Let's take you to where we last left you. November 15th, 2019. At the same time information was released on the true personality that the Protectors- mostly former CEO Ben Rivera had been hiding from the public, another event had been occurring in the depths of Queens. His foot entered her chamber, it had been decorated with light blue paint that coated the walls, posters of bands and anime decorated those paint-coated surfaces.
Ryder Karlo had been tasked by his superior, the Crawling Chaos, to commit a deed he had no faith he'd complete. His cybernetic hands shaking, searching for his younger sister, the instructions gifted to him by the Outer God echoed in his mind,
"Kill the past, show no mercy in the face of your awakening. Only then will the final steps of your new World Order come into fruition..." That was when she stepped out of the bathroom, her hair wet, signs of liquid dripping, tugging at the collar over her neck. Jumping back instinctively, it took a glance at his arm for her to recognize her elder brother, only then, she gave him the tightest hug she could muster from her arms. But, he didn't return it, instead, he just stood there. Silently sobbing, he whispered as he kneeled, releasing her arms surrounding him,
"Rivera... please save me," Elizabeth was confused, why did he suddenly call her Rivera? Her eyes followed his body, his cold artificial palms clasping to each cheek her face held, the glow that coursed through his limbs and eyes, thereby extending to his entire soul. Replacing the former grey, an emerald glow surrounded his figure. She couldn't get a chance to speak her mind, instead, before she could croak out an inquiry, her lips zipped shut. Her brain vibrated at a rapid pace, the sound that entered her ears coursing through her skull, seconds turned into minutes. As the clock hit 1:30, her brain had been rendered to mush, and her short petite figure collapsed into his arms. Holding her face gently, he examined his deceased sibling's pulse... she was dead.
How could he have been so blind?! Ben was right, he was the villain in this narrative, he had just killed his innocent baby sister. Breaking his code of honor... she hadn't done anything wrong. Except try and fight for her freedom multiple times- this was his fault. The cries he emitted, the tears that tried to extend from his artificial eyes, but couldn't, they were so loud. Sobs of hatred and sadness filled the neighborhood, windows shattering at the sound of his voice- until it shifted. In the middle of his dejected sounds of sadness, laughter had overtaken the neighborhood. Crazed sprees of insane cackles croaked from the abyss of his throat, sweat pouring out of his glands, the life from her eyes faded, as the skin layering her flesh evaporated into dust. Only the skeleton remained, and even then, as he stood up, her skull was crushed under his foot. Remants splashing out from the bone, strutting out of her chamber, continuously cackling... until he left her skeleton there. Never to be found, buried, or seen- ever again.
It was February 2nd, 2020. 9:04 P.M., EST in Upstate New York. Where the stars danced over the Smith Residence parked on a hill, and the night hovered over the beautiful location. Two people met in a room hidden from public eyes.
The safe room was nicely decorated, the chandelier-lit with flames that swung from side to side, the air emerging from the vent brushing against the object. Contrast to months prior, where the lean and towering Crawling Chaos was seated in front of him, he had left. No one had seen him in a few weeks around the house, but him- the Outcast, whose emerald eyes radiated in the mild darkness of the chamber. He knew otherwise, though, from the care-free expression that was obvious, though the shadow of the cowl over his mop of hair concealed his features. Most of them, at the very least.
"While it is an interesting offer, I simply cannot allow for my Father's Mob to be used so carefreely. He intended to make sure that superhumans knew their spot, that they still had a purpose. I doubt he'd like it if--" The girl in front of him could spot his smirk, halting her speech over his proposal to instead let him take over, a soft calm yet menacing chortle enter her eardrums. Gradually using his elbows to push him up from his laid-back position, his mouth spout out words to counter her,
"How do you know what he'd like? Considering you were gone for so long, Artie, you barely even knew him. On the other hand, I was with him for seven-plus years. I knew his favorite tie, how he liked his coffee, what weapon he'd rather use in a fight, and most importantly, I dated his superior daughter. So, tell me, how do you know what he'd like?" All the while he spoke, although threatening at first, his voice was calm, at the cusp of losing it with every new word that exited his mouth. Shedding himself of the cowl concealing his facial expression, that crazed expression on full display, raising his fingers. Gradually closing into a fist, the mechanical whirring of the artificial extremities audible, but that wasn't the only sound that crawled its way out of the technological limbs. A low pulsing, too, could be heard in the silence of the room, as if lightning or something like a portal was hiding within his limbs.
On the other hand, she had no idea what sound it was, it sent her, who had been seated up to oppose his ideology, plopping down on her rear. Her eyes reflected that and speaking of eyes, The Outcast, returning to his normal position, slouching, his right artificial sleeve resting on the arm of the furniture. Fixing his dark green tie, he let out a tired breath of relief,
"Now-" Both of his pupils, for a quick moment, glanced to the right, through the blurry window beside him, and then back to the sister of Athena. ~What the hell-?! Does he- no, that couldn't be possible! I told Danny to be as silent he could, there's no way this guy knows he's here... right?~
"What's with the scared expression? Is there something I don't know that you'd like to tell me...?" That calm question, there was no way he didn't know about the sniper perched outside this slanted Mansion. Aiming through his scope right at the head of the Outcast, his body covered head-to-toe with black military stealth gear, watching the Moon's every move. But, there was one thing to note, that being- the laser sight was turned off.
~Maybe I can... still save him~ Thought Artemis, extending out her hand, she slowly awaited for him to hold it. So their deal could be made, and this meeting could be adjourned. On his side, there was no way for him to know about the sudden change of decision, so, she spoke out, as his eyes snapped from her pushed out a hand, and to her small brown eyes. Pupils constricted, that desperate look on her face meant everything to him, the smirk widening across his features. As he squeezed her hand firmly, leaning forward so they could stare into each other's retinas, eye contact kept. Her hand was shaking, feeling the continuous squeeze, she felt like her limb was about to burst if he kept going-
"It's a deal, then," Nodding firmly, the grip on one another faded after Artemis reeled back, fast as she could. Slipping her purse off of the floor, but not before he called her one last time, right as she headed for the door, her feet ready to push out of the entrance of the chamber,
"One sec, Artie," ~Shit! Did I forget something, maybe? Come on, come on, please, please please, just let me go...~ Watching as he arose from the furniture he was confined to, her expression softened, the next thing she knew. He'd been holding the head of her sniper ally, who'd been assigned to watch The Outcast, blood leaking out of the bottom of the layered skull.
"Try something like this again, the next time we see one another, I won't be so hospitable. Now, please locate the nearest exit and flee this vicinity before I slice you in half like I did your friend Daniel," She wasted no time barging through the wooden door preventing her escape, fleeing down the narrow pathway that led to the exit of this chilly chamber. She just needed to get out of here, there was no telling what he'd do next. It felt like she'd been running for hours already, but, it was all worth it when she was finally able to slam the door she had entered this mansion from open. And then barge it closed. Finally, she had escaped, a big sigh of relief had exited her mouth. Back against the opening to the approximation of The Outcast, her eyes widened, for a split second...
The pain was agonizing, though, she was only able to feel it for seconds at a time before her heart had stopped its valiant beating. And her body ceased to preserve her life. The entrance to this cold mansion had been sliced through by two small laser beams, that also cut through the top side of her face. Where only her exposed jaw, with her tongue on the bottom, was visible, blood splashing onto the ground, bits of her brain slowly oozing out of the stump she once had as a face. The Outcast, at the end of the hallway, had the green glow fade from his emotionless pupils, no sense of remorse on his face. Just emotionless, watching her body collapse to the side, turning away. Shedding himself of the jacket hiding his skin, putting it over his right arm,
"Useless slut," Were the words he muttered, chillingly walking down up the stairs, down the carpeted ground beneath his feet. Step by step, closer and closer, reaching his goal. It was clear; Ryder Karlo had been dead. All that remained was his shell- The Outcast.
His brown beard had covered some of his face, the lower part of his lip, his chin, of course, his mustache still growing to become thicker. Parts of grey hair pushing out of his skin, as he stared down at his brown-haired icy-eyed friend. The walls were lined with Konpeki metal, electricity surging through it, with their clothing not suitable for the battle about to occur. Matt nodded to the Chariot to the rear of the Emperor, who shed himself of the galaxy hoodie concealing his tank top underneath. Cracking his knuckles, a feminine voice screamed out to them,
"STARTTT!!" As soon as it was yelled, the Emperor took the skies, the left sole of the Magician of Ice letting ice a trail of sharpened ice slip its way toward his friend. He didn't account for the probability of his ally hovering into the air, so, instead, it went for the Chariot further in front of him. Extending out his right palm, a wall of fire manifested itself from his hand, blocking the incoming frosty attack, his hair lighting aflame. Meanwhile, the other hand had small strings, primarily made of fire as well, burning through the air, fly out of the tips of his extremities. Manifesting into bands that would attempt to slowly wrap around Ben's body, however, he had other plans. Pushing his feet behind him, a gust of wind sent the bands and Henry back into the wall to his rear. The back of his head colliding with the metal, he groaned through hazy vision, watching as Matt blasted quick beams of ice toward his quick opponent. Teleporting as he flew through the controlled air of the chamber, he finally was in range and dealt a quick incapacitating blow to the gut of Miller. Launching him backward, colliding with the hardened surface behind him, his fingers resting on the ground in front of him. Slowly snapping his back into place, he watched as Ben ducked an attack that Henry had made with a newly made fire sword. Moving his leg back to trip his Chariot ally, and then kick him in mid-air, so his back would once again collide with the metal surface to the left of the Emperor.
Through their pain together, Matt and Henry slowly reached up, aiming their palms in the middle, right at their friend. Though they were sure that he'd dodge in some way, they needed to know how much Ben'd progressed in the three months since their fleeing from Manhattan. Beams of fire and ice emerged from the palms of the Magician and Chariot combined, ready to collide with the figure of the Emperor until he whispered something,
"15% of my power, unleash!" He didn't even register as a blur, it was just a gust of wind that instead, allowed for both of them to fall over. With black eyes, Henry having the right one, and Matt having a left one. Dark azure lightning sparking from his fingers, he snarled at the pain in his bones. The brightened hue radiating around him dissipated, turning to his friends from the wall he'd been facing, kneeling to touch the back of their necks.
The duo of best friends slowly standing up from the touch of electricity cracking down their necks, Henry groaned, cracking his back once more. Raising his arms into the air, stretching while Matt just rubbed the side of his face, feeling the black eye underneath his left eyelid.
"Shit, man... ow, you have gotten faster. I couldn't even see you,"
"Seriously... I think you broke a rib or two," Butted in the Chariot, both right and left sleeves dropping to the sides of his figure, waving them back and forth. A simple wave of a hand allowed the floor below them to elevate the trio further into the air. Stepping over to Henry first, a simple flick of his fingers was able to heal the wound given by Ben's superior strength. Yelping out for a moment, the heated palm of Colon rubbed his face while Miller had the same treatment.
"I'm surprised you're this powerful at only 15% of your true power. I can only imagine what it'd be at 25, 50, or hell, even a fuckin' hundred," The damage he'd cause to his body if he used that amount of power on his body at this level of training, maybe shatter his bones. Destroy his brain, have a seizure or heart attack, maybe. He wasn't ready, he felt it, coursing through his veins. The lightning, the power. Ready to be used. If he was to be able to save Ryder- he'd have to train and be able to use it.
"You'll get there, eventually. I mean, you got us helping you, of course. So, in no time, you'll be as powerful as that God guy in the Temple," Being reminded of the Temple, its shape hovering through time and space, wherever in between, the Emperor nodded. After this, he had the thought to visit Uraku, maybe then, he'd be able to focus and give himself the edge needed to continuously maintain 100% of his power. Not at first, of course, but, at least the start of it. The 'ceiling' slid apart, revealing itself, the metal surface their soles pushed against taking the place of the ground. The Chariot, Magician, and Emperor stepped out.
Buried in the depths of Japan's Aokigahara (青木ヶ原) Forest, a modern house was concealed by the pink cherry blossoms. Undetected by any of those outside of the little group the Protectors held tightly, due to the camouflage integrated into the walls of the abode. Two long windows on each side of the door, walking inside, you'd be met with a grey wall that held some art. Art from a commission that Ella had made for one of her books, a fight scene between two of her characters. Turning to the left, you'd see the kitchen, and then turning to the right there was the living room. The sofa in front of the stairs leading upward to the plethora of rooms above, and the right of the small living room, see-through sliding doors leading to a pool rested.
