to be studied.”

Strength readied himself to fight. “What do you want?”

“The Arcane knowledge of Merlin’s Tome.”

Strength grabbed the box and held it, his sword ready to strike. “You won’t survive to learn it.”

Delta looked around at his fallen army, “I suppose I won’t. Too bad, it was such a good plan.” He took out grappling gun and shot it straight up, hitching onto the helicopter that took him away.

Supernatural looked at Mental, “who was that?”

She shook her head, “I couldn’t read his mind.”

Tech said, “at least we have the tome, that is all that matters.”

Strength grabbed the box and ripped it apart. He roared in rage as he dropped the empty box.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge Part 3

 

The BADGE helicopter flew over the crashing oceans near the shores of the United Kingdom. Nova and Justin observed out the windows as they sped through the skies.

“Any luck?” Nova asked.

Justin pressed several buttons on his communicator. “UK base, do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?”

A strange fuzz came through, and then a few whistles.

Justin set it down. “No, sir. I’ve tried every method of contacting them.”

Nova picked up an old style handset in the helicopter and put in a code. After a few moments he said, “yes, this is Director Nova with BADGE. We have lost contact with the UK base. I need assistance.” He waited a moment as the person on the other end spoke. Then he continued, “understood. Nova out.” he hung up.

Justin asked, “what did they say?”

“An hour ago there was an explosion near our UK base and the area is completely without power. They are sending in local law enforcement to check it out. MI6 is on alert.”

“I didn’t know we had a connection with MI6?”

Nova laughed, “there isn’t a national security agency we don’t have connection to.”

Justin was about to ask a question when he looked out the window. “Oh, no. Look at our base!”

Nova leaned forward to see that the unassuming location where the UK BADGE base was located had a large black hole in the side of it with smoke pouring out.

“Get us as close to that destruction as you can, pilot.” Nova commanded.

Justin asked, “do you think those avatars had anything to do with this?”

“I doubt it. They didn’t ask for our help just to attack our UK base.”

The helicopter landed in a field near the base and no sooner had the landing skids hit the ground was Nova out, running for the base.

A team of BADGE agents approached, with a woman at the lead. “Director, it’s good to see you again.”

“Commander Troy, what happened here?”

Troy said, “I can’t say. We had a proximity alert and before I could send a message to the Space Station, the power was knocked out. In fact, there isn’t an ounce of power in a forty square mile radius.”

Nova shook his head, “sounds like an EM pulse of some nature.”

Troy said, “I sent out as many agents and heroes as we could find to help mitigate the damage. Two medical facilities in the area were completely wiped out, we’re transporting patients to the nearest powered medical facility.”

“Good work. What about the attack? Who was it?”

Commander Troy opened her mouth to answer, but merely gasped as the Master of Supernatural flew down and landed beside Nova. Then the ground rumbled and a stone figure rose, the Master of Elemental. Mental and Tech were next. The last to arrive was the Master of Strength, who had his sword out and appeared ready to fight. The agents with Troy readied themselves for combat.

“Stand down.” Nova ordered.

Troy said, “what are they doing here?”

Nova answered, “don’t worry about them. I want to know who attacked this place?”

Troy spent a moment looking at the gathered avatars. “Uh... oh, right. The attack happened in a flash. We heard the explosion, and some people reported the sound of helicopters or jets. Then it was all over.”

Nova let out a hard sigh, “the same as the attack on Osteen’s prison.”

“Do you think the same organization that released Dr. Osteen conducted this?”

“I don’t know. But it seems too similar. An attack that is well executed to leave no witnesses on a location that seems impregnable.”

Troy said, “they killed several of my agents who could have seen them, but they failed to remove all witnesses.”

“You have someone who was present?”

“Yes.” She gestured to one man with her. “This is agent Chan. He was outside the compound, having tea in the grass.”

“Tea in the grass?” Nova frowned.

Chan smiled, “I enjoy my afternoon tea while I watch the ducks.”

Nova said, “you remind me of one of my agents. Well, what did you see?”

Chan said, “I saw two large black helicopters. A team of men dressed in solid black gear fired a missile at the side of our compound and went in. By the time I had gotten to the compound, they were gone and three of our agents were dead. I’m sorry for not being faster.”

Nova said, “It’s alright. If you had been any faster, they probably would have killed you as well. What did they take?”

Troy said, “that’s the strange part. They only took one thing.”

“Merlin’s Tome,” Nova said.

Troy nodded, “why, yes. How did you know?”

Supernatural said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Troy asked, “what would they want with that ancient book?”

Mental projected with her mind, “to learn secrets they do not deserve to know. The information they seek could prove disastrous for this world.”

“Who said that?” Troy looked around.

Nova said, “don’t worry. Chan, do you have any idea which way they went?”

“They went south from here.” Chan pointed east.

Master of Strength bellowed, “it is too late! They have the book! The humans have failed us!”

“Calm down.” Supernatural stated.

“CALM! WE NEED RAGE NOW!” Strength lifted his sword.

Troy said, “There may be one redeeming possibility. The book is locked.”

Nova nodded, “yes, I know. The lock was crafted by Santa years ago when I first obtained the book. But, if they found the book, the key…”

“Is no longer sealed here.” Troy stated.

“What?”

Troy smiled, “you didn’t expect us to keep both the book and key together. Even though they were separately sealed in vaults on opposite ends of this compound, I felt the risk was too great.”

Nova asked, “how did you know the book was a danger at all. I don’t even know what is in it.”

“I didn’t need to know. That the book was locked with a magical seal crafted by a legendary figure was enough for me to be concerned. I had the key moved to our vaults on the Isle.”

Nova said, “then we must assume that is where they’re going.”

“How can they possibly know about the isle?” Troy asked.

Nova said, “these people have been ahead of us at every step. They shouldn’t even have known about this location, or that the tome was here, and yet they did.”

Supernatural asked, “where is this Isle? We will go immediately.”

Troy said, “we can’t divulge that information to just…”

“The Isle is on the international date line, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Head back to the Helicopter with Agent Justin and he’ll give you the exact coordinates.”

Justin led them away while Nova stayed behind.

Troy said, “I’m sorry, sir, but I thought that place was the most top secret location BADGE owns. Not even MI6 knows of it.”

“I trust these people. They are single-minded, and their desire is for our protection. I know they aren’t a security risk. Besides, they’ll get there far faster than anyone else. You stay here and get this place back in operations. I’m going to get to the Isle and make sure they succeed.”

“Understood, sir.” Troy saluted and waited while Nova left her.

Continue the Story

Contest entry: What were you doing when … Lady Phoenix

Over the next few weeks, entries for the Fiction Contest: What were you doing when... will be featured in-game, in no order of merit, except for the top three winners, who will be revealed last.

Here is the entry by Highlander:



“I really enjoyed our visit to the clan castle and my home,” Fiona said as she relaxed in the co-pilot’s seat of the Star Force flyer. “It was so good to get back home and see my brother and my sisters – not to mention our godson.”

Highlander smiled and replied, “I agree. Katie looks more like you everytime I see her, and Angus is the spittin’ image of your pa. Lucy seems to be recovering well, also.”

“Yes, breast cancer is not a pleasant thing,” Fiona said with a trace of emotion. “She’s only 36. The baby of the family shouldn’t suffer from something like that. She should have a nice, long life.”

“Hopefully, they were able to get it all,” Highlander said. “With the chemo and some close observation, she has a good chance. We’ll do what we can to get you home to see her more often. What we do is important, but Lucy needs you at her side more than you’ve been able in recent months.”

“Yes, I hope …”

BREEEP! … BREEP!

“ATTENTION!!V ATTENTION!! ALL BADGE PERSONNEL!!”

The message blasting from the flyer’s comm warned of a battle now raging involving the mythic Lady Phoenix and a small band of heroes who were close enough to be first responders when hell broke loose. The United States military had disregarded Director Nova’s admonition about holding off operations and had initiated an attack against Lady Phoenix and another mythic, presumably Krampus.

The Fifth Precinct confederation had enjoined the battle after a large portion of the military had been decimated. Things were heating up in a major way.

“Well, at least with the Fifth Precinct, BADGE has a goodly sized battalion of skilled fighters engaged. Let’s go give them a hand,” Fiona said.

“Not so fast, lassie,” Highlander replied. “I’m dropping you off at BADGE HQ. I’m not certain you’ve mastered your powers sufficiently to delve into something like this. This is a major brouhaha that may be over the heads of all but the most experienced and battle-tested fighters.”

“I’M NOT A CHILD, DUNCAN!!”

“I know that, but you’re still learning. You can be of more help as a standby,” her husband said calmly. “Director Nova can utilize you in a manner that will serve us better than you being involved in the middle of a brawl. Besides, you can use your gifts at a distance.”

“You’ve never fought anything like this,” Fiona pouted.

“Maybe not, but I’ve been in more battles than you can imagine, sweetie,” Highlander responded. “Besides, I’m immortal, remember?”

Fions looked out the side window of the cockpit, crossed her arms and allowed her “Hmmph!” to speak the volumes needed.

“”We’re about 45-50 minutes out,” Highlander said. “I’ll push the engines a tad and try to get there a bit sooner. Lady Phoenix, here we come.”

As they approached the floating remains of the arena where the battle was ensuing, Highlander spoke. “You’ll need to take the controls and get me as close to the action as possible. Times I wish I could fly, like some of the others. I’ll jump out of the flyer and try not to face plant on something hard.”

“How about I just land and we go in together?”

“Fiona, please. Don’t even suggest you going in. You know how I feel. When Nova feels you’re ready for something big like this, he’ll tell us.”

“I know. Please be careful, Duncan.”

“Hey, you know me.”

“Yes, I do. Act first; think later. That’s why I said ‘be careful.’”

Highlander popped the pilot-side hatch and unfastened his harness. “I’m going. Love you, Fiona.”

“I love you too, Duncan!”

She followed his descent as he parachuted into the fray.

Fiona whispered to herself as his chute deployed, “Yes, I love you. You crazy old fool. You better come back to me.”

Fiona whipped the flyer around and made a beeline to BADGE’s floating fortress, signaling the sentries that she was coming in and requested they notify Director Nova and staff of her availability.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge

The latest story arc, Arcane Knowledge feature the Avatars of the Morphons exploring their elements on Earth.

What exactly are they up to? What are they searching for? And, perhaps most pertinently, what does their presence mean for the humans and heroes of Earth?

Read more here:

Part 1
Part 2

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge Part 2

 

Nova stepped out of the BADGE shuttle and was met by two security guards. They each saluted and then walked with him through the overgrown field in the middle of nowhere.

“There has been a strong energy spike in the area, be careful.” Nova said. He stopped before a door on the side of a small concrete bunker.

One guard asked, “what should we look out for?”

“I don’t know. These morphon creatures have been popping up all over the place. That is the type of energy we’re seeing.”

The other guard asked, “are these avatars dangerous?”

“Not intentionally. But, they could pose a threat. Just be ready for anything.”

The guard pushed the door open for Nova. “We always are.”

Nova stepped in and the room was nothing but an elevator. Pressing a switch, he sped downward through the Earth.

It had been a few months since Nova was last in the former Headquarters of BADGE. This place was now simply another outpost to keep watch. It took a focused mind not to get lost in nostalgia as he rounded each corner. Finally, he entered the room he spent most of his time in when this was his base. The operations room was active with many screens watching the various views of North America. Once these screens were tuned into every corner of the planet, not they simply monitored this part of the world. Agent Justin stood in Nova’s place in the center of the room, a tablet in his hands.

“Agent, report! What was the emergency?” Nova waited for an answer.

Justin turned and said, “we have a guest.” and simply pointed to the side.

Nova turned and found the golem of computer parts smiling at him. The Master of Tech creature simply waved at the Director. “Greetings, human leader of BADGE.”

Nova frowned, “I thought we locked him up.”

“I thought so as well.” Just said.

Nova pressed the intruder button and an automatic force field surrounded the Master of Tech. “Sorry for the inconvenience. I don’t like uninvited guests in a BADGE facility.”

The Master laughed, put his hand up against the buzzing field, and then simply walked through it. “I enjoy that sensation.” He walked back and forth through the field.

“How are you doing that? That field is the strongest this base can make.” Nova was honestly stunned.

The Master stopped amusing himself and answered, “I am tech.”

Justin said, “apparently, since his power involves technology, we can’t use technology against him.”

Nova asked. “Then, he was our prisoner...by his own volition?”

The Master of Tech answered, “I wasn’t your prisoner. I was merely communing with other tech. All of us have been doing this. Once our challenge was met, we understood the humans are using our blessing correctly and so we have been exploring our element. Mine is technology, and this place is full of it. My brethren are exploring their own powers through your world.”

Nova asked, “what is it you want? Or are you just out and about to pet the machinery?”

“I am enjoying your lovely technology. However, my objective is not to simply explore. We seek answers and you need to help us.”

“We...you mean the other Avatars?”

The Master said, “yes. They tasked me with getting your attention, and I have.”

Nova narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like being manipulated.”

The Master looked up. “Ah, they are here. Come.” He walked out of the room.

Suddenly the comm came alive with the guards outside. “Sir, we have a situation up here!”

Nova rushed his way back up to the surface, even becoming a little lightheaded with the quicker ascent up the elevator shaft. To his great surprise, the Master of Tech was already at the top. The two guards were on full alert with their weapons out, and four other people standing around. The first was the lion man, Master of Strength. Next to him was a man made of rock, water, and even fire burning on his head, the Master of Elemental. An angelic man with his wings almost glowing, the Master of Supernatural, gave Nova a stern look. Last was a beautiful blue woman with red hair and streaks of red energy periodically flickering on her skin, the Master of Mental.

Nova stood before the two guards and put out his hands, “lower your weapons. I do not believe they pose a threat.”

A voice in his head stated, “we are not here to threaten you.”

The guards looked at each other in confusion, but said nothing about the disembodied voice.

Nova spent a moment looking at this strange gathering, his way of establishing a level of control by getting the focus on him. “So, you’re all here. My agents have had a hard time keeping up with your movements.”

The Avatar of Elemental said, “we know about your agents tracking us. We presented no threat to the populations of this world, thus we ignored our observers.”

“Oh, stop this talking! We have an issue to deal with!” The Avatar of Strength bellowed.

Nova said, “yes, apparently we do. What are you doing here?”

The Avatar of Supernatural stepped up, his imposing wings only overshadowed by that glowering look on his face. “Master of BADGE, we come seeking your help.”

“My help? You avatars have ignored BADGE and our requests since you first showed up, and now you expect me to help you. To what end?”

“You want to fight! I will…” The Avatar of Strength was held at bay by Supernatural.

Mental said, “this situation concerns the security of your world. There is one more of our kind we seek, but we cannot find it. We believe you can help.”

Nova said, “I have agents and specialist all over the planet keeping tabs on the morphonic spikes that accompany your appearances. We will see when the next one arrives.”

Master of Tech said, “this one is different. The last one is actually the first. It has been on this world for a long time, resting.”

“It… you keep referring to this as an it.”

“Many of your years ago, a human learned of what you call magic. He practiced human forms of sorcery, but upon learning of true magic from a creature named Jinn, he wanted to know more.”

“Jinn. Do you mean the time when he worked for the Ottoman Empire?”

“Correct.” Mental projected. “A man named Merlin began studying this new magic and writing everything down in a special book. He was not aware that he was touching the very essence of morphons. The magic used by this Jinn was harnessed through morphons, but only a very specific type. By dabbling in this, he infused those morphons into this book. It remained dormant for centuries, but it became the embodiment of Magic, the Master of Magic, an Avatar of Morphons.”

