Wednesday, June 30, 2021

COLLABORATIVE FAN-FICTION BEST OF JUNE

The month of June has been especially busy for collaborative fan-fiction. There were many high quality entries, and two ongoing threads stood out impressively: TRIP TO FAE REALM, and THE GREATEST DAY.

As there can only be one, (*** drum roll ***) it is my pleasure to announce the winner for June:

COLLABORATIVE FICTION - The Greatest Day

Congratulations on your win for two consecutive months!

Each participant of this thread will receive two of the all-new fan-fiction reward card, "Strange Fiction":

Astra 22632
Chained Angel 20570
Starmaster 14716
Arcane Ace 23078
Catalyst 21306
Highlander 21107

Keep up with the awesome stories!

Reminder: Those who still want to contribute individual (non-collaborative) stories will continue to receive Reality Writer reward cards for their effort, and outstanding contributions may be featured on the blog and home page in-game. Furthermore, various types of fan-fiction contests will be organized from time-to-time, so look out for announcements on the Heroes Rising Players page.

Yours Quackily,
SQ
Continue the Story

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Final Part

 A small fleet of BADGE shuttles broke through the atmosphere, heading directly for the space station. Inside the lead shuttle, Chase and Gar watched over their prisoner. Arx sat in the back, in nothing but his purple thong and the most sophisticated restraint system developed to hold meta-humans.

“Are you sure he’s different now?” Gar asked.

“I’ve looked over the readings a hundred times since the battle ended. His power levels are almost negligible. Even with all the powers he had, nothing can reduce this signature artificially. He’s nothing but a has-been.”

“HEY! Watch the language. I’m just… on hiatus.” Arx responded.

Chase laughed, “sure. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be the star of the prison’s playhouse. Trust me, you’ll have a captive audience.”

Arx slouched back in his seat, “great, stuck with a D-grade comedienne.”

Chase was about to tell him where to stuff his opinion when the pilot alerted them. “Agent Chase!”

She looked out the window and gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. The top level of the station, where Operations was situated, had been removed and floated aimlessly in space while the rest of the station remained in its normal orbit.

“What the hell is going on?” Chase asked.

“I don’t know, but I am not reading any power signature in the station at all.”

Gar started to say, “Can we dock, I…” he and Chase were surrounded by a blinding flash of light and they found themselves standing in the Operations center.

Chase stumbled and fell against Gar. “Whoa, that made my head spin.”

Quark rushed up to them. “Sorry about that. I needed you guys.”

“What happened here?” Chase looked around. The robots were all damaged, and only two emergency lights were flickering.

Gar gasped and rushed away, “Director!” He found Nova lying on the floor, a giant sword in his hands, two dozen security guards around him.

Chase ran to his side. “is he…”

Quark said, “thank goodness, no. He isn’t dead, just out. But, this station won’t activate while separated. It requires his code, or three class one agent codes.”

Chase said, “that would be us.”

Chase, Quark and Gar put in their security codes and the top level of the station activated and reconnected with the base. The computer slowly reactivated, going into emergency operation mode.

“That should set up the reboot.” Chase said.

“We need to get him to the infirmary, and hope someone is still alive down there.” Quark said.

“Do what you do best.” Chase answered.

Quark put his hands on Nova, and the others waited. All four flashed away and were quickly inside the infirmary. Chase fell over and held her head for a moment. Gar lifted Nova up onto the nearest bio-bed.

“No damage here.” Quark commented.

“GET OUT, I HAVE WEAPONS!” a woman called out.

Gar said, “Dr. Henderson, it’s us!”

Dr. Henderson slowly came around a corner, two laser scalpels in her hands. She had a wild look of fear in her eyes, but slowly relaxed at the sight of them. “Oh, thank god. I thought we were going to die out here.”

Chase asked, “how do you still have power?”

“The infirmary has independent power systems. Oh, dear lord, Nova!” She ran over to him and punched buttons on the sensors.

Quark said, “I found him like this. I would try to heal him, but I might accidentally turn him into a duck.”

Dr. Henderson read the scanner report. “He has a massive concussion, five broken ribs, a broken arm, internal bleeding...how did he survive that fight in this condition?”

“Do you know what happened up here?” Chase asked.

Dr. Henderson placed several bone mending devices on Nova’s chest and then injected something into his neck. “Not exactly. The entire station went on lockdown. I tried contacting Operations, but I couldn’t get through...entirely. The visual link worked, but audio was dead. I could witness what happened there, but I couldn’t do anything. Fortunately, the infirmary also has a special locking system to protect the patients from enemies. I was safe in here.”

Gar activated a monitor on Dr. Henderson’s desk and accessed the data. A video played back what she watched in operations. “Who are they?”

Chase and Quark joined him and watched the security team ganging up on Nova, who had his back to them. Quark said, “those are the special security team Nova requested from the World Corps to help defend the station.”

Before they could discuss this, they watched Nova materialize a special sword out of seemingly nowhere and catch the enemy off guard. He swung and dodged with incredible precision. They fired lasers at him from all angles, but he deflected them with his sword and hit the soldiers with their own fire. More than once they hit him, but he kept fighting. Soldier after soldier he fought, striking and moving with a speed that none of them have truly seen him utilize. Again and again he was hit, but he never wavered in his defense. Computer stations exploded, the lights in the room flickered, a warning light beamed as the emergency separation system activated. The last soldier went down, and Nova fell to his knees. The moment he collapsed, the operations center ejected and the line cut.

Chase said, “damn...I didn’t know he could fight like that.”

Quark looked back at the unconscious Director. “I've seen him fight like that once before, when we faced Jinn.”

Gar asked, “wait, what about the Avatar of Magic?”

Dr. Henderson said, “I don’t know. Last I heard the Avatar was being protected in the Arboretum, EB was with it.”

Quark snarled, “and about five dozen of those mercs.”

“Crap.” Chase muttered and raced out of the infirmary.


***


Chase, Gar, and Quark rushed through the station. The power was slowly coming back on, but it was still dark in most places. They rushed through the Mess Hall and into the Arboretum.

“Oh, my god!” Chase came to a stop at the sight. Dozens of soldiers littered the ground, some wearing the BADGE insignia, and some had the World Corps patch. Colorful, broken eggshells littered the ground.

Gar whispered, “what happened?”

Chase knelt down and looked at a fallen soldier. “Isn’t it obvious, this is where they fought to capture the Avatar.” She looked up at Quark. “Do you sense the avatar?”

Quark closed his eyes and spent a moment in silence. He opened them and slowly shook his head. “I don’t sense the Avatar… or EB.”

“What?” Gar asked.

A man coughed and caught their attention. Looking over, one BADGE soldier leaned up against the trunk of a tree, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

Chase rushed to him. “Oh, god. Hold still. Gar, get help.”

Gar raced off while Chase helped the man.

He looked at her with tired eyes. “I’m sorry, ma’am, we tried our best.”

“What happened?”

“They...they turned on us. I don’t know where they got their weapons, but they fought against the Avatar with tech I ain’t ever seen before. The Easter Bunny was amazing. He was the last to go down. They trapped them both in some kind of energy restraint. I watched them leave. I couldn’t do anything to stop them. I can’t feel my legs.”

Just then Gar returned with two training droids, which were carrying a stretcher. He helped place the man on it.

Chase said, “you did what you could. You didn’t fail, they tricked us.” She nodded to the droids, and they carried him away.

Quark asked, “what now?”

“I don’t know. But, we aren’t done yet. They have won this battle, but the war...this war is far from over.”

Continue the Story

Saturday, June 26, 2021

ARX RAID: Collaborative Fan-Fiction -- "A Hollywood Ritual"


A Collaborative Hero Story by Arcane Ace (23078 ), Aphrael (11292), The Sword of Gerraxia (14367), and Astra (22632)

Arx was demolishing everything in sight as he took out every frustration on the heroes who continued to try to thwart him.

Krystal Fae had earlier discovered that he might possess a weakness to magic or magic-based attacks, such as enchanted blades or other arcane tools. While many heroes tried to aid in his defeat, whatever it was that had supercharged him proved effective at protecting him. Several dozen heroes, at Director Nova's orders, switched tactics and dove into saving the citizens of Hollywood and the surrounding communities.

Arcane Ace watched from the roof of the Pantages Theater, considering the variety of arcane options available. Working individually seemed to be only slightly more effective, but the advantage any mystic worth their salt knew was magical effects often geometrically increased when applied in unison. Covens and cults didn't just happen because people liked one another. Unity brought results.

An idea formed in his mind. "This might work. I wonder who all I can get on board?"

He switched on his communicator and contacted several of the other heroes he knew that used spellcraft. "Anyone out there with the ability to harness magical energies, meet me at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. I have an idea. We need to get ritual on this guy's ass."

Silver Paladin replied immediately. "I like the initiative, but I think I might tag along with some others. Someone needs to tank for you all while you get witchy with it, don't you think?"
"You might be right. Anyone who wants to help, come on over. We need three teams. One to cast the spell I am thinking of that will draw from the ambient magical energies that encircle the globe. Team Two will protect us while we work the incantation. The third team will have to lure him to us when the time is right."

"How do you expect us to do that?" Chained Angel asked.

"I don't know everything, yet. I'm working this on the fly. This fight doesn't have a script, you know," Arcane Ace replied. He thought for an instant, finally noticing a faded movie poster from one of Arx's previous blockbusters. "He-he-he. Let's play to his biggest weakness."

"And that would be?" Wyldfyre asked.

Arcane Ace launched into the air to meet those who might aid him. "His Hollywood ego, of course. We need to make him think his fans are rooting for him. I bet the sodding fool would even stop to sign an autograph or two."

Astra smiled at Arcane Ace, "That's a great idea!" She exclaimed. She began to concentrate on making a telepathic illusion to convince Arx his fans were coming out to support him. "Any other psychic heroes want to help out with this?"

She made the psychic image of fans running towards Arx screaming his name. Clammering to see his movie. They were saying things like "We love you, Arx!" and "Show them you're the best, Arx!" she was laying into his ego.

She saw The Sword of Gerraxia using her supernatural powers in much the same way and gave a wink to the other heroine.

The Sword of Gerraxia wasn't a very powerful magic user. She knew Rune magic, not spells. Most of her powers were supernatural in nature. She knew they had to take down Arx. She could help though. She would set up protective runes for the more powerful magic users and assist those trying to lead Arx to the point where the plan would take him down.

"Arcane Ace, I can set up protective runes for the major magic users," The Sword of Gerraxia informed. "After that, I'll help the others bring him here. The Sword of Gerraxia is at your command."

"Thank you, Sword. Glad to have you with us," Arcane Ace said.

"Where do you want us to lead him?" Astra telepathically asked Arcane Ace. They began to move him. Guiding him to a predetermined spot.

AphraeltheFaeChildGoddessofInnocenceversion3.0 teleported in to join the others. "I have been doing some research on Arx from before he went rogue. There are some theatres nearby which aired his earliest movies. There is also his Hollywood Walk of Fame star too which for odd reasons many in show business go crazy about having. But wherever we decide upon to lure him, we must decide fast. Krystal Fae has just informed us that Arx has armed the nuclear weapons on the fleet of Navy ships he not long ago threw at us. At the same time I am getting a huge sense of mental urgency from Director Nova himself."

"Lure him to the 7000 block of Franklin area. The Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts is there. I know the owner professionally. He has created certain wardings and enchantments that draw mystical energies to his businesses." Arcane Ace informed the heroes working with him.

Astra, Starmaster, and other mentally proficient heroes worked to create a mass illusion of fans cheering and celebrating Arx.

"I feel dirty trying to do this," Starmaster said. "He doesn't deserve this kind of fanfare. Never did, in my opinion. What makes people act like celebrities are so wonderful?"

"Beats me," Astra said.

Arcane Ace, worked on the ritual spell he wanted the other mystics to join in on. Resistant as Arx had proven to be, Ace knew that trying to overpower the supercharged ex-hero would be next to impossible. They needed to use subtler methods. Bolstered by the Avatar's morphon powers of Strength, Supernatural, Mental, Physical, and Technology, Arx presented a very daunting challenge. How do you defeat someone with so much raw power?

You take the power away from them!! Ace realized that Arx was simply a container drawing on power that had been added to his own. If the excess power could be pulled out of him, depleted somehow, the battle would be effectively won.

He scribbled down his idea for a draining incantation and sent the proposal to the other heroes.

Several minutes later, his ploy went into effect. Heroes with illusion and psychic abilities created an illusion of a massive WE LOVE ARX rally taking place in the streets before the Magic Castle. Brawlers circled the spellcasting heroes in order to protect them as they performed the ritual. 

The spell was a fairly simple and direct evocation. Magic has an ebb and flow like the tides, and currents as well. They targeted Arx to become part of the world's own magical circulatory system and "pull" out the additional foreign Morphon energy from the vessel of his body, Together, the mystical heroes who joined with Arcane Ace began to chant and power the enchantment.

As predicted, Arx made his way to his imagined devout fan-base, drawn by their chant of "ARX, ARX, WE'RE HIS FANS, IF HE CAN'T STAR IN IT, NO ONE CAN!!!"

"Hello, you wonderful people. I only have a moment to spare, so take as many pictures of me as you can," Arx said as he posed holding two fingers up in the 'V for Victory' gesture at them.

Astra telepathically messaged Arcane Ace, forewarning him that Arx was nearing the position the heroes wanted him in. She counted down Arx's arrival mentally. "three...two...one...NOW!"

The team of magical heroes competed the final segment of the spell they had been charging like an old-school explosive fireball in D&D.  Bright steams of light came to life overhead and flowed like a surging river toward and over Arx, washing away the illusionary fans and blinding anyone directly looking at the airborne stream. Pure magical energy, direct from Mother Earth herself, enveloped Arx and sought to cleanse him of his ill-gotten god-like powers.

The incantation came to a close and the mystical heroes drew breath, looking to see if their target had been defeated. To their surprise, Arx hovered in the air still and sneered at them. "Pathetic."

With a purely anime maneuver, he flared with a brilliant energy and drove his fist in a wide arc around his body, creating a wave of kinetic force that drove every hero flying back into the air several yards. Some landed on the street, flat on their backs, while others impacted into cars or buildings along the streets. Arcane Ace found himself in a manicured lawn shrubbery, his feet caught in the branches shaped into an Oscar statue.

"Damn," Ace said as Arx moved to the shoreline. "What went wrong?!"

Astra floated over, tenderly testing a bright black-and-blue bruise on the side of her face. "I don't think that went as well as we hoped."

Ace winced, grinding his teeth together as he realized the error in his thaumaturgy. "I forgot to consider he was a fairly attractive, male actor with a long career in Hollywood."

Looking confused, Astra stared at the arcane hero. "Huh."

"I'm foolish. Of course he's been leyed before."
Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 16



Heroes flew around the flying armada. Gales of wind blew some heroes around while weapons fired madly off the decks of the ships. Blasts of holy light and mental energy crippled heroes who attempted to approach the center of this storm, Arx.

Hotwings and Warmachine flew toward Arx, both blasting a volley of power at the villain. Arx dodged and responded with amazing speed.

“Distract him!” Warmachine said and then split from Hotwings.

Hotwings doubled his weapons fire and focused his powers on Arx. It worked, Arx turned his attention away and shot Hotwings out of the sky.

Suddenly, Warmachine crashed into Arx and started punching him. Arx responded with blows and kicks. Then time slowed down slightly as Warmachine used one of his unique powers. Arx barely moved as Warmachine repeatedly nailed him in the gut and face. All at once, Arx broke the time dilation and hit Warmachine in the face and then grabbed him by the arm and flung him off of him with a massive swing.

Gar swooped by and quickly snatched Warmachine out of his freefall. Landing on a nearby roof, Gar set Warmachine on his feet.

“You okay?”

Warmachine nodded, “sure. Just...winded.”

Punlork appeared and tumbled across the same roof. “Ow!” Sitting up, he said, “this is getting out of hand.”

“Hey, Gar!” Chase spoke into his ear through the comm link.

“What?”

“Furious Squirrel has pin-pointed a nuclear device that is activated on the ship directly in front of you.”

“I don’t know how to deactivate a bomb.”

“We need ideas.” Chase said.

Punlork said, “what about slowing time? It worked for Warmachine...briefly.”

Warmachine answered, “no. He can break through that somehow. Timebender had the same problem.”

Gar watched ahead as Arx hovered between his flying fleet. The ships showered the heroes with weapons fire, and Arx added blasts of his various powers. No one was getting close. Suddenly, Midgard rose and threw a water tower at Arx, which was destroyed by a blast of light from the enemy.

“Hey, what about Midgard? Have him throw that boat out to sea or something.” Gar said.

Midgard yelled through the comms. “I DON’T CARE ABOUT PUNY HUMAN WEAPONS, I WILL SQUISH ARX WITH MY BARE HANDS!!”

Chase said, “Midgard, a nuke isn’t puny.”

“I DON’T CARE!!” Midgard bellowed and then rushed toward Arx.

Gar said to Chase, “what about teleporting it?”

Now Starmaster answered from another part of the battle, “I don’t think that’s a good idea…” he grunted and yelled at something and then finished, “teleporting can mess with stuff like that. It could blow across the portal, which would spread that explosion, not to mention the fallout.”

Just then Skynett landed next to Gar. “What if we retreat? This city has already taken a beating, but all the civilians are gone.”

Chase answered, “that bomb is under his control. We leave, he turns it off and follows us. Or he might even detonate it over another city.”

Skynett dryly said, “then we take down Arx and release his control of it.”

“How?” Gar asked.

Skynett squinted as she watched Midgard go after Arx. “we wait for an opening and then unleash hell.”

Gar frowned at that, not really certain what she was saying, but Chase got it. Through the comm, she said, “heroes, regroup and ready for a power-strike. This is a code black attack. Noone hold back. Wait for my signal.”

All over the city, heroes rushed to a circular line around the incoming navy ships. Several heroes formed energy barriers that prevented the ongoing weapons’ fire from hurting anyone. Only Midgard remained in his attack, as he often ignored any orders during a battle. Heroes charged their eyes, hands, and other powered appendages. Others activated guns, lasers, and tech. Gar joined the many who picked up objects to throw. A code black was not called on often, and could only be done during extreme circumstances.

Gar said, “Chase, what about Midgard?”

“He is part of the plan, just wait.”

“Chase… this could hurt you.”

Skelanimal came through, “Gah! Would you two lovebirds stop the mushy stuff!”

Gar said, “We aren’t…”

Chase yelled, “NOW!”

Midgard had grabbed a smaller navy cruiser and used it like a bat to smack Arx. The silver hero was sent flying through the city, his fleet slowly losing elevation while he tumbled out of control. When he came to a stop, he barely had time to check his head when the barriers came down. Several thousand attacks all came at him in one volley. Bullets, knives, boulders, and some thrown cars joined lasers, fire blasts, ice beams, and electric shocks. He tried to respond, but the sheer power culminated in one explosive blast.

Normally, a collective code black attack would cause a deadly explosion that could hurt, or even kill, some users. In this attack, it seemed to be absorbed by Arx, but not on purpose. His body shimmered in an array of colors, and there was an immense explosion of energies out of him. He flew back, punching a hole in the lower hull of the USS Saratoga. The fleet in the sky rained down over the city. Huge navy cruisers crashed and crushed two thirds of what remained of Hollywood.

Heroes dashed out of the way as waves of dust and debris erupted all over the place. Many flight heroes were carrying non-flight heroes to keep them from being overtaken by the catastrophic collapse.



Gar landed with Chase in his arms. He gingerly set her down among the wreckage of the mangled navy ships.

“I can’t believe you survived that.” Chase said.

Arx, half covered in metal debris, gagged out a laugh. “It’ll take a lot more than that to end this superstar.”

She held up her scanner. “Your power levels are laughable. Oh, and your little bomb threat; I guess crashing the ship shut off the computer running it. So, you’re done.”

Arx chuckled with a wet cough. “You think I’m going out like this? No, Arx won’t be remembered as the celebrity who was defeated, he’ll be remembered as the greatest villain in movie history. I’ll have the last laugh.” His eyes flashed.

“What did you just do?” Chase threatened him with one of her blades. However, he merely continued to mock her with laughter.

Warmachine and Furious Squirrel appeared on top of the debris above them. Furious said, “that nuke, it just went active again! It’s got seconds.”

Arx said, “see, I’m going out with a bang, and taking you with me.”

Chase yelled into her comm, “GET TO THAT NUKE!”

Heroes rushed over, following the tech specialists toward the mound of wreckage where the nuclear signal came from. Midgard and other heroes tore through the piles of debris, throwing large chunks of ships all over the city.

“We can’t get to it fast enough!” Furious said, as he watched his monitor.

Punlork said, “I can’t portal people away fast enough either.”

Warmachine said, “I’ll get to it!” He dove headfirst into the debris, blasting a path to the bomb with his powers.

Furious yelled, “IT’S DETONATING!!” Everyone flinched. Several zapped themselves away.

Nothing happened.

Cautiously looking up, Chase asked, “was it a dud?”

Warmachine spoke through the universal comm. “No, it’s going off, and I can’t stop it.”

“Where are you?” Chase looked around.

“Down here, under the rubble.”

Starmaster snapped his fingers and vanished. He reappeared next to Warmachine, who held the side of a nuclear missile, it was beeping and flashing, but everything was slowed to a near crawl.

“What did you do?”

Warmachine smiled, “I got to it just as it exploded, but I could slow the time.”

“Good, we can…”

“It’s too late. I’m slowing the flash point, but it moves so fast that it’ll over take me in moments and then will continue in normal time. If I move, it will explode instantly. I...I can’t save myself.”

“We have to try.” Starmaster said, looking around for the answer.

Warmachine shook his head, “no. But...we have a chance. Portal me away.”

“Portaling might not work.”

“It will. We have a few seconds. The portal won’t set off the bomb, that has already occurred. You get me somewhere, in another dimension, where it won’t hurt anyone else.”

“But, you’ll die.”

Warmachine nodded slowly, “the risk of being a hero. We don’t have time for sentimentality. Just do it.”

Starmaster had tears in his eyes as he waved his hands and watched both the missile and Warmachine vanished away.


(In Remembrance of Thomas Krohn aka Warmachine. You were a great hero.)

Continue the Story

Friday, June 25, 2021

RAID Update: -- ARX: The Sequel -- Emergency BADGE Resupply


by Chaz Hamilton

I always suspected that Director Nova was secretly a movie-goer. His latest play, aiding the heroes of the world to defeat Arx is pure concession-stand genius. What doesn't go better together than an epic fight scene and a delicious candy treat? 

Morphon bars have been airdropped to all heroes active in the theater of operations as they continue to use every available opportunity to defeat Arx.

We have this quote from die-hard pugilist, Lykos.

"Chaz, it was crazy. We are all fighting and getting tired and the next thing we knew, Director Nova comes on the comms and says there is More Fun bars coming in! A helicopter drops a bunch of crates full of energy and we even felt like we could eat more of them! It was amazing! Arx is in trouble now!" -- Lykos ID#18321

I cannot say for certain that this has turned the tide for certain, but there is a new sense of purpose and hope radiating from our brave combatants. Even the new packaging for the More-Fun bars dropped has proven to be more efficient, recharging the strength to our heroes with 6 extra pieces in each package. Dentists across the country are going to be getting some extra business when all this is said and done.

 

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 15

Arx jockeyed between buildings, toying with the heroes that chased him. He dove under an overpass and then set his eyes on an incoming hero. The Wizard cast a massive beam of magic at Arx. He deftly avoided it and met the magical hero with a powerful punch to the gut. The Wizard crashed into the side of a building.

“Now, where are those civilians hiding?” Arx looked around, completely ignoring the many magical heroes flying toward him.

Krystal Fae and Aphrael flew side by side, dozens of heroes behind them. Krystal pointed to the side, and Aphrael nodded. They split, dividing the heroes and going for a pincer attack. Arx seemed to either not notice or not care as he hovered, examining the streets below. Just when they were almost on him, he looked up with that gleaming smile of his.

“Nice try.” He clapped his hands together and then threw them out. A vortex of twisting winds spun around so hard that several billboards were instantly ripped from their stations and tossed into the gale. The magical heroes struggled against this attack as Arx casually left them in the tornado.

He flew fast toward four school buses being escorted by heroes. “Aw, don’t take my audience away.” Swooping down, he ripped the tops off of two buses and threw the tattered yellow metal at the heroes. However, when he turned to bask in the fear of the civilians, he found empty seats. “What the H…”

A giant fist nailed him, and he smashed into a street. Midgard reached up, balled both fists together and came down with a hard crash. Arx was smashed deep into the pavement, a crater forming that threatened the foundation of several nearby buildings.

“TAKE THAT YOU POMPOUS ASS!” Midgard bellowed, his hands still holding Arx down in what was hopefully his grave.

Hotwings came flying over and laughed, “I knew he couldn’t resist scaring civilians.”

The hero, Chains, rushed over with his wife, Whips. “Got em?”

Midgard laughed, “NOTHING BUT A SILVER SPLATTER UNDER…” Midgard lurched forward, a strange look of surprise on his face.

All the heroes gasped and stepped back. Suddenly, Midgard’s fists lifted against his will, and then he was yanked forward. Arx, holding Midgard, met the massive serpent with a fist to the jaw, and then belched out an incredible torrent of flames that sent the World Serpent crashing backward.

The heroes were so stunned by this that it took them a moment to realize the battle was far from over. Arx, more insane than ever, screamed and wave after wave of psionic energy exploded, sending all the heroes crashing into buildings, the street, and through windows.

Midgard pushed himself up just in time for Arx to push his hands forward and cause their school buses to shatter. Their little decoy turned into a cloud of mechanical parts. This formed into giant cuffs that wrapped around Midgard’s neck, arms, and tail. It forced him to the ground, held in place by this newly crafted restraint.

Arx rose into the air, his body glowing, his face contorted into a ferocious snarl. “We were just playing before! Now, it’s time…” A multicolored magical blast hit Arx, and it threw him clear out of the city.

Aphrael landed with Krystal Fae and several other magical heroes. Krystal said, “excellent shot.”

Midgard roared as he tore the restraints away. “WHERE’S THAT PIECE OF CRAP!?”

Aphrael said, “with any luck, sinking into the Pacific. That was one hell of a blast we just hit him with.”

Krystal pulled out her comm. “BADGE... BADGE come in…” she looked to the others, “that’s odd. I’m not getting a signal.”

“WATCH OUT!” Hotwings sped by.

Suddenly, bodies of Navy sailors rained down, all dead. A series of shadows that fell over them followed this. All looked up to see a fleet of powerful US Navy ships flying in the air. A battlecruiser suddenly fell, heading right for them. Midgard caught it and spent a moment struggling with it so that it didn’t fall and crush several city blocks. With a massive grunt, he lobbed it back into the air. It flew for a moment and then stopped and rejoined the fleet.

Arx appeared, hovering in the middle of this armada. Energy crawled all over his body and then flickered over the metal hulls of the ships. “ENOUGH PLAYTIME, HEROES! IF THIS CITY DOESN’T WANT ME, THEN THIS CITY WILL FALL. AND YOU, SECOND RATE HACKS, WILL FALL WITH IT!” He thrust a hand forward and an aircraft carrier hit the ground and plowed three blocks down Santa Monica Boulevard.

The heroes scrambled to stop him and the ships he was throwing at the city.

Krystal stopped Furious Squirrel. “Can you get BADGE? My comm isn’t working.”

Furious checked his special tech. “The signal is working, BADGE just isn’t responding. Weird.”

“I guess we’re on our own, I...what?”

Furious showed her his sensors. “I’m detecting nuclear activation.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

Furious looked at his sensors and then pointed at one of the Navy ships. “The nuclear weapons on that ship have been activated, and since the sailors on those ships are no longer alive, my guess is that…”

Krystal finished the thought. “Arx is truly going to raze Southern California.”

***


The screens at BADGE were nothing but static fuzz. Nova tapped his comm device and looked back at the robots. “What is going on? Why have we lost signal?”

There was a dead silence from the robots.

“Unit 100232...10915?” he tapped the side of a robot and it flopped forward, inactive. “Complete shutdown, but I didn’t authorize that. Damn, this is no time for our systems to crash.” He shoved the robot up and pressed the comm button, but it merely buzzed at him. “Soldier, come over here, I need assistance.”

The soldiers in the room were completely still.

Nova slowly stood up from the console and took a step back. He quietly assessed the men around him and then turned to those fuzz filled screens, his back to the soldiers. “So… this isn’t a simple computer malfunction.”

The soldiers lifted their guns.

Nova held the tiniest of smiles on the corner of his mouth. “Trust me, you don’t want to do that.”

Continue the Story

RAID Update -- ARX: The Sequel (Part 3)

by Chaz Hamilton

Is it possible that what has enhanced Arx could be too much for our heroes to overcome?

Where the possibility was at first completely inconceivable, (and yes, the word means what I think it means) now the potential for failure is becoming more and more likely. What is causing this shift in likelihood? After League Wars Birthday Bash, invasion by all those mercenaries, and then the search for the Avatars and the power behind the nefarious attacks, are our heroes... tired?

There are currently 321 different heroes trading blows with Arx and the dethroned cinema king is showing little wear and tear after hours of battle.

BADGE scientists and technicians have given me some suggestions for our heroes to apply to their battle techniques.

1) Play to Arx's weaknesses. He has shown a fair amount of vulnerability to magical and psionic damage, but that doesn't mean other forms of attack are useless. Play with your options, such as the Gear you do battle with. Use the battle statistics that BADGE sends to you on your comm units that are tailored to your specific attack output. Find your individual 'sweet spot'. Gear that modifies your damage output, doubling it and tripling it can be extremely useful. Some choose to use damage fields and auras to defeat normal adversaries in Fight Clubs and other Events, but are they helping against Arx? Stack up what works against him and maximize your effort. 

2) You may have storehouses of consumables that can give you a well-deserved boost to your activities. Mercenaries fought earlier this month bore Blue Crystals that enhanced magical damage dealt. Loudeners did the same by enhancing mental damage. Perhaps you have eggs collected by EB or a variety of boons tucked away in birthday cards you can make use of. 
Deliveries of More-Fun bars are scheduled to be in your area again at noon tomorrow. Use up what you can of what you have on hand and resupply your efforts tomorrow when more are available.

3) If you are on the brink of reaching a personal goal, milestone, or objective in your attacks, but lack any resources to recharge, you can, as a last-ditch effort, use a Morphon infusion to fill your batteries. Agents who have been completing Missions and/or the new Patrols have found that there is a supply shed there that allows them to use available Morphons to regain their original strength quickly and easily, but it will diminish your supply on hand. Use this option with caution.

4) Every effort helps. Even the youngest, newest, least experienced hero can help turn the tide with each and every attack. If Arx survives, we all lose. If you can't find the strength to swing at Arx and knock some sense into him for your own sake, do it for the guy or gal standing next to you. Together Everyone Achieves More.

Speaking of everyone achieving more and good, strong teams, let's take a look at who is out there giving Arx the whooping he deserves currently.

Here on Earth from the planet Tusini, if my sources are correct, Sevon of the Avengers51 is out there doing some phenomenal damage to the silver-skinned thug who is destroying Hollywood.

As you can see by this photo, Sevon isn't going to be stopped by anything less than total destruction. He walked out of the flames of a burning building, arm severed from the elbow down, quoting Monty Python. "Tis' but a flesh wound". 

Also wearing his League War Championship belt, Sevon and the rest of his Avengers51 teammates are doing their part to bring this battle to an end. 


Realm Defender, Tri-Blade has been slicing and dicing since the beginning. Using his enchanted blades and special 'Nova Burst' ability, this stalwart hero uses his years of training to combat whatever foe stands opposite him.

While not a native to this dimension, Tri-Blade calls this world home and has proven over and over that he is willing to defend it from those who do wrong.

A member of the 5th Precinct: Omniversal Traffic Cops, he has faced tough opposition before, but in Hollywood, 'defeat' is a four-letter word to him and he will not stand for it.

If Arx doesn't like that fact, he can go stand somewhere else.

Death Mando of the newly formed league, ՇЂЄ รΣ๏ՇՇเรЂ Σɭคץ๓๏ГЄร - STEWARTS!! ▬Ι═══ﺤ, is taking Arx to task. This new league family seeks to build a name for itself, making itself stand out against the multiple incarnations of so many other competitive leagues.

Another villain by nature, Death Mando has repeated taken his best shots at Arx, accumulating a respectable value when calculating the damage dealt. 
 
Other members of this new league are also joining Death Mando in his attempt to topple the silver-metal-man. They may be Scottish, but there will not be just one of them present when Arx finally drops to the earth and weeps like the tiny, wittle, baby he is.

As we are nearing the half-way point of this battle royal, here are the top fifteen combatants and their latest damage totals as calculated by BADGE scientists:

632,837 Damage: Miðgarðsormr
505,340 Damage: ][☣][ รкєlคภเ๓คl ][☣][
486,286 Damage: skynett
358,586 Damage: ~666~GhOsTfAcEKiLla
279,374 Damage: Sevon
268,704 Damage: Zanazola Merlio ZM «₩»
260,635 Damage: ~666~ B$C ♦♞♦
259,565 Damage: ♦ The Gentleman 5¹ ♦
255,826 Damage: ][✡][ The Wizard ][✡][
247,270 Damage: ☠CHAINZ☠
247,147 Damage: ♦ Slayer B.A.S. 5¹ ♦
239,815 Damage: ♦The Avenger 5¹ ♦
233,852 Damage: ♦WHiPs♦
232,577 Damage: ~Lump$um~
227,285 Damage: ][☣][ Hot Wings ][☣][

I'm behind you heroes, praying that you succeed. I don't think I could handle reporting the story if Arx manages to thwart you and I have to inform the world that we might be in for a third act involving this joker.
Continue the Story

Thursday, June 24, 2021

RAID UPDATE -- ARX: The Sequel (Part 2)


by Chaz Hamilton

We have a sequel here that no producer wanted to see made. Arx has proven to be a true Hollywood Star-zilla, reclaiming not only the role originated before becoming a power-hungry madman, but to be an actual god.

Hollywood under siege. If any sector of our global community can be disrupted by a epic showdown between heroes and a... whatever Arx is, this is the one that will make the best use of it. Even with BADGE's efforts to remove the civilian population from the scene, screenwriters, camerapeople, directors, sound effect staffers, and thespians all mill about while attempting to 'understand' the scope of what is happening and turn it into art.

While they have their eyes on the limited talent that is Arx, I want to once again spotlight some of the heroic cast on hand that seek to bring Arx to his final curtain.

LUMP$UM has been active for many hours now, and let me tell you, he isn't fooling around. His armor has proved exceptional, protecting him and a local animal rescue from Arx's best blows, but that isn't all he has been doing. When he brings his arm back and delivers a knock-out punch, everyone knows it. BADGE scientists, on scene as always, had to replace eight sensor packages he overloaded with a concussive wave generated by his connecting with Arx's stomach.

He may not be the biggest gun in BADGE's arsenal, but he is definitely one you don't want to forget back at the HQ. Get ready for a huge payout, Arx, because your LUMP$UM is ready to be delivered!


This next hero is one most can sink their teeth into. I've met and interviewed her personally, but you don't know Slayer B.A.S. until you've seen her fight. 

And as a Hollywood starlet herself, Slayer B.A.S. is just what we need to see taking up this cause. There are several outlying sources that blame the Hollywood experience for Arx's downfall. The need for fame. The constant sexism and drug abuse. Being forced to take work from a secret military organization in order to pay for his badly needed acting lessons.

Slayer B.A.S., sporting her own League War Championship Belt, shows that it isn't Hollywood's fault. A strong, powerful individual can make it in the biz without becoming a total bitch.

With stylish finesse, this tough, witty hero is not only killing it on screen, but she is going to see that Arx won't rise for a third act. Nope, he is getting a private session with Mr. Pointy and going to his grave.

Oops... Hold on a second here. I've been asked to read the following statement.

"Here at the More-Fun company, we'd like to say thank you to all heroes who proudly make use of our product in order to better serve the public. It means a great deal to us that you choose our More-Fun bars, in both Small and Large sizes to give you that BOOST of energy you need to come out on top. Our special blend of non-natural products, fully GMO cacao beans, and toxic chemicals was originally meant to be used as a pesticide, but thanks to Legion, our product line is the top choice in everyone's stock portfolio. We couldn't have done it without you, heroes, and we like to think, you couldn't do it without us!!!" -- Natalie Exxex, President and C.F.O., More-Fun Brands

<sigh> Once you get to Hollywood, everything becomes a commercial...


 For this segment, I want to close on a hero who keeps plugging away no matter what, and with purpose and drive. Lykos. Earlier in the fight, this diligent combatant recorded his highest emission so far in his BADGE career. While fighting the Mercenaries earlier, he supplemented his fighting regime with large quantities of comsumable enhancers and Easter Egg gifts. Whatever the combination was, he must have done something right. 

Way to go, Lykos. Keep bringing the heat.

Speaking of consumables, heroes have been seen using a large variety of new enhancers in this show-down with Arx. Loudeners, as I have been told they are called, and magical Blue Crystals have been used to bolster damage to areas that the mightier Arx has proven to be vulnerable to. Other heroes are mainlining pure Morphons to supercharge themselves, giving them the energy they need to remain at the top of their game.

As always, the heroes of our world give 110% of whatever it takes to keep us safe. Well, most of us safe. A significant part of the world population not currently in the state of California is reasonably out of direct threat of danger. You know what I mean. It isn't over until the solo man sings.




Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 14


A group of Japanese tourists screamed and ran down the street, beams of energy following them. The road exploded, sending asphalt raining down over everything. The tourists barely made it to a side street before the explosion consumed them.

“HELP!” the tour guide yelled over the explosions.

Heroes darted all over the city, battling a single figure that dashed around, toying with them in the skies. Often, stray beams of energy, or bolts of plasma, would miss the intended target and blow a hole in a building or the street below.

Suddenly, Arx landed in the middle of the wrecked street and smiled at the tourists with that insane, glimmering grin. He lifted his hands, and the ground began to shake violently.

“JISHIN!” The Japanese tourists yelled.

Something slammed into Arx and sent him flying back. A strange-looking man with blades on his hands had body slammed the villain.

“Oh, crap! I FOUND MORE OF EM!” the hero called out and ran over to the huddled group. “Don’t be so scared. I’m a hero. Pain-guin is the name, I will... OOF!”

A blast of yellow light hit him and Arx came flying by, pouring out his power at this hero.

Another hero landed near the group, a man with a metal arm and white wings. “Over here!” Solomon called out.

Magnificent Punlork appeared on a tour bus. He slapped the side, and the door opened. “Get in!”

“HE’S COMING!” Hotwings yelled as he swooped by.

Arx came blasting down the street again, his eyes set on the bus. This entire battle he has been selectively targeting their efforts to get the civilians out of danger. However, just before he got to the bus, The Avenger, Slayer B.A.S., and The Gentleman met him and shoved him back.

“Get in, hurry!” Punlork shoved an old lady in last and then slammed the door. “Hold your hats!” He slapped his hands on the side of the bus and it vanished with him.


Arx laughed and stopped just long enough to allow several heroes to get closer. Opening his hands, he sent a wave of psionic energy. Many heroes were thrown away, a few went down with massive headaches.

WhiPs darted up through the falling heroes, her large metal claws buzzing with electricity. Arx smiled at her. His grin always set to flirt. He dodged her first swipe and then caught her claws with his hands, the blades not penetrating.

“Nice try, sweetheart.” He twisted around and threw her.

Lumpsum caught her mid fall as he flew at Arx. With a good pitch, he sent the bladed hero back at Arx as he, too, went for her. Hotwings joined them with Midgardsomr stomping through the streets. Arx met hero after hero with punches and kicks, blasted several with mental attacks, and blinded one with a divine orb of light. When Midgardsomr got to him, Arx backed off, landing on a building. The giant world eater serpent bore down on him just as the skies twisted into a storm. A catastrophic gathering of lightning bolts hit the serpent in the face and actually threw him back.

“WHAT AREN’T YOU GETTING? I. AM. A. GOD!” Arx bellowed in glee.


Krystal Fae snatched a child off the streets and sent her by portal to a safe place. She dodged an explosion by flying up to a rooftop. WhiPs crashed into the rooftop next to Krystal.

“Whips!”

The bladed hero pulled herself up. “This guy is too much. I thought Jinn was bad, but... nothing even touches him. Did you see what he did to Midgard?”

“Yes. His power level is something I haven’t felt before. I don’t know how we’re going to stop him.” Krystal suddenly waved her hand and portalled a falling hero safely to the ground.

Whips charged her claws again. “We can’t stop. That jerk needs to go down.”

“Wait. I think I sense something…” Krystal watched Arx fight hero after hero in the sky.

Whips frowned, “well? Don’t keep it to yourself.”

“He can match anything we throw at him. He nullified our strengths.”

“Great, just what we didn’t need to hear.” Whips said.

Krystal shook her head. “It is what I don’t feel that is important. Magic. He is demonstrating strength, tech, elemental, supernatural, and even mental powers. But, he hasn’t once used a magic attack.”

Whips said, “they never got their hands on the Avatar of Magic… maybe that’s why?”

Krystal gasped, “That’s it!” She clicked on her comm. “Heroes with magic powers… stop saving civilians and go after Arx. Everyone else, keep distracting him and saving people, but let the magic users focus on him.” Krystal looked at Whips, “you help with the rescue efforts, I have to lead this attack.”

“Gotcha!”

***

Nova watched the battle from the drones hovering over the city. Now that Arx was occupied, their drones weren’t being shot out of the sky.

“This is out of control.” He muttered.

Justin stepped up with a tablet in his hands. “Sir, listen to this…” he played the communication that Krystal just sent to all the heroes.

Nova actually cracked a smile, “so, they found a weak spot.”

“Will it be enough?”

“We can only hope. Go, check on EB and Magic. See how they’re doing.”

Justin left Nova to his silent observing. Moments after Justin left the Operations center, the elevator opened and five soldiers stepped out.

“Everything okay?” Nova asked.

“Everything is fine, sir. Just reassignments.” The leader stated, and the men took up positions around the room.

***


EB darted around the Arboretum, zooming by trees, through the legs of several of these special soldiers, and then back to the Avatar of Magic. The old book floated in the air, always aglow.

“No sign of evildoers.”

The book tilted toward him. “Nothing has changed since you checked two minutes ago. I believe we are safe.”

“One can never be too cautious.” EB spoke with a lowered, gravely voice.

The book chortled, “you are the amusing one. Merlin was right about you.”

EB flopped on the ground, laying on his belly, kicking his legs as he put his chin in his paws. “Merlin talked about little me?”

“Why, of course he did. That human was most curious about magical things. You fascinated him. He wrote about you, or what he assumed about you. I have all his thoughts in my pages right here.”

EB snapped his fingers, and an enormous egg appeared. He peeled it open to reveal a pile of caramel popcorn. “Tell me what he wrote about me.” He crunched a mouthful of popcorn.

“Master Merlin believed you were some kind of spirit from another world. He wasn’t certain if you were good or bad, but believed you were good. It was his opinion that you were a protector of children, possibly a forest guardian too.”

EB’s eyes twinkled. “He really thought all that about me? So amazing. What else, what else?”

Justin walked up at that moment. “Uh, EB, Master Avatar… everything okay?” there was a serious concern in his voice.

EB said, “everything is hunky dory. This outstanding book is telling me all about what Merlin thought about me. He got stuff wrong, but he really thought I was nice and all. It is so cool that I made that kind of impression on someone as smart and good and neat as Merlin. I know, millions of people have loved me for a long time, but to have someone like him talk about me is flattering. Its like watching one of those silly Easter movies about me. Some are cool. There was this one about an Easter Bunny that leaves home to become a rock star and played drums and met celebrities and I loved it and…”

“EB!” Justin interrupted him.

“Sorry. You want some?” He held up the popcorn filled egg.

“No, thanks. I was just concerned.”

“Why? I found nothing unusual. Been patrolling all day.”

Justin motioned around. “There are three times as many guards here as when I last checked in.”

EB looked around and shook his head, “I thought Nova told them to come.”

“He has changed no orders.”

“Oh... guess they’re just doing their job. Come on, sit, lets hear this story about me.” EB patted the grass next to him.


Continue the Story

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Raid Update -- Arx: The Sequel


by Chaz Hamilton

Very rarely, moviegoers will find a sequel that lives up to the hype of the original. Today is no different. Arx 2.0 is bigger, bolder, more powerful that before, but we've seen it. We know how this is going to end. The only person who thinks that there will be a different result than last time is, well Arx. And every sane person knows that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing as before and expecting different results.

Rotten Tomatoes has already given this entire production a whopping 0% fresh. 

Now, the disdain I profess toward this repeated presentation of metal muscles with no-brains behind them doesn't mean that there isn't a threat to people in the Hollywood area. Of course there is a desperate need for help here from BADGE. With a bit of rebranding, the attention here should be taken off the overdone antics of an actor past his prime and shone onto brave, new heroes who are in full lights, camera, and action mode. Let's see who are the true stars of this story.


First off, I see fellow Sentinel staffer and BADGE scientist, Krystal Fae battling against Arx. Dressed for battle, wielding magical might and technological savvy, she is doing her best to take the center stage away from Arx. While he is out to destroy and spread his rage and anger, she is saving people from wanton destruction. Young, old, it doesn't matter. She is there fighting for all of the right reasons.

Now her current look might not be the fashionable outfit she wore a few seasons ago at League War Haunted Heroes, it does look serviceable and easy to wash the blood of mercenaries and overwrought, Morphon-laden ex-actors out of. Let's give her 7 out of 10 stars.


  One of the highest ranking pugilists on the field, ☠CHAINZ☠ has been throwing punches at Arx like Rocky at a side of beef. And look at that body. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson can eat his heart out. This Avengers51 member is not only fast and furious, but he knows how to wear broken manacles and sunglasses.

On the red carpet, and by red carpet I mean the bloodstained streets of Hollywood, this hero is out to show off his League War Stellar Battle Championship Belt.

While many of the blows thrown by heroes make the already shaky California landscape shimmy, CHAINZ blows shatter windows and set of car alarms in a three block radius.





Not everyone on the field of battle vs Arx is a tried and true purebreed do-gooder. SORROW, a self-proclaimed "Psycho Bitch from Hell" is trading attacks with Arx. Not one of the most-powerful or well-known individuals on the field, she has been making waves, fighting to get everything that she wants to see in the world. 

It is unclear if her companion is fighting alongside of her or is just there as a Hollywood fashion statement, similar to how Paris Hilton's pet Chihuahua was back in the day. One can only hope SORROW is a better pet parent that the former reality star.

Is SORROW fighting because she is just that mad, or are the rumors that the Tinsel-town paparazzi is spreading around true. Did she and Arx have a relationship earlier this year? It would explain her desperate desire to see his reproductive appendages strewn across the remains of the Hollywood sign.

Either way, she fully intends on finding some joy in thrashing Arx's ass.

The battle is only getting started. Our noble heroes are going to be working long and hard to bring down this over-charged threat and give him the true role he deserves as life-long prisoner in a dark room with no hope of parole. 

I'll be back later to continue the reporting on the scene here in Hollywood. Chaz Hamilton, BADGE's official reporter signing off. 

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 13


 “We are back with the One Hundred and Fifth annual Academy Awards.” The announcer said as the gathered celebrities applauded. “And here to speak is Director Benjamin Mastrovito.”

A tuxedo clad B.S. Mastrovito walked out as he waved to the A-listers. “Thank you, thank you.” He stepped up to the mic. “As you know, this past year we began production on the latest Arx movie.” A murmuring came with that mention. “I know. We were all stunned when our beloved Arx turned against the heroes of Earth. We’re thankful that the genuine heroes of this world worked together and defeated him before he could do any real harm. We wanted to thank BADGE and their heroes for taking down Arx. Trust me, world, Arx does not represent the true nature of this industry. We respect honor and goodness, not selfish arrogance. At this time, I would like to take a moment and make the official announcement on who will replace the role of Arx in the movie.”

Suddenly, a giant H crashed through the ceiling and killed Benjamin Mastrovito. People screamed and raced away from the stage. The doors of the room sealed on their own and no one could open them.

Where this H had crashed through the ceiling, Arx came flying down. He wore nothing but a pair of royal purple briefs and a glimmering smile. The room fell silent as the trapped celebrities watched him take the stage.

“What, no applause?” He stepped onto the stage and pointed at the tables. “SIT!”

The people had no other choice. They timidly returned to their seats.

Arx smiled, “now, let’s go on with the show, shall we?” He waved his hands and the cameras worked on their own, his control over tech empowering them. “I think it’s time to get some things straight. First, the role of Arx cannot be recast. I AM ARX! The next movie will come out and everyone will go see it. Second, it’s time this town learns to respect me. I’m no longer just another actor, I’m a god. Every studio will bow to my whims, every media outlet will obey. I’ll be the biggest celebrity this industry has ever produced.” He smiled at a pretty actress near the stage. “For now, I desire a harem of the best. I’ll provide a list of names. Those women will come to me and give into my desires. Everyone else, you’ll bring me your awards and your money as tribute. You will worship me and...”

An older man said, “you’ll not get away with this. BADGE will stop you, they did it before!”

An invisible force yanked the poor man out of his seat, and he flew across the room. His neck met Arx’s hand. He gagged as Arx said, “BADGE hasn’t been able to stop me yet. Who are you to threaten me?” He looked down and the golden statue on the table came to him. He read it, “a film editor. I’d expect such balls from a producer or exec.” The gagging stopped when the man’s neck snapped. The old man fell on the stage, dead. People in the room gasped at the sight of his limp body.

Arx laughed and rose into the air. He held out his hands, and the cameras lifted and hovered around him. “Alright, heroes of the world, just try to stop me. It’s your funeral. I don’t expect anyone, even BADGE, to dare touch me. If you want to try, I’ll be on the Hollywood sign, where these bozos will bring their tributes.”

He flew straight up, blasting another hole in the ceiling. The cameras crashed to the ground, and a general wave of silent fear permeated the room.

***


Nova fumed as he watched the spectacle on the screens before him. Dozens of media outlets displayed the sickening display of Arx lounging on the Hollywood sign, with a broken H, while lines of people fed into piles of stuff for him.

A man spoke on the news, “this is the continuing scene in Los Angeles. Arx, a villain once thought dead, now controls the city and it’s population. Strange forces of nature prevent any military movement. It seems the once Box Office hero has become even more powerful as a villain. Earlier at the academy awards…” The screen suddenly changed as Arx used his powers to force the flying media drones to get closer.

He smiled at the cameras and ran his hand down his body. “Enjoy the view, my public. I am the perfection you can never have! Adore me!” He grabbed a handful of grapes and shoved them in his mouth as he let the drones fly away.

Chase came into the room. “Sir, we have made certain that the civilians within a hundred-mile radius of L.A. have been evacuated.”

“Good.”

She said, “the problem now is… we can’t get anyone inside L.A. to protect the civilians there. His powers are too strong. Nature bends to his will, I don’t know what we can do.”

Just then, EB zipped into the room and stood in front of Nova. “Let me at ‘em. I’m get that silver jerk the egging of his life. He thinks he’s got powers, he ain’t nothing compared to a mythic!” He hopped around, shadowboxing.

Nova answered, “No. I need you here to monitor Magic.”

EB stopped, “really?”

“Yes. Arx is dangerous, but he has one vulnerability, his ego. He has challenged us, and that means we can get to him if we meet his challenge.”

Chase asked, “what if it’s a trap.”

Nova picked up his Emergency Comm Unit. “Arx is many things now, but clever isn’t one of them. No, he wants the challenge merely to prove his superiority. He believes he is unstoppable and that will be his biggest flaw. He has given us an opening, and he doesn’t expect us to take the bait, but we will, and that will truly surprise him. Now, get to the shuttles. I want the heroes on the station moved down to the planet and ready to strike. EB, go to the Arboretum, you’re in charge of making sure Magic remains here and safe.”

“Aye, aye, buddy, come rain, sleet, mercs, or bad actors, I’ll not be stopped.” He gave a quick salute and zipped away.

Nova clicked on his special comm unit. “Nova to all Leagues and rogue heroes, we have a situation in Hollywood. Arx has challenged us, go meet his challenge, and do not fail. Use all opportunities to save civilians once you are inside the L.A. perimeter. Arx must be stopped! MOVE!”

Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 12


 Chase and Nova rode the lift toward the Operations center. A pair of security personnel stood at attention inside the lift on either side of them.

“What’s your plan?” Chase asked.

“My plan is to be cautious. We may not know the next move of our enemy, but that does not mean we won’t be ready for them.”

The lift stopped and both stepped out. The security guards in the lift remained, as that was their station. Inside the operations center were a dozen more soldiers, all stoically watching.

Chase said, “where did we get all these soldiers?”

“They are a special detachment made up of soldiers from the World Corps.”

Chase frowned, “World Corps? BADGE isn’t part of that organization?”

“No. But, since we’ve saved this world countless times, they owed me a favor. I want to be damn certain if we have an encounter with those mercenaries, I have enough soldiers to keep us and the Avatar of Magic safe.”

“I guess precaution is worth asking for help.” Chase said.

Nova stepped to the middle of the floor. “Which is exactly what I’m going to do now. Robot, activate League HQ Emergency channels.”

The robot at comm pressed several keys and the large monitor lit up with dozens of video feeds from within the various League HQ locations around the world. It also automatically activated the BADGE locations. As the screens became active, people responded.

“Hey, it’s Nova.”

“Oh, guys, BADGE is calling.”

“Oh, crap, right in the middle of our game night... DON’T LOOK AT MY CARDS WHILE I’M AWAY!”

The heroes all jumped to their screens.

Nova waited until he had their silent attention. Finally, he said, “We have a serious situation. A dangerous organization has been attacking and kidnapping the Avatars. Where they will strike next is beyond me. I have the last Avatar protected here on the station. However, that doesn’t preclude that they’ll move on with their plans without it. Thus, I’m sending out locations to all Leagues across the world. You will be assigned a crucial area of the world to protect. Strategic locations that could potentially be a target. World capitals, high security installations, and secret locations known only to a few. These targets would be a terrible loss if they were attacked like Poseidon Island. Be warned, these mercenaries are dangerous and efficient. Arx is far more dangerous than them. Do not let your guard down.”

Legionnaire Solomon asked, “these locations are only a few compared to the many highly populated locations. What if they attack a metropolis that isn’t classified as a strategic location?”

“I’m giving special orders to rogue agents who are not part of Leagues to be on watch in these locations. They won’t engage, but report. Be ready to move. Once the call is given wherever a strike happens, you’ll need to be quick. We don’t have time for more questions, please follow those orders.”

One by one the league channels clicked off, most of the BADGE channels went dark as well. One stayed on with a hero standing in where a BADGE official normally would.

“Uh, Sir, my league is far away. Should I join them?”

“You are the one that has been helping track our enemy. I need your help. I’m sending you to the last known location of an enemy HQ. I have no idea if they’ll be present, but that’s as good a place as any to start the search. And, be forewarned, they still have countless merc thugs working for them, so you’ll have to watch your back.”

“I enjoy punching those morons.”

Nova says, “just don’t engage with their special forces or with Arx.”

“Understood.”

Once the screens were all off, Chase asked, “will this be enough?”

“I hope so. We are doing what we can with what little we know.”

***


Delta quietly watched the sedated Master of Strength from outside the cage he was in. He tapped a control panel and checked the vital signs.

“Impressive. So powerful, even in this state.”

Just then Dr. Osteen walked up to him. “Sir, it’s about time to wake him.”

Delta gained a wicked little smile. “Did you harvest all the data you needed?”

“Yes. Once the experiment was over, I had the data. I know what I need to about infusing the powers into the body. He is so strong now, it scares me to even think about what we’ve done to him.”

“His power is terrifying, and that's what I'm counting on for my next move.”

“But, if he loses control again after we wake him, it’ll be so hard to stop him. I don’t need him awake to continue the experiment. Once we have the last avatar, I can simply infuse that power, glean the data, and then we can terminate him.”

Delta shook his head, “no. I want him awake, now.”

“Your choice.” Osteen led him back into the lab.

Arx, naked to the world, lay strapped on the table where they had been forcing those powers into his body. The moment Delta entered the room, the team of mercenaries joined them with those anti-morphon weapons at the ready.

Osteen flicked several switches. “Activating sensors, charging monitors. I have the detention beams ready.” Devices moved and positioned themselves all around Arx. Lights focused on him, creating a powerful glare on his silver body. “Now to wake him.”

“I’m already awake.” Arx said, which caused Osteen to jump back and the soldiers to tighten their grips on their guns.

Delta chuckled. “I wondered if we could sedate you with the amount of power we have placed in you now. It must feel fantastic.”

Arx lay there, his eyes still closed. “It scares me to know what lives in my blood. The power in me is… incredible.”

“You sound wiser.” Delta commented.

Arx opened his eyes and smiled. “I guess that was a gift from the supernatural power in me. But, really, I just had time to consider what I’m going to do. I had time to realize I’m beyond you now. You don’t control me. I was your toy to play with, now I’m your god to fear.”

“You’re still just another pretty Hollywood face with a big ego.” Delta coolly replied.

Arx slowly sat up. “Don’t be so foolish. You forget, I can read minds now.”

“You can’t read mine.” Delta calmly answered.

“No, I can’t. But, I can read theirs. These soldiers may seem emotionless and fearless, but I know what makes them scared. Osteen fears me, they fear me, and that means you must fear me well.”

“I’m not scared of you. Get off that table, go back to your quarters, get dressed, and wait for my orders.”

Arx laughed, “your orders! I follow no one any longer. I’m ARX, legend of Hollywood, and now the most powerful human alive. I’ll give my own orders. If you don’t like it, tough.”

The soldiers charged their weapons. Delta said, “stop being a fool. Listen to…”

Arx lifted his arm and the guns all fell apart. “I had time to realize something. I have the power over tech, those guns mean nothing to me!” The restraining beams activated on the devices, but they moved away and restrained both Osteen and Delta. “More tech. Geese, you guys called me stupid.”

“Get him!” Delta ordered.

The soldiers all took one step and then were flattened against the walls by a wave of psionic energy.

“You have no power over me. I’m a god and the world will bask in my glory once again.”

“You betrayed the world. They hate you.”

Arx got down from the table and came nose to nose with Delta. “I’ll make them want me. If I can’t have their fandom, I’ll have their fear.”

There came a blinding flash, and the lab exploded. Arx flew straight up, through a hole in the ceiling, vanishing into the sky.

Continue the Story

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Turning Your Patrols into Rewards

by Madam Marvelous
ID#26107

First, please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Madam Marvelous. It’s wonderful to meet you all. Being new to these parts, it warms my heart to be welcomed by so many of you with offers of friendship.

I’m still coming into my own as a hero, but I realized very early on in my life that it takes time for most of us to become what we want to be. Time, and effort.

What I have discovered by reading comments left on Facebook pages and some bathroom walls is that not everyone wants to work as hard as others do. Working hard isn’t fun, is it?

I work smart, not hard. I’d like to share some tips with those of you out there struggling to improve. An idea or two that might inspire you to try something new. Something that might reap you some valuable rewards.

Let’s start with these new Patrols that BADGE is sending us out on. Quaint, aren’t they. I do have to say I had a very hard time patting myself on the back for defeating old Bob there. He reminded me of a one-shot villain I read in an old X-Factor comic named ‘Number One Fan’. He replaced his hands with gigantic fan blades. Guess what happened when he tried to itch his nose? Now you know why he was a one-shot villain.

If you do these Patrols, there are some fair rewards to be gained while doing so. That’s the easy part. Walking around, dressed in your tights or whatnot, and beating up baddies. I suppose you can do that. I mean, sure, it’s better than watching reruns of Downton Abbey. But what if you could do more?...

That’s where merging your Patrol work with the Fiction Forum comes into play. As I Patrol, I see all sorts of interesting things. Other heroes fighting ne’er-do-wells in the streets of New Amsterdam. Dozens of glowing golf balls. Enticing casinos, helpful community centers, thriving arcades, sweaty gyms, and even a suspicious black market or two. Why not use these events as a seed of insight into your heroic career?

For example, in a few short paragraphs you can let the world know how you defeated the thug who was threatening an infant. (Like Farmer’s Insurance, I only say it because I’ve seen it.) Then post it on the Fiction Forum site. I’m sure if you don’t know how, there are instructions around somewhere to do so. After a few days, if you’ve included the proper information for payment, you could receive some useful fan-mail in your mailbox with rewards for your story.

Who knows, if your adventure is exciting or unique enough, the Sentinel might get wind of it and feature your escapade on the front page for even more recognition and reward. Wouldn’t that be special?

I can’t make you share your tales of adventure, but I surely will judge you if I hear you complaining about “not having enough to get anything good”!

I’ve said my fair share. Good luck out there protecting the streets. I’ll be seeing you on my Patrols, so watch the forums. If you’re cute enough, I might drop your name.

Kisses,
Madam Marvelous
Continue the Story

Heroes Rising Fiction: A Hollywood Ending Part 11

 

Delta walked through the holding area where the beasts and avatars were all being kept sedated and restrained. Behind him, in the lab, Arx continued to scream in agony as Dr. Osteen finished his work. There wasn’t even the slightest reaction to the pain of the man being experimented on. Delta even held a tiny glimmer of a smile as he listened to this.

A small device in his pocket buzzed and he pulled it out. For a moment he looked around and then walked into another room, putting that noise behind him. He set the device down and it beamed an image on the wall. Three other people sat at a desk, their faces obscured by shadow.

“Report, Delta!” a craggy woman’s voice barked.

“We have captured five of the six avatars. The experimentation on Arx has provided incredible amounts of data. I am sure we will move to phase three of this plan on schedule.”

A man leaned forward, his face still obscured. “What about the sixth avatar? Why haven’t you captured it yet?”

“There has been a glitch in the plan. While Arx has proven useful, his attitude and ego have provided some issues. We lost a lot of soldiers during the capture of the last two Avatars.”

The woman said, “glitch! We know that they have already secured the last Avatar on the BADGE space station. Retrieving it will prove difficult.”

“Impossible!” the man yelled.

“Not impossible.” Delta coolly answered. “In fact, I already have a plan in motion. It will take a little longer to finish this task, but it will be done according to my plan, I am sure of that.”

“How can you be so certain?” The woman asked.

“Have any of my plans failed yet? You put me in charge of this mission because I am the most capable of tactical thinking. Trust in my skills.”

The man said, “your skills have proven infallible...so far. But, this glitch with Arx could prove too risky. If he messes up again, causes more mayhem where we aren’t prepared for it…”

“His ego is exactly what I’m counting on. He will play his part perfectly, just be ready when I signal.”

“Don’t let us down.” The woman stated, and the signal cut off.

***

Nova waited while the screen on the main monitor activated. Strange Quark and Dr. Stone greeted him from a grassy location in Africa. Between them was a cone-shaped device.

“What have you found?”

Quark kicked the device. “This is the third one of these things we came up with.”

“What is that?”

Stone pried off a panel and moved the camera closer to show the amazing circuitry. “This thing has been sending out false morphon surges. We picked up one in Antarctica and followed the trail to it. When we shut it off, another signal came from Montana. This one replaced that.”

“Decoys.” Nova said.

“Clever decoys. Each one is an amazing piece of work.” Stone leaned over, looking inside. “I haven’t seen tech like this anywhere.”

Quark said, “My guess is that they made these using knowledge our enemy gained from harvesting the Avatar of Tech’s abilities.”

Nova said, “That leaves us with a big problem. We can’t let them lead us around by our noses, and we can’t waste time following shadows.”

Stone slapped the panel closed. “We aren’t doing any good out here. My sensors are going to be fooled, there is just no way to differentiate between these things and the real deal.”

“I agree. Get back to the station.”

“Understood.” Quark said. Before Nova could warn Dr. Stone, both flashed and were suddenly standing next to him.

Dr. Stone wavered, held Nova’s shoulder, and controlled the urge to throw up. “Wow...ugh...that really messed with my head.”

Quark said, “it’s the change in gravity and air pressure. It’s hard on the human system, sorry.”

“Dr. Stone, head back to the labs. Work with our people on ways to perfect the morphon sensors.”

“Sure... after I get a ginger ale.”

Nova led him out of the operations center and toward the mess hall. Gatherings of BADGE soldiers, who were fully armed and covered in body armor, met them. Heroes mingled with them. Some groups were sitting around, chatting and eating. Other groups marched in units. They stationed a few in positions around the area.

“Wow, expecting a visit from the President?” Quark asked.

Nova said, “just precautions. The Avatar of Magic is here and I want to make sure we don’t lose him.”

“Dontcha think this is overkill?” Quark said.

“Every time we’ve encountered those mercenaries of our enemy, they out flank us, out maneuver us, and basically show us up. Not this time.”

“Where is the avatar?”

Nova walked him over to the window that looked out into the arboretum. The Avatar of Magic floated in the middle of a grassy patch with several heroes around it. They were deep in a conversation with the book. Krystal Fae had EB in her lab as they both listened to the vast magical wisdom of this strange book.

Quark said, “it looks safe. I can’t imagine many getting to it here.”

“It’s as secure as we can make it.” Nova said.

Quark almost said something, but frowned when he looked at the expression on Nova’s face. “Something wrong?”

“Yes. This was too easy.”

“What?”

“Gar and Krystal got that Avatar here without any fuss. Not one sign of our enemy.”

Quark laughed, “sounds like you should be happy, considering all the others were a disaster.”

“That’s just it. No one showed up when they went for it. Not one mercenary was even close when they searched. They got it here and still nothing. I expected something to happen. I had every BADGE sensor aimed at the planet, just waiting for any sign of enemy movement. Nothing happened. And that worries me.”

“Why?”

“Our enemy has shown us one thing, they are devoted to their plans. Nothing stops them. Their lack of movement, their inactivity now, everything about this must be part of their plan. We have been behind them by many steps along the way, and that is exactly where we are now. What are they planning? Why did they take the others? Who is behind this? When why they show up next? None of these questions can we answer. We can’t even theorize.”

Quark nodded. “I highly doubt that this is just about giving Arx more powers. Frankly, if I wanted to turn a human into a god, I would choose a better specimen.”

Nova put a fist on the glass, his breath fogging the window. “We have to find them. We have to stop


whatever they’re doing before it’s too late. Thousands have already died because of these people and, frankly, I feel helpless to stop them from doing it again... and that bothers me most.”

Quark said, “don’t worry, Director, we will stop them.”

Continue the Story