Now that you have a vision of this house in your head, Henry and Matt now plopped onto the couch. Both rubbing their left and right eyes, still feeling the stinging leftover pain that remained from the bruise gifted to them by their friend. Boot entering the hallway up the stairs, his feet pushing him toward the end of the corridor, where at the far right, his room was held. What replaced his bed was a charging station, shaped like a capsule for Artemis to charge in- while also being the key to her true capabilities. Accessing every single bit of information hovering in the digital cyberspace, searching for... her,
"Any trace of Sammy? Ryder finds her first, she's fucked," Although the two of them had their differences and opposing ideologies, there was one thing he knew in the depth of his heart about his adopted sister. She'd never rat anyone out, that is what he loved about her. On the other hand, that is the one thing he feared, the Outcast would attempt to utilize her in an attempt to gain information on his approximation. Her refusal to give that info would lead to her inevitable brutal demise.
"CCTV Camera footages last found her in Hell's Kitchen entering her apartment an hour ago, we should act quickly before Ryder gets this information as well," Knowing her advice to be true, the Emperor's extremities extended, for his watch to snap over his wrist spreading using the nanotechnology implemented in the advanced device. Stolen, of course, from his malicious psychotic doppelganger.
"No, he's already there. You're good, Artie, but he's better. Having exposed my transgressions to the mass media, he's been praised publicly by the Mayor for disclosing my so-called true self. They assigned Karlo the task of locating us, there's no doubt he thought to look through the CCTV footage for Sam before us. And- without a shadow of a doubt, he's found her," Pink retinas radiating at that revelation, from the tiny hole in the side of the spectacles concealing his pupils, a greyed out hologram without color was projected in front of them. Crawling from the chamber she was confined to seconds prior, her eyes analyzed the security feed taken from the camera pushed into the interior of Sam and Madi's former humble abode.
Thrown onto the coffee table, shards of glass floating into the air momentarily, some pushed into her gut, blood gushing out, she heavily breathed. Towering over the Emperor's future in-law, the Outcast's fingers returned to their normal shape, previously having been a sharp blade. Kneeling to pick her up by her weak left arm, the vision that discharged from his retinas cauterized the wounds made by the pointy fragments of the once whole transparent material. Biting her lip to prevent a blood-curling scream she knew would emerge from her throat, her negroid-tinted orbs of sight met his artificial emerald retinas. Through pained breaths, she managed to spout out a remark at her captor,
"Ah, come on, Ry, we all know what's happening here. You're just throwing a temper tantrum over no one liking you in high school, are you really going to take that out on the World just because Mommy and Daddy decided to use you like a punching bag?" Angered by her mockery of his abuse, a quick blow to the side of her face rendered her unconscious, blood momentarily soaring through between the crook of her lips. Limp-in his arms, the Outcast shook his head at the defiant influence Rivera held over his family members. With the radiation of the bright moon leaking through the window of a bedroom, the Outcast spun to spot his partner. Flaunting under in the guise of an attractive male human, he began to warp back and reveal himself in the usual lean black form he dawned admiring the sight of human civilization.
Without a sign of approval or even so much as a glance in his direction, The Moon Outcast held Riley tighter, as the duo consumed by evil vanished in bright white light.
"That piece of shit..." Whispered the Empress in a silent rage, they'd all known Sammy for so long, for even her to be overpowered like this by someone she even like before her and Maid started dating; truly a pitiful sight to see what things had come to.
"She's strong as hell, if I were in that scenario, God knows I'd be scared shitless..." Dejectedly, a breath of understanding of that statement made by the Chariot exited Jason's mouth. Digging his fingers into his shaded trench coat, prototype plasma pistols snapped into their true form, having been gifted to him by his younger brother. That signature color he held sparked around his being, off of his shoulders, surrounding his being, angered by the sudden taking of his younger relative,
"We're going, right?" Questioned the Justice, the look in his eyes resembled that of Matt's fighting Samuel and Ryder's when accepting Nyarlathotep's offer months prior. A Dark Determination, infused with the power to slaughter The Outcast should the need arise. Not for anything he'd done in the past, all of it had been tame until this point- though he knew he was a horrible influence that needed to be eradicated. This- took the cake. Kidnapping his dear sister's future bride who he held close to his heart, knowing that her the loss of someone likely devastate them all once again... he didn't need to wait for an answer. Ready for the red lightning to take him across the World, suddenly, he felt a pale hand grab his collar. Forcefully turning him so he could stare into the Priestess' eyes, inquiring her Speedster ally,
"Is this what your mother would have wanted?" If it had been from anyone else, he would've snapped at the line of inquiry, but from her... Ella. He knew the pain she'd went through with her questioning of her father's lineage if he would've been proud if she didn't accept the offer to become CEO of Garcia Airlines. His mother's words- Jessica's final words echoed in the intricacies of his mind, to him specifically. "Jason, make me proud..." Would all of this make her proud? The senseless killing- still, after everything he's seen. Even after stopping due to seeing what he'd become in the future, he continued to kill. Because of his 'bloodlust', or maybe it was just another excuse to murder without facing the consequences of his actions. Those FBI agents- they never deserved their fatal demise. Neither did those Mob members, they were only doing their job... this wouldn't make his mother proud. Nothing he thought of at this moment, charging in to attempt to slaughter The Outcast and his God-like partner.
"No..." The Emperor couldn't help but let a miniature smile overtake his features, stepping closer to his elder brother with the middle child Empress following. Hearing the footsteps of Jason's brother and sister, El disappeared to stand with the Chariot and Magician. Palm resting on the right shoulder of his maturer sibling, Ben explained,
"I felt the same, in some kind of weird way. It's... ya know, weird, trying to explain it. Wanting to try and do good, but in the end, we'll only end up causing more trouble in the process. I've been that way for almost seven years without knowing it, and luckily, I snapped out of it before it was too late. I know now that the answer to this problem isn't mindless violence in the name of protection, with Our Will alone we can defeat this menace of a threat. So, you old fuck... whaddya say? Wanna listen to my plan and help us save our sister's hot fiancée- or would you rather be an idiot and charge in and let her die?" The way he asked, a chortle bellowed out from his throat, charmed by the pattern of which his Emperor sibling spoke. Holstering his energy-based firearms, the Justice asked his brother, feeling his blonde friend peck his cheek as a reward for learning so quickly for just a split second,
"What's the plan?" Informing his Protector friends of their strategy for returning Shadow to their hidden fortress here in Asia, the Emperor stood in front of the TV and the couch. Pacing back and forth, everyone understood the intentions of the Emperor from the start. None of them were to kill The Outcast, that was the one rule established by both the Priestess and the Emperor from the get-go. The loved ones of the Protectors were to be protected by Artemis, who locked down the house so only the windows would be visible. The lovers of the Protectors included Cecilia Lane, Charlie Kyles, Veronica Johnson, and Astin Edmund. Ceci with baby Emma in her arms, and Charlie holding her and Jay's child, a tanned baby girl with the name of Mary.
Now prepared to face The Outcast after three months of preparation, the Emperor faced his A.I. subordinate. Patting her brown mop of hair, resemblant of the Riveras' mother, he nodded. ~I won't let you down~ Thought the youngest sibling of the Rivera Triplets, turning to the rest of his allies and friends. As if they were never there, they all disappeared- together. To free... Ryder Karlo.
His feet brought him out of the gateway between locations, his head spinning around to search for his selected sibling, she was nowhere to be seen. Until the lights flickered themselves on, revealing the trapped Riley, an all-black hand surrounding her throat. Claws extended out of the tips of the Chaos' fingers, the Emperor dared to step forward before that familiar voice entered his eardrums,
"Hello," He who stated that greeting, it was said like a question, but, he knew the former CEO was here. Twisting his body around, the remaining lights flickered on, to reveal the glowing figure of The Outcast. Arms down by his side, as usual, finishing his greeting with,
"So glad you could make it," Squinting at his former ally, the Emperor matched the brightening appearance The Outcast had, eyes, even the energy was seen coursing through the knuckles of Rivera. He didn't have anything left to say, instead, he just waited. Waiting for the moment needed to punch this asshole as hard as he could. Part of him knew that Ryder was in there somewhere, that he had been trying to wriggle out from inside the sadistic personality of The Outcast that had entrapped his superhuman ally. On the other hand... this asshole kidnapped his dear beloved friend,
"That intense aura-! My, I can sense how much you've grown... and in such a short time, too. I doubt you'll be as easily taken out as you were by Karlo in November. I won't underestimate your abilities any longer," That presence that radiated from the Emperor's very being, that unwavering tenacity that emitted from his enhanced skillset, now having fully trained to utilize his full arsenal. Extremities gripping the right arm of the lenses pushed against his features, he snapped them off, for The Outcast to see the full display... 'Dark Determination' was all that was visible in his eyes. Blue-violet pupils shifting from their normal state to somewhat of a fiery darkened azure ball, the cybernetic enemy stepped forward,
"Is something the matter..? Let us fight, Benjamin Rivera," That was the signal, the Determination swelling from the depths of his heart, he would not let it go to waste! That is the goal he had been fighting towards, this entire long journey! Anger boiling within himself, a simple punch charged with Rivera's darkened rage was all that was needed until The Outcast was launched through the wall he was standing in front of.
The smoke clearing from his line of sight, Nyarlathotep stepped forward to witness the hole pushed into the surface of Romero's apartment. Now that the strongest of those incessant children were being dealt with, the Outer God Messenger could work without falter. That was until he heard the familiar sound of... ice. Cracking, slowly creeping up his leg and halting his very movements before he could even have a chance to step closer to the trapped Sammy. His head perched on his throat dislocated, completely spinning as his body shifted in shape, arms twisting and snapping to the Magician's dismay. The Justice and Priestess behind the sadistic Chaos watched, unable to take their eyes off of the atrocious monstrosity that was Nyarlathotep's other form.
"Dumbasses!" Yelled Justice's younger sister, snapping the black-haired Speedster out of his almost crazed daze, realizing her eyes had been locked onto the ground. If only he'd thought of something like that. Using a manifested knife to slice off the coffee-tinted rope tied around her wrists and ankles, utilizing his right flat palm to slap the blonde Priestess across the face. Seeing as she, too, was a metahuman, she could take the quick weakened attack and shook herself back to reality,
"Was that seriously necessary?" Inquired the lady, creating a one-sided barrier of azure electricity, the energy slipping out from the tips of her pale fingertips. Unable to charge through the elemental shield in the form the Chaos took, he roared, bleed starting to soak out the ears of the Blonde Priestess of Lightning. Biting her lower lip, she groaned out irritably, creating a shock wave that bounced back her Outer God opponent in the uppercutting fist of the Icy Magician. Able to let go of the defense she created, the female superhuman collapsed onto her bare knees. A splinter sliding into her flesh for a moment before it sparked and burnt. SHINK! Rubbing the marks made of the rope she'd been bound by around her wrists, Riley stood up straight, sighing gently, relieved of the stinging pain that would push into her skin.
"Well, nice to see you again, Jay Jay. Ellie, you too- are those new boots?" The Priestess couldn't help but gasp as Jason just laid his signature slap to the back of the woman's read feeling an abrupt sting in his temple for reason. Standing by to make sure she was okay, El answered the inquiry as if there weren't an ongoing battle present.
"i did, thanks! I got them at that new place that just opened up at Times Square, anyway- we'll talk more back at home. Jason, you help Benny and Mads- I got her," Understanding the instructions given to her, the Justice had a split second to act, gifting kisses on both of their foreheads at super speeds. As Riley was given another slap on her rear she couldn't help but giggle at the stinging sensations as the blonde rolled her eyes at his idiotic games he played with them, but just as Sam was ready, she nodded. Signaling she was prepared to take the full speed of however fast she was going to go- she took the older woman off of her feet, a sky-blue tint of lightning followed her as she left the States.
CRASH! The back of the Outcast met the exposed side of a yellow taxi cab parked on the curb of a sidewalk, having tumbled out of the hole created by his launched figure. Spotting his Emperor rival teleport into this realm, blue-violet lightning crackling off of the superhuman's clothing. Wiping the blood attempting to stream down his nostrils, The Outcast also witnessed another phenomenon. Something he hadn't noticed before, the sort of energy that coursed through the veins, visibly brightening the skin of the youngest Rivera from his interior. As if he took Ella's lightning, darker azure electricity coursed around his physical figure,
"Apparently... agh, it's not just your aura that has grown. It's visual, too. You're like a walking glowstick at a rave- I wonder what percent of your power you've mastered. And how painful it is when you punch someone with it," About to step forward, he felt an aching pain in his chest, some sort of blazing heat that spread over his ribcage. Widening his emerald-tinted eyes, he looked down to see his exposed layer of flesh, some of his bones poking out. His intestines sloshing out of the wound abruptly made by a quick slice wound. If it had been Ben in stopped time using The Universe, he would have been able to move, albeit for a second. For the split second he to use the healing aura that superhumans had pushed into their DNA, he could see in the corner of his eye- a red-eyed man about to run back from the left of him. His fist ready to punch The Outcast square in the face. Exposed flesh healed, The Outcast caught the Justice by the throat, slamming him into the ground, and using him as a quick shield for the new bolt of light thrown at the Moon's way. Incapacitated for a while, with a hole deep in his back, Jay was dropped, to bleed out on the road. As his elder brother was falling through mid-air, the Emperor leaped forward, punching his rival in the gut. Which would send him flying, if he hadn't halted the natural flow of time, and punched The Moon Outcast right in the back before he could have the chance to crash through the metal of the taxi. Likely breaking his spine from the shattering SNAPP!
"The Universe's flow shall now resume," Unwinding itself at a rapid pace, time continued where it last left off, with the new intentions of the Emperor interfering in the short 15-second space of halted time. The Outcast, now able to stop time while launched toward the rooftop where the Empress of Light was perched, laughed maniacally. His orchestration wouldn't go to fruition! Before he could hold the natural continuous nature of time, a fist, radiating with 20% of her given power, met the jaw of the mid-air flying Outcast. Though seeming as if it wasn't enough, it sure as hell was- sending The Outcast downward, so his body would repeatedly fall into the ground of the Earth. A crater in the form of the Moon's damaged figure visible on the Planet. Landing onto the greyed-out road beside her brother, she winced, sucking the air around them through the small crevice her teeth made clenching together.
Her palm had gone limp, 20% was her limit, it seemed. The ligaments shattered, only the capabilities of Ben's life-giving sub-power could grant her back her once-fixed hand. Then, she had an idea, suddenly, with her remaining fully-healed limb, the right one, she tore off her broken hand. Screaming in pain, blood leaking from the injury produced by this effect, the Emperor caught it. A collective nod shared between the two siblings, running over to their incapacitated brother, shoving the limb into the open mouth of Jason. To heal his older sibling, Ben's arms took hold of both his brother and sister. Flat left palm on the temples of Jason, extremities gripping the left arm of his Empress sis,
"Life, spring forth. Bring forth... a new life!" Like nothing ever happened to his two relatives, bursts of life energy surged through the skull protecting the brain of the Justice. The family psychic connection shared between them all, Ben utilized this to project a subliminal message into his brother's mind. An image of someone eating popcorn, the first reaction that Jason would have once he stimulated back to the land of the living was his fangs chomping on the chopped off the hand of his sister's. BOOM!
Eyes widening, the World around them had its color return to normal, catching the flying fist aimed at The Outcast's face. Cracking all of his fingers, he used the limp body of the infamous CEO to slam into the Empress. Launching the two together, so they'd fly into the air, tumbling onto the grey rooftop of their adopted sister's apartment. Snapping his once shattered jaw back into place, the Moon kneeled, hand morphing into a blade. Ready to push the metal weapon into the flesh of the oldest Rivera sibling... before he couldn't.
Time had seemingly slowed, slowed to the point where the cars on the road, traveling at a decent pace with their tires rolling continuously had halted. Permenantly. The Justice cracked his neck back into place, chomping down on the left-over hand he was gifted. If it had been an ordinary person's hand, he would have simply healed and got back into action completely, but that wasn't the case. Ingesting the enhanced crimson fluid running through Madi's veins, the regular red lightning had shifted, for some reason... to the darkened tint of the night sky above. The Outcast had no luck, he was decked in the left cheek by the burning fist of Jason Rivera, his maniacal cackles echoing through the psychotic Moon's eardrums as he was launched several hundred meters down the road.
Though the punch was powerful, infused with the spirit his sister had, the light force she had within the depth of her soul, there was a limited timer. Carefully levitating to stand beside his oldest sibling, the Emperor cracked his hand back into shape, watching as the Empress blinked to the right of Jason from a violet brightened slice in space,
"I doubt we'll be able to beat this asshole without nearly dyin'," Commented the black-haired man in between his other two related allies, who nodded in agreement, but his brother on the left had hope. Instead of the Dark Determination that fueled within his heart, something else resonated in the pit of his spirit. His resolve was hardened with the probability to push through these troubles, and free his troubled Outcast comrade.
Slowly, the non-human psychotic Outcast crawled out from the apartment building he was pushed into, to the messed-up vision of Madi and Ben, he was far. Very far, they would need to use their glasses if they were to defeat him. His metal arms vibrating at a pace unusual to an artificial limb, the Moon's emerald retinas analyzed the situation in front of him... he would either defeat the Riveras. Or die trying.
His fate will have to be found out in Chapter 17 - Foolish Epiphany.