Nova whispered, “Merlins Tome.”

Supernatural asked, “you know of this?”

Nova softly nodded, “I have been protecting this world for a long time. In that time I collected and sealed away dangerous objects. I know of Merlins tome. It had strange properties that caused problems several centuries ago. It is in the archives in the BADGE UK outpost.”

Elemental said, “we must retrieve this. The morphons will awaken and the tome will become the last Master. We need him and we must protect him.”

Supernatural said, “the morphons of magic around this world have gained strength at his arrival.”

“That explains the heightened strength in the magical heroes.”

Mental said, “precisely. Our time is short, we must get to the Tome before he awakens.”

“What sort of danger does this avatar pose?”

Mental said, “it is not the Master of Magic that poses a risk, it is the information he holds that could potentially be used for nefarious deeds. There are those among your kind that seek knowledge they do not deserve to know. They desire to use this knowledge for terrible actions. We will not allow that.”

“I won’t either.” Nova pulled out his comm.

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Arcane Knowledge Part 1

A beautiful blue woman walked along a road in the middle of a busy city. The blazing sun cast a deep shadow beneath her, and the breezes were a mix of salty air and dry sand. None of this seemed to cause this strange woman any discomfort. She continued on her walk, the red hair dancing as the winds picked up.

“Hey, lady. You want to get out of the street!” A motorist yelled at her in Arabic.

She turned and slowly cocked her head at the man waiting for her to pass. “How dare you speak to the Master of Mental, little human.” her mind said to him.

He gasped, “I heard that… in my head. What are you?”

She waved her hand as a blast of psychic energy shoved his car back, sliding it sideways and nearly tumbling it over. “Be gone!”

Almost immediately, sirens blared and police cars were heading her way. She cast her eyes around and dismissively sighed. Holding out her hands, she lifted into the sky and flew five stories above the ground. People were concerned, and the police sent a few cars to follow.

Soon she landed in the middle of an excavation site. She knelt down and felt the ground. Suddenly a wave of red energy blasted out and covered all the surfaces for a moment.

“What are you doing?” A man rushed up to her.

She looked at him with a brief smile. Through her mind she said, “Ah, a man of learning.”

“Woah, where did that voice come from?” He looked around.

She cocked her head at him, “tell me, is this the famous Library?”

He searched for the source of that voice in his head. “Uh, yeah. This was a storage area for the Library of Alexandria. It was destroyed about eighteen hundred years ago.”

She softly shook her head, “then, this is before our time. Pity, it made such sense.” Without warning, she flew straight up, away from the ancient excavation site.

Hovering several miles in the sky, she called out with her mind. “I did not locate the Keeper. My search was in vain.”

_

In a distant museum, long after hours of operation, the winged figure of the Master of Supernatural
stopped and looked up at a painting. He studied it for a moment, focusing on the book in the hands of a person.

He spoke aloud, answering that voice in his head. “I too have failed to find the Keeper. Evidence of its existence has proven impossible to find.”

_

The Master of Strength fought two heroes at once in the Tokyo Fight Club. He grabbed both and bashed their heads together. Dropping the unconscious bodies on the ground, he paused and looked up.

“The Keeper may not be formed yet. Have you not considered this?” The lion man suddenly twisted around and kicked a third hero that was trying a surprise attack.

The voice in his head from the Master of Mental said, “no. I have sensed its presence since I awoke. It came to be before us. It has been granting us life. We must find it.”

_

A rush of a wave crashed against the Hawaii shore. The water formed into a man and continued walking toward a lava flow. Once it reached the lava, the water exploded into steam and the lava then took on
the same human form.

The Master of Elemental looked at his liquid rock hand and smiled. Then he looked up at the night sky and closed his molten eyes. “I sense the surge of morphon. The power grows steadily within the realm of nature. The Keeper will be with us soon.”

The voice in his head said, “How can you be sure of this?”

“I know what I know. This Keeper, this last Avatar of the Morphons, will reveal itself when the moon is the fullest. Only then shall we see them in their true form.”

The voice spoke, “then, we must be ready for its arrival. Protect it from those who wish to use it for harm.”

The Master of Supernatural said, “Where would be safe? How could we know where it will reveal itself?”

That voice said, “I do not have the answer.”

_

“But, I do.” A pile of computer parts and other debris shifted around in a room within the concrete walls of a strange cell. The pieces came together and slowly formed into a humanoid figure.

The voice spoke to him, “Master of Tech, we have not heard from you.”

“They have given me a home with friends. I believe I am their captive, but I do not feel bad. These people mean well. I have enjoyed my time resting among brothers and sisters.” he ran his foot through the random technological components littering the space.

The voice said to him. “What do you plan?”

“As we all awoke, we were met by friends. I believe we can trust these friends and they can help us.”

Master of Mental said, “If you feel this is the wisest course of action. We shall follow your lead.”

***

Nova stood in the middle of the Operations center. Chase walked in, nursing a hot cup of coffee. She stood next to him and grumbled out something that was supposed to be “good morning.”

“I see you’re still recovering from that poison Arx gave you.”

“Dr. Henderson thinks the dose he gave Quark, and me was a different formula. I guess he didn’t want us going out of our head before we got him back up to the station. I still think about how I drooled over that guy and acted like an idiot. I mean, he’s hot, but I don’t remotely like him like that. I’m not some guy crazed…”

“I get it.” Nova stopped her.

A robot announced, “incoming message from Hero: Krystal Fae.”

“Put her through,” Nova said.

Krystal appeared on the main monitor, her hair glowing brighter than usual. “Nova, good. I have something interesting to report.”

“What?”

“I started feeling strange over the past few hours. Not bad or sick, just… more powerful. I checked with others, and only magical heroes are feeling this strange surge.”

Nova said, “just what we need, one of those avatar things are about to show up and challenge everyone.”

Chase sipped her coffee and looked at a robot. “Any report from our morphon scanners?”

“Negative, Agent Chase.”

Krystal said, “I checked the morphon fields as well and even contacted Quark before calling you. No strange localized spike yet. So, we can’t be certain this is an avatar appearing.”

Nova said, “lets assume, for the moment, that it is. Contact the magically inclined heroes and start the whole contest. Get a head start on this. If this turns out to be a false alarm, at least you guys can get some practice in.”

“Understood, Krystal out.”

Continue the Story

New Crystal Power Available: Eagle Wings

 

(Alternate Story for Eagle Wings Power Card)

"Many people look only forward, seeking to harness the power of what can be built," Professor Edward 'Running Bear' Sequoia said to his class of archeology students. "The farther we move away from the past, there becomes a new opportunity to re-discover ideas and concepts long thought lost."

On a tiny island in Lake Michigan, just south of the city of St. Ignace, a group of students stood at the edge of an excavation of a pre-Revolutionary War encampment. They listened in silence as their instructor demonstrated methods of uncovering layers of soil to reveal artifacts hidden by time's passing. A cool breeze brushed over them from the still cool waters of the great lake as slightly above tall pine trees surrounding the dig site, mated pairs of American Bald Eagles flew in circles overhead.

"I don't think those birds like us here, Professor," Dorothy Monroe said. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her mess of brown hair, concerned a swooping bird might attack.

"They nest all along the shore here. There is no reason to be concerned. If you respect them, they will show you the same regard," her professor replied. "Why don't you each move to your designated plots and begin to examine them. Call me over if you reveal anything of interest."

Dorothy nodded to Jacob, her lab partner, and the two of them moved to their assigned area as the rest of the group separated and did the same. As she walked across the pine needle covered forest floor, she couldn't help but to keep glancing at the sky. Two more groups of eagles now circled with the first pair.

"Don't you like birds?" Jacob asked.

"I like them just fine," she said. "I don't trust them, is all. My aunt had a parrot that could be the sneakiest, meanest animal I've ever met. Polly didn't want a cracker. Polly wanted to draw blood."

Jacob brushed aside some branches to make it easier for Dorothy to reach their plot of ground. "I guess I can understand that."

Their assigned area rested on a small rise with a pleasant view of the lake nearly twenty feet below them. Yellow twine had the section they were to inspect cordoned off. A single totem pole rose out of the ground, worn by years of harsh weather, but atop the top of the wooden marker, an simple carving of an eagle sat perched.

"I bet most of the year, you wouldn't even be able to see that unless you stood right in this very spot," Jacob said. "It's almost hidden by the trees."

Dorothy nodded. She had no idea how old the totem was, but it gave her the impression of great age. Strangely, it didn't have dense patches of moss growing on its surface as many of the trees nearby did. "It's impressive. I find it hard to believe that a piece of wood could remain in one piece after being exposed to decades of Michigan winters."

A shot rang out from somewhere close by, closely followed by a screech of pain.

"What was that?" Jacob asked. He searched all around them, hunting for the source of the sound.

Still facing the lake, Dorothy watched as one of the soaring eagles above dropped from the sky and splashed into the water below her. "Oh my god. Someone shot one of them!"

She raced down the steep slope to the slim shore of the island and waded out into the water. The eagle's body floated on the water for a few seconds before slipping beneath the surface. Frigidly cold, Dorothy pushed her body deeper into the lake until she stood where she believed the eagle submerged. Taking a deep breath, she dove in after it.

In the clear water of the lake, she spotted streaks of red rising to the surface. She followed them down to the eagles body. It thrashed weakly as it fought to rise unsuccessfully from the lakebed. Reaching down, she grabbed its torso, surprised by how large and still light the bird was. She tightened her grip and lifted it up into the air.

With its sharp, yellow beak, it bit her hand, cutting deep into her skin and her blood merged with its. Her eyes went wide, but not with pain. Her mind filled with the essence of the eagle and she understood its love of flight and the world it surveyed.

"Dorothy," Jacob yelled from the shore. "What are you doing?"

Half-aware, she spun around to face him. She held the eagle as it died, its head lolling back limply as it freed her hand from its beak. "The water... its so cold... but I can feel the warmth in the air above... I know the wind."

"What are you talking about? Wade back to the shore."

"Why would I do that?" Dorothy extended her arms out as far as she could, releasing the eagle's body to splash back into the water. Feathers sprouted from her arms and back, warming her. She drove her arms down to the earth quickly, creating enough force to lift her into the air. 

She flapped her new wings and ascended higher with each motion. It felt glorious. Being in the air filled her with a sense of freedom she never knew she didn't understand.

"It's no wonder my aunt's parrot bit me. It wanted to be free. The wind called to it. It calls to me."

She soared up higher and higher, looking down at Jacob as his mouth hung open in amazement beneath her.

Continue the Story

Power: Eagle Wings

Dr. Henderson looked up from her tablet at BADGE's newest Hero-recruit.

"You definitely have Morphon abilities, according to the tests... hmmm, looks like tech and elemental are your major factors... stand here...", she said indicating yet another scanning platform.

"SCANNING...", said a feminine computerized voice. "Scan complete... please select from the following...", the computer voice intoned.

A few moments later, a bell dinged beside a locker-sized opening...

"Go ahead... try it on...", said Dr. Henderson with a smile.

Derek pulled on the breastplate, raised the hood over his head, and tapped the activation key on his wrist... holographic feathered sleeves generated down each of his arms, then solidified into being.

Derek grinned and said, "Let's see what this thing can do..."

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: Bad Publicity Part 9

 “THROW ME!” Zen dashed across the League Wars Arena.

Shinobi deflected a blast of energy with his blade and then quickly scooped up the penguin and threw him directly at the flashy super-villain.

Zen darted through the air, his bladed flippers ready to slice and dice. The moment he reached the battling villain, Arx grabbed him and then kicked Zanazola right in the face.

“let me go, you silver jerk!” Zen stabbed at the shiny arm gripping him.

“Smile for my InstaBlab,” Arx held Zen and took a pic with his selfie stick.

“LET ME GO!”

“My pleasure!” Arx twisted around and spiked Zen right into the arena floor.

Five more blasts of energy hit Arx and his reflective skin sent the power flying in all directions. Arx was showing signs of damage, but he fought all the harder. He swung to the left and nailed Lumpsum in the chin, swung to the right and punched Magnificent Punlork in the chest. With a quick dodge, he avoided a flying chair thrown by Sevon and then grabbed the hero by the neck and plowed him face first into the ground.

“When will you learn, I’m unbeatable!” Arx flew up and grabbed Yucca by the foot and spun them around, throwing them out of the arena like a shot put. He stopped to catch his breath, the pain in him obvious.

The masses of heroes settled slightly and Arx flew back down, “see. Just bow to my superiority and I won’t keep…” his little speech was cut short by a clothesline to the face.

Skelli skidded to a stop and looked back at Arx. “What were you saying?”

Arx pushed himself up a few inches, and then his feet were grabbed by a giant hand. Midgardsomr swung him over his head and slammed him to his right, then his left, and then his right again. Arx wheezed as he lay in the crater made by his own body. Midgard leaned over and said, “just like my favorite movie scene, and it wasn’t one of your crappy movies.”

“YAH!” Arx flew straight up and hit Midgard in the chin, sending the massive world serpent stumbling back. The sight of this behemoth of a creature being bested by a small villain set a few heroes back. Arx hovered in the air, seething in rage. “I will not be treated like this! I AM A SUPERSTAR! I AM…”

He was once again cut short when a flying hero crashed into him. Hotwings shoved him through the air, and right into the wall of the stadium. Before Arx could recover, Hotwings tied Arx’s own cape around his head.

“I think it’s time to bring the curtains down on this actor!” Hotwings quipped and then repeatedly punched Arx in the chest and stomach while the villain struggled to get out of his own cape.

Arx ripped the cape free and reached out to strangle Hotwings, but his arms were grabbed. Hotwings pulled the same move as Arx and swung him around. “SKELLI!”

Arx flew across the field, and Skelli flipped over, kicking Arx with a hard smash. The villain tumbled right into Midgard, who nailed him with a fist, sending him back to Hotwings, who caught the remains of his cape and spun him again. “BACK ATCHA!” He threw Arx back to Skelli, who sent him to Midgard, and then Hotwings. Finally, as Arx flew for his last time toward Hotwings, the hero didn’t catch him, but punched him right in the chin. Arx flew over the Arena and right through the barrier. He was now at the mercy of naked space as he tumbled toward the planet.

Hotwings landed in the middle of the arena, surrounded by hundreds of bruised heroes. A few were being carried off using the League Wars medical equipment.

“Is he coming back?” Hotwings asked.

Midgard peered out from his extreme height. “He’s out of control.”

“I guess someone should go get him.” Hotwings looked around. “Are there any space worthy heroes here?”

The Wizard hobbled over, nursing a broken arm. “None that are awake. I could try, but I’m in bad shape.”

Midgard snarled, “let him pop in space. He deserves no better.”

Hotwings pulled out his comm, “no, we’re heroes, not executioners. Nova, this is Hotwings, we have a situation.”

Gar came through. “We need help. Nova won’t wake up.”

The heroes returned to the BADGE station and helped gather the poisoned people. The only person on the station left standing was Gar. A few of the heroes who were capable with medicine worked in the infirmary helping the sick. Quark had zapped to the planet to get some medical help from the surface.

Krystal Fae stood next to Nova’s bed, her hand held over his face. A purple light shone between them. When it stopped, she smiled and said, “I think you’re okay.”

Nova, awake now, said, “that was some nasty stuff he gave us. Have the chemist figured out what it was?”

SuperRakly, standing on the other side of the bed, answered. “We sent the information down to the lab at the Henry Ford center, but they can’t confirm anything yet.”

“Henry Ford Center?” Nova frowned.

Rakly shrugged, “We’re kinda working blind here. All the staff are still pretty out of it. You’re the first to wake. Gar isn’t a doctor or chemist. So, we went with the ideas we had.”

“Thank you for helping. Has anyone gone to pick up Arx’s body?”

Krystal said, “I had a shuttle sent out to search for him, but there was no sign. I wager he entered the atmosphere and is nothing more than a cloud of ash by now.”

“I suppose that’ll have to do. I’d prefer a different punishment.”

Rakly said, “he gave us little choice. He was really powerful.”

Nova started pushing himself up, but Krystal held him at bay. He said, “I need to get to Operations and start the search for Dr. Osteen again. I have work to do. Let me up.”

Krystal pushed him back down. “No. You may be better, but you aren’t well. Gar has command of Operations and we have Leagues all over the planet back on the search. Trust in us.”

“I don’t want to lie here while a madman creates super villains.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him before he makes another Arx.”

Just then the patient next to him came around. Chase groaned and slowly put her hand to her head. “Wow... I have the worst hangover. What... what happened?”

Krystal stood next to Chase’s bed. “You were poisoned.”

“Poisoned!? Oh...it was Arx, wasn’t it?”

Nova asked from his bed, “how do you know that?”

“He gave me a drink back in Canada and then I lost control. It was like I was in a dream or something. I was enchanted by him, in a daze of some sort.”

Krystal asked, “what do you think of him now?”

Chase groaned and put her hand over her eyes. “I’d love to see him.”

“Oh, dear.” Krystal shook her head.

Chase finished her thought, “so I could smack that arrogant smile off that chrome face of his.”

Nova laughed, “that sounds like the real Chase.”

***

Arx gasped and sat up on a metal bed. The world was blurry for a moment, only bright lights and a few human-shaped shadows around him.

“Good, you’re awake.” A voice said.

Arx squinted and shielded his eyes from the brighter lights. “Who’s there? I’m warning you, I have the best lawyers…”

“Oh, you won’t need lawyers. At this point, you’re dead.”

Arx blinked and rubbed his eyes, working them back into focus. “Who are you? Where am I?”

Dr. Osteen pressed something against his neck and then looked at a small device in his hand. “Good, it is operational.”

“Osteen, where...how…”

The man speaking to him said, “You fell to Earth. It was a spectacular fight you had. However, your real mission was a failure. We sent you to destroy BADGE, and all you did was get in a big fight.”

Osteen added, “it’s a good thing I super charged all your powers and strengths. You survived that fall and that battle.”

Arx looked at this dark dressed man. “Tell me who you are?”

“I’m Delta, Dr. Osteen works for me. That’s the only information you’ll receive. As of this point, you’re now a subject.”

“Subject. Hey, wait a minute. I didn’t sign up for anything.”

Delta leaned over, getting in Arx’s face. “Yes, you did. The moment you accepted all this new power Osteen gave you, you agreed to obey us. You became a part of a much bigger plan.”

“I WON’T…. AHHHHH!” Arx tried to use his laser eyes, but something around his neck sent waves of pain through him instead. He felt a metal collar on him. “What’s this?”

“Insurance. You’ll obey Dr. Osteen and he will use you as a subject for our grand plan.”

Arx snarled at him, “and just what part of this plan am I?”

“You’ll find out.” The lights went out and then came back on, Delta was gone.

Arx looked around, “where’d he go?”

Osteen laughed as he prepped an injection. “I have no idea, but it’s the coolest thing ever. Now, hold still, this might sting…”

Continue the Story

Skelanimal shares his P.O.V. on fight with Arx

by Skelanimal (ID 10947)

Chaz Hamilton here. I’m reporting to you once more about the battle raging aboard the Orbital Space Arena where an unscheduled bout is taking place. This time it is Arx battling, well, everyone.

The Hollywood A-lister went rogue a few days ago, doing his best to destroy the nearby BADGE space station after drugging most of the on-board staff. Thwarted in that plan, threw himself into space and called to heroes around the world and challenged them to meet him aboard the Stellar Arena. While some leagues tried to intercept him outside of the arena in the void of space, the battle did end up taking place in a venue still recovering from the League Wars Eggs-celsior event.

The maintenance drones are already contacting their union representatives for the additional workload they will have when cleaning up the Stellar Arena for the second time in a month.

Arx may have been a leading man on the big screen, but he hasn’t shown that same fortitude while opposing the heroes of our fair world. They may be fueled by a tiny bit of the spirit of retribution, most of them feeling his acting was extremely inaccurate to depicting the super-heroic activities they undertook every day.

We have this statement from Skelanimal, recently shared on some social media site…

“Heroes, report to the Orbital Arena. Take down Arx!”… reverberated out of the scanner. Skelli often eavesdropped onto the nonsense from BADGE."

"Hmph. This world isn’t big enough for the both of us. Arx evil is nothing compared to my own, Skelli thought. I need to step in; not for the spineless hero’s, but because no one takes the spotlight away me. Emerging from his lair, Skelli quickly transported to the Orbital Arena. Without hesitation and into the arena Skelli went!"

674 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

700 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

704 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

628 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

638 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

667 damage ][][ รкєllเ throws down

“That has got to sting!” Skelly laughed in his awkward manner.

Spotting Miðgarðsormr across the arena… Skelli smiled. He knew all too well Miðgarðsormr persistence. Arx was going to regret being so pompous. The Wizard, §ﾚαgα†h⊕☈ and DaMoN were fully engaged. The full force of WMD... Ummm wait. Where was Hot Wings?

636 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

624 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

590 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

610 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

714 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

678 damage ][][ Hot Wings ][][

Hot Wings flew past Skelli causing him to lose balance briefly.

Ahahaha! Of course! There he is soaring past the rest! Hot Wings had been well onto Arx even before the rest of the team arrived. ... and yeah... those other hero guys...

"This was not going to be a good ending for Arx!"

Chaz Hamilton here again. Heroes all aboard the BADGE Stellar Arena are chanting "Kick That Arx, Kick That Arx" repeatedly. I don't think the future is going to be very bright for this fallen Hollywood star.

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Celebrate with a Raid

#20314 Baba Yaga 

Happy April 20th gamers enjoy it with a raid! Raid the stashes of refills and stay tuned. With in the first 15 hours a handful of toons already had max damage done for the 100% Chance Defense card.  See picture below 

What better way to celebrate a day of peace with a good ole I'm coming for you Raid!!! So set the stash on fire and see how high you can climb. ;) Until the next time, Cheers.

Just a little bit of info I've gathered along the way I also wanted to share... There is 962 level 1 toons... :o and I'm hitting them all...

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Arx Raid Fiction: The Star Force goes to Space

“How could he do that to us, --” Chained Angel

said as she gestured to her gathered companions on the Star Force Cruiser, “—his biggest fans? The Arx I know would never do this. It has to be some kind of publicity stunt.”

“Not according to Director Nova’s message. I don’t think he is the type of person to cater to one of Hollywood’s whims for viral publicity,” Starmaster said. Typically, he wore his facemask and altered his voice to protect his identity, but being in the league’s private shuttle, his head was visible above the folds of his lowered cowl.

“How are we supposed to fight this dweeb in space?” Wyldfyre asked. “In case you have forgotten, most of us cannot breathe without oxygen, let alone start any of my fires without it. Are we going to open the door and shoot at him like gangsters doing a drive-by, arms out the windows with ray guns?”

“That sounds like fun,” Lykos sat up straighter in his chair, searching the cabin for weapons. “Lock and load.”

“Nothing that dramatic, people. Catalyst has made some space suits for us that will allow us to use our individual powers through them. For example, Wyldfyre, yours comes with a liquid oxygen system that will allow you to create flames in the cold of space.”

“Nice…” Wyldfyre smiled, his brown goatee practically dancing on his face with anticipation. “Fightin’ with rocket-fuel. That’s one for my bucket list.”

Starmaster lifted up his could and engaged his facemask. He pointed at lockers doors which opened just as his digitally enhanced voice delivered his orders to his teammates. “Then suit up. We have a job to do.”

It didn’t take long to put on the sleek space-suits created for them. The micro-mesh and nano-tech garments practically slipped over the bodies of the heroes. Only Chained Angel’s wings remained visibly uncovered, but a shimmering field of force enveloped them and provided them protection.

Starmaster spoke to all of them through their comms units. “I will maneuver us into position.” A thin filament of clear material stretched out to each of them. “This will tether us to one another. Zero-gravity is difficult to navigate, but with my psychokinesis, I can create the force needed to move us. Catalyst is going to coordinate from the cruiser with Prysmatica.”

“Don’t think we won’t be doing our fair share of fighting, Master Star,” Prysmatica said. “I can invoke my lasers through the windows, and I know Catalyst here has some neat gadgets aboard her as well.”

“I still can’t believe we’re fighting Arx,” Chained Angel said, her body swaying gently as if she imagined being moved by a lover. “He’s so dreamy. I’ve seen all his movies at least 5 times.”

“Remember how in The BADGE WARS, he held out against all of the members of the Unearthed. Just him and his co-star, Joanne Scarletson.” The Infinite Tempest said. “I couldn’t believe when he reached into her dead body and pulled out her one surviving clone-baby. I thought my heart would break.”

“That’s the movies, I.T., not real life like this. The powers he’s showing now aren’t done with C.G.I. this time.” Starmaster said. “He almost took out the entire BADGE space station without any resistance. Thank goodness for Gar and Strange Quark. If the station struck the planet, none of us would be here now.”

“Midgardsormr,” Catalyst said.

“Well, he might survive a planet-killing event, but not many—”

“No. There’s Midgarsormr.” Catalyst pointed out the windshield of the shuttle at the escalating battle miles ahead of them. Midgardsormr had grown to massive size and dwarfed many of the other specs of lights that made up the force of space-bound heroes. “And I think that’s Skelanimal.”

“Looks like it’s time to go play, Daddy,” Wyldfyre said. “Can we go outside? Please???”

Starmaster glanced at Chained Angel. “Remind me why we brought him.”

“He’s your friend. We tried to tell you to leave him in North Onnotangu,” she replied.

“Great. Blame me,” Starmaster said with a chuckle. “Let’s go, Star Force. It’s time to show Arx what real heroes look like.”

All but Catalyst and Prysmatica departed the shuttle. Together, Starmaster created a psychokinetic bubble around his league-mates and headed into the silent fray.

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