Post by Nicolas Mclendon on Jun 21, 2015 9:19:38 GMT
“C'MON LETS GO! GET YOUR ASSES MOVING!”
Alarms blared loudly interrupting the typical flow of night in the ever bustling West City. Three men dressed in dark, padded clothing with masks covering their faces stormed out of the bank that currently had it's alarms going off. Two of the men held up a pair of high-tech automatic rifles and pointed them back and forth down the street. Their fingers rest on the triggers of the high powered assault weapons in case any police or 'heroes' came to intercept them. The third, who was much more round and much less intimidating than the two heavily armed men was struggling to hold what looked to be five or six bags stuffed to the brim with zeni.
“Coast is clear boss, lets get to the ship and jet outta here!” One of the armed men concluded, confident that they were good to go as he looked back to the entrance of the bank. Behind the pudgy burglar stepped a tall dark figure. He was wearing primarily black clothes like his underlings though he was dressed quite differently. The first noticeable thing about his outfit was his long leather trench coat with an upturned hood. The coat had layered pieces of armor sewn in the shoulders making the man look much bigger than he actually was. Beneath his hood was a black iron mask that covered the entirety of the man's face sans one hole that showed one of his cold and focused eyes. Underneath the coat he wore padded clothing for protection. As soon as he got the okay that the coast was clear he would lift one of his gloved hands and point, signaling his men to move.
The men all moved ahead in formation. Two men up front to cover what was ahead of them, one in the back to prevent them from being flanked and one in the center carrying their payload. They moved through the streets with purpose as they headed to their hidden getaway vehicle. Their route remained mostly unimpeded, people quickly got out of the way upon seeing what the first two men were holding. They kept their mouth shut and hurried away in the opposite direction. That's how you stayed alive. You don't say anything and you never saw anything.
“FREEZE!” A nervous sounding voice called out, a young rookie officer pointing his pistol to the group of men. The leader in the back merely held his hand up and flicked his wrist to the two armed men up front. “Drop your weapons or I will fir-” The officer was silenced by a short burst of gunfire from the two armed men. As the officer collapsed in a heap of blood screams of fear and panic would fill the air as people began fleeing from the group of burglars in a mad frenzy.
The leader rolled his eye in frustration as the sounds of panic filled the night air. So much for slipping away! “Move.” He simply said in a sharp tone that sent shivers down the spines of his subordinates. The burglars began to sprint, firing a few pot shots to scare anyone into dispersing away from them. It only took a few more moments till they reached the parking lot where their hovercar was waiting. With no hesitation they all piled in and set for take off.
“Haha! We did it! We're gonna be rich!” The chubby burglar said as he pulled up his ski mask looking to the others. He happily laughed as he greedily looked at the heavy bags of money. “Rich! Richj! Rich! We should all celebrate! Lets blow all this money on whatever suits our fancy! We're gonna live like kings! Haha!”
“Horace you idiot, if you weren't so fat and useless we could have gotten away before the cops showed!” The man in the pilots seat hissed as he began to press a few buttons on the ship's dashboard, the machine humming to life. His hands were a little shaky, leaving a blood trail was never good in this line of work, That's how he got caught his last few jobs.
“Jeeze Jax, no need to be so harsh! Me and Ivan can just celebrate without you! Right Ivan?” Horace said looking over to the man in the passenger seat with a dopey smile.
“...” The man didn't even look back as he let his silence answer for him. The man just clenched his hands around his gun as he stared ahead, ready to just go.
“You both are no fun. I'm not ever gonna invite you to do anything fun.” Horace pouted as he slunk back into his seat. “What about you boss? Wanna celebrate with me later?” He asked grinning widely to the man in the metal mask.
“Jax. Drive.” He merely said in his sharp tone, ignoring Horace completely like the other man did so before him. The man in the pilots seat glanced back before he nodded as he quickly typed in a few more buttons on the dashboard. Soon the engines would roar to life as they're ship took off and headed into the sky flying towards the city.
Nearby the ship a lone woman, knowing that the thugs hadn't seen her and it was safe, approached the bleeding police officer. With a panicked expression etched on her face she would stoop down: looking to see if he was still alive. After a few moments she would gasp upon hearing his shallow and ragged breath. “Oh! Oh my god!” She quickly uttered as she stood up, looking around wildly to see if anyone was nearby. “...Someone...Anyone...Please...” She frantically said, each word getting louder and louder as the panic and fear continued to grow. “Someone...” She looked to the sky and inhaled readying a mighty shout.
"HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!!"
An armored ship cut across the city skyline at a breakneck pace. Police hovercars swerved and weaved through traffic with their sirens blaring to intercept and capture the crooks within. They were too far behind though, the lead the ship had was substantial and the illegal engine parts it was using made it faster than their fairly standard hovercars.
“Once we get outta the city and to the base we're home free boys!” The pilot said with a satisfied grin, looking to his mirror revealed just how har away the cops were. There was no chance that they'd get stopped. The other henchmen let out a cheer as they shared in the confidence that they were really going to get away. Even their leader seemed to relax somewhat. His relaxation was short lived however as a few numbers flashed before his eye with an electronic beep.
“Hey! What the hell!? Whose shining their brights at us?!” The pilot snarled suddenly before shielding his eyes with an arm as a golden light filled his vision.
“Brace yourselves!” The leader barked as something slammed into the front of their ship with enough force to make the impact to knock their ship into a spin. The pilot desperately tried to right the ship as it spun out. Ivan gripped his seat as he tried to resist slamming about while Horace just seemed to tumble every which way. Their leader growled
"Wh-What the hell was that?!” Jax spat as he whipped his head around trying to look out the window. All he could see was a trail of golden light. He began accelerating again but stopped as he heard a thus on the dented front end of their ship. The man looked up to see a young man dressed in a costume of white, black, and gold posed with his arms crossed before them. It was the up and coming hero: Captain Nova!
“You know, if you wanted to take out a loan the bank opens in the mornings at 9... I know it's a bit of a pain but you've gotta follow their rules!” He said in a slightly more snarky version of his super heroic tone before pulling back his fist to punch in their windshield. The man cut his yoke sharply to the side to send the ship into an aileron roll. The ship suddenly rolled in a complete 360 from it's side sending Nicolas tumbling off before he could react. The henchmen laughed a bit, thinking they were rid of the strange costumed hero...That was until the ship began to rock and shake as a barrage of ki blasts struck it's armored hull.
“We won't be rid of him that easily...” The leader said as he stood and walked to the door. “Keep the ship steady...I'm going out.” He opened the door and stepped towards it, the intense wind blowing his trench coat to the side. “Whatever happens keep this ship going...Do you understand?” He merely asked, though he knew their answer. They wouldn't cross him.
With that he'd slip out of the moving ship and climb unto the roof of the moving vehicle. He took a second to claim his footing but eventually he stood tall and awaited the 'hero' to come. He glanced around, though it was hard to see. The lights of other hovercars moving in the opposite direction and the lights of the various buildings that whizzed by provided him with ample illumination but everything was just moving so fast. The masked man's gaze cut towards the sound of energy screaming through the air and watched as another volley of golden ki bolts came hurtling towards his ship. He lowered down letting out a guttural yell as he suddenly sprung forward and began swatting them away. Each swat sent them hurtling into the air.
Nicolas landed on the ship before the strange masked man and dramatically pointed to him. “Have you come out here to surrender you fiendish foe? If so I must tell you to land your ship immediately!” He ordered as he placed his hands on his hips and gave him one solid nod. The man merely shook his head as he took a step towards him, his hands extended at his sides and his gloved palms remained open.
“No, surrender is for the weak and foolish. I assure you I quite easily break the mold of your day to day criminal. I've got the strength to take on an army with strength to spare. Someone with a powerlevel as low as yours poses no threat to me.” He closed his eye as he laughed once, almost mocking the hero before him. “I didn't come up here to surrender...” He said opening his eye and glaring at the hero.
“I came here to kill you.
“Kill me? Well you'll be sorely disappointed! Justice never dies and neither will I! Not to the likes of you!” Captain Nova responded as he began to charge his energy around him in the form of a brilliant golden aura. He wasn't sure what the masked man meant by 'power levels' but he was sure that he was going to prove him wrong! After charging enough of the energy that circulated through his blood Captain Nova would lift into the air, his aura sparking around him fiercely. The young man would then fly towards the masked man and attempt to slam a heavy fist to his jaw! Though all he hit was air, for the hooded man leaned away from the strike and avoided it. “He's fast!” Nicolas said to himself before feeling a palm slam into his sternum. He coughed, eyes going wide at the jolt of pain.
"I'm every bit as strong as you, one gifted with ki. I have, however, something that pushes me further past you.” The man said in a cool tone before firing a bolt of red ki into Captain Nova's chest, the sudden force launching the hero into the air. “I have been augmented to be a fighting machine.” The man continued as he effortlessly reached up and grabbed the foot of the airborne Captain Nova before he slamming him unto the roof of the ship. The sudden force from the slam and the movement of the ship caused Nicolas' body to roll and tumble away from the man. He caught himself before falling off the ship however, and pulled himself to a stand panting lightly from the burning in his chest and the aches from being slammed like a ragdoll.
Augmented? What did he mean? Was that why he was so fast and strong? Captain Nova shook his head before he came at him once more, this time firing a few bolts of ki as he ran. The masked man let out a yell as he held his gloved hand out and fired another bolt of scarlet energy. The bolt was powerful enough to overpower the small volley and threatened to slam into the hero as well but he dodged by the skin of his teeth and kept coming towards him. The man wasn't expecting the dodge which left him open for Nicolas' next attack. A swift but powerful punch to his jaw. “Bingo!” Captain Nova grinned watching the man stagger. His grin faded quickly however... “W-What are...”
The man's hood was down, revealing his face fully. What Nicolas thought his face was anyway. Behind the black metal 'mask' was a translucent 'dome' of sorts that housed his brain. The 'mask' was just his face, though all that was truly left of his 'face' was that one eye. “...A lucky shot. You won't get another.” He merely said in annoyance as he righted his stance, “As for what I am...I'm human...Partially, My organs are still mine... Everything else is just...Augmented.” He tossed off his coat, letting it fly away and revealed more of his twisted body. Namely his arms. They were clearly metallic like his 'face.' though unlike his face there were a few glowing red lines of circuitry running up them. Nicolas assumed that the trend continued underneath his padded vest. Though he didn't have much time to think because the amalgam of technology and flesh came at him once again.
Captain Nova held up his arms as the cyborg began to slam his fits into him like pistons. The flurry of mechanical fists was almost too much for him to stand but he held his arms up and protected his face. “Your defense is pitiful. I can crush you. I was augmented to destroy anything and anyone.” He laughed as he found an opening and smashed his fist into Nova's face. “...And when I get away with my money... I'm just going to make myself stronger and better. Soon even the heroes of old will be a joke to me!”
Nicolas stumbled back, his vision going white briefly as the blow nearly knocked him out then and there. He forced himself to stay up however. In fact, he was more determined to beat this guy than ever! “Y-You're more machine than man... Darksteel...” He spat, naming his current nemesis on the spot. “I don't care what you've been augmented to do, you're hurting people and I can't allow that.” The hero said, spitting to the side before getting ready for his next attack. Captain Nova clenched his fists and began charging his energy pushing his body to strengthen him his next move. The cyborg blinked, and looked as a few numbers flashed before his eye. Numbers that began to steadily rise the more Captain Nova charged his energy.
Darksteel? Was he serious? 'Darksteel' couldn't “Hm? He can push his body and raise his energy the more he charges for an attack? His power level shouldn't be rising that much... I have to stop him I-”
His mutterings were interrupted however as the hero suddenly dashed towards him covered in a dome of energy. “SHOOTING STAR STRIKE!” He yelled his sphere flashing as he bolted straight towards the man. He didn't have enough time to dodge or counter the hero the extra charged 'Shooting Star Strike' hit. He let out a pained yell as golden ki burned into him from all sides with enough force to knock him off his feet and sent him careening closer and closer to the edge of the ship. The cyborg panicked, he couldn't fly... So if he was pushed off from this height and speed he was done for.
The cyborg regained his footing however and punched through Nicolas's dome of ki. The energy sprayed out around the two in a series of tiny sparks as his metallic fist flew toward's Nicolas' visor clad face. The hero leaned back however and met Darksteel's fist with his own, the resulting shock-wave causing a few windows that the ship whizzed by to shatter sending shards of glass falling to the street below. Both fighters took a step back as the shock-wave passed but after a brief moment of respite they were back at it.
The two traded blows at the edge of the ship. Sometimes Darksteel landed a solid punch sending Captain Nova reeling back in agony. Other times Nicolas would score a powerful blow that sent the cyborg's pain receptors into a wild frenzy. “Ho-Hah! I've not even begun to fight yet!” Captain Nova taunted as he flashed one of his signature over the top poses. Darksteel merely scoffed and kicked him in the chest while the caped crusader was in the middle of his posing. He coughed, eyes nearly bugging out of his skull as the boot sent him into another tumble.
“Get serious! I have no time for your antics idiot!” The cyborg chastised as he began to charge another bolt of scarlet ki into his palm. Though he didn't get the satisfaction of using his full power against a worthy opponent at least dealing with the idiotic hero was easy. He clenched his mechanical hand around the energy bolt as he took a step towards the downed hero. “Or you can just end it here!” He jeered as he fired his bolt of energy at him.
"I will end it here Darksteel!” The young man yelled as he charge a bolt of golden energy into his own palm as he sprung up instantly. Nicolas rolled out of the way of the crimson bolt (which slammed into the roof of his ship) and began running at Darksteel. The cyborg's eye widened, if there was anything this hero was it was persistent, and he knew that. He'd have to kill him or find away to send him away. Having him buzzing around was getting quite annoying.
Before he knew it though, Captain Nova was already on top of him. With a golden shining hand Nicolas would slam a ki charged palm right into Darksteel's face. “Now! Release!” Captain Nova called out as he exploded the bolt of ki he was holding right into the face of his enemy. The cyborg let out a grunt and a snarl as the golden ki melted away at the black paint on his face leaving a chrome hand print on half his face. The resulting impact from the palm pushed the cyborg back towards the edge of the ship, if Captain Nova pushed just a bit harder he would have fallen.
That hurt...A lot... How was he getting hurt? The augments should have made Darksteel invincible! How was a joke like Captain Nova pushing him so hard? He had to stop this...
“You won't beat me that easily! Hero!” Darksteel spat as he held his arm up. His forearm disconnected at a hinge and moved down revealing a cannon built into his arm. “Will you fight me or save the innocent?! Your choice!” He shouted firing a bolt of energy from the hidden cannon.
Nicolas stopped and looked back in horror as the powerful beam struck into a nearby hovercar. The engine for the floating vehicle exploded creating a trail of smoke as the car started to lower down towards the Earth below. “No! Damn you!” Nicolas cursed before jumping away from the speeding ship. He had to save those people, even if it meant letting those bastards get away.
The media had already started scrambling to get in on this huge scoop. Bank robbers, high speed chases and a whole lot of police. It was a dream come true for most news studios looking to get high ratings for a singular story. So it wasn't too surprising that there was already at least one group reporting on the chaotic scene.
A pretty young woman wearing a formal but professional dress stood in the center of West City with a microphone in hand. Standing in front of her was a camera man who was trying to adjust his lens to get a clearer picture. Once satisfied he'd give the reporter a thumbs up and switch on his camera. The woman cleared her throat before looking ahead, microphone ready. “Good evening, this is Katie Summers from LNN 'On the Spot!' live. A tragic sight to behold today, a cop has been shot and the men responsible are still on the loose but the cops are in pursuit currently, in a high speed chase.” She said, introducing herself and the current situation
An explosion from above cut off the reporter forcing her to look up. “Oh...Oh my god! There was an explosion overhead! I'm not sure what's going on but I can see smoke and... Oh my god it's a hovercar!” She cried out as she began to run away from the crashing hovercar, the camera lowering to the street shaking lightly as the cameraman also ran to a safe distance. “Jim! Jim! Quick Look! Get that thing back into focus!” The reporter ordered her tone shifting to one of excitement and shock.
The cameraman lifted his camera and focused it, gasping lightly at the sight before him. The image of a costumed hero covered in an aura of golden radiance swooping in and catching the smoking car was shown on hundreds of TV screens across the globe. Captain Nova made his official debut in the mainstream media with the image of him saving the citizens trapped in their smoking and burning vehicle from their certain destruction. “Don't worry citizens! I've got you! You're safe now...” The young hero said as he lowered the car to the ground. Without hesitation he would rip the door off it's hinges and reach in saving a single mother and her young son.
“Don't worry you're safe now...” He repeated, the woman was in complete shock and the boy was crying loudly from the fear of almost dying. He brought the two over to the reporter. “Please, you need to get them some help. I can't stay. I've got to stop those responsible for this villainy!” He said in his overly heroic tone to the reporter.
“O-Of course... But first before you go! Who are you?” She asked as she held the microphone to him. The super hero clad in gold, white and black smiled briefly but began lifting up into the air pulling away from the woman and the camera. “W-Wait! Hold on!” She called out.
“I'm the hero of justice: Captain Nova! I've gotta go try and nab those guys!!” He said dramatically giving a thumbs up for the camera and a grin before he shot into the air as quickly as he appeared.
“Captain...Nova?”
The cyborg slipped back into the ship, satisfied that he had taken care of their caped nuisance. He returned to his seat casually and popped his neck as his henchman looked back to him. “Woah boss you took care of that masked freak?” Jax asked with a devious grin. He shouldn't have doubted him, that was for sure.
“Yeah boss! You're the best!” Horace exclaimed in pure excitement, the chubby man throwing his arms up in the air in his happiness.
“You killed him?” Ivan merely asked in a grim tone hoping that the dead was done and over with.
“I underestimated his power... He backed me into a corner so I provided an ultimatum for him. He chose the life of some innocents over us...” He explained as he looked to the windshield at the disappearing city skyline as they made their way out of the capitol city.
“...Do you think he'll return?” Ivan asked. Darksteel ran a mechanical hand over his scarred 'face' as he thought of the hero. He ended up laughing to himself softly. As he crossed his arms.
“He'll have to... I'm his villain after all... He called me Darksteel. I think I'm going to keep that name.” Darksteel decided as he began to laugh a bit more. “Next time we meet though, I'll be stronger than ever... He'll fall just as he was supposed to today.”
With that Darksteel would close his eye and drift off, thinking of the next time he'd fight his new super powered rival.
Word Count: 4177
Light Weights (+25%)
Alarms blared loudly interrupting the typical flow of night in the ever bustling West City. Three men dressed in dark, padded clothing with masks covering their faces stormed out of the bank that currently had it's alarms going off. Two of the men held up a pair of high-tech automatic rifles and pointed them back and forth down the street. Their fingers rest on the triggers of the high powered assault weapons in case any police or 'heroes' came to intercept them. The third, who was much more round and much less intimidating than the two heavily armed men was struggling to hold what looked to be five or six bags stuffed to the brim with zeni.
“Coast is clear boss, lets get to the ship and jet outta here!” One of the armed men concluded, confident that they were good to go as he looked back to the entrance of the bank. Behind the pudgy burglar stepped a tall dark figure. He was wearing primarily black clothes like his underlings though he was dressed quite differently. The first noticeable thing about his outfit was his long leather trench coat with an upturned hood. The coat had layered pieces of armor sewn in the shoulders making the man look much bigger than he actually was. Beneath his hood was a black iron mask that covered the entirety of the man's face sans one hole that showed one of his cold and focused eyes. Underneath the coat he wore padded clothing for protection. As soon as he got the okay that the coast was clear he would lift one of his gloved hands and point, signaling his men to move.
The men all moved ahead in formation. Two men up front to cover what was ahead of them, one in the back to prevent them from being flanked and one in the center carrying their payload. They moved through the streets with purpose as they headed to their hidden getaway vehicle. Their route remained mostly unimpeded, people quickly got out of the way upon seeing what the first two men were holding. They kept their mouth shut and hurried away in the opposite direction. That's how you stayed alive. You don't say anything and you never saw anything.
“FREEZE!” A nervous sounding voice called out, a young rookie officer pointing his pistol to the group of men. The leader in the back merely held his hand up and flicked his wrist to the two armed men up front. “Drop your weapons or I will fir-” The officer was silenced by a short burst of gunfire from the two armed men. As the officer collapsed in a heap of blood screams of fear and panic would fill the air as people began fleeing from the group of burglars in a mad frenzy.
The leader rolled his eye in frustration as the sounds of panic filled the night air. So much for slipping away! “Move.” He simply said in a sharp tone that sent shivers down the spines of his subordinates. The burglars began to sprint, firing a few pot shots to scare anyone into dispersing away from them. It only took a few more moments till they reached the parking lot where their hovercar was waiting. With no hesitation they all piled in and set for take off.
“Haha! We did it! We're gonna be rich!” The chubby burglar said as he pulled up his ski mask looking to the others. He happily laughed as he greedily looked at the heavy bags of money. “Rich! Richj! Rich! We should all celebrate! Lets blow all this money on whatever suits our fancy! We're gonna live like kings! Haha!”
“Horace you idiot, if you weren't so fat and useless we could have gotten away before the cops showed!” The man in the pilots seat hissed as he began to press a few buttons on the ship's dashboard, the machine humming to life. His hands were a little shaky, leaving a blood trail was never good in this line of work, That's how he got caught his last few jobs.
“Jeeze Jax, no need to be so harsh! Me and Ivan can just celebrate without you! Right Ivan?” Horace said looking over to the man in the passenger seat with a dopey smile.
“...” The man didn't even look back as he let his silence answer for him. The man just clenched his hands around his gun as he stared ahead, ready to just go.
“You both are no fun. I'm not ever gonna invite you to do anything fun.” Horace pouted as he slunk back into his seat. “What about you boss? Wanna celebrate with me later?” He asked grinning widely to the man in the metal mask.
“Jax. Drive.” He merely said in his sharp tone, ignoring Horace completely like the other man did so before him. The man in the pilots seat glanced back before he nodded as he quickly typed in a few more buttons on the dashboard. Soon the engines would roar to life as they're ship took off and headed into the sky flying towards the city.
Nearby the ship a lone woman, knowing that the thugs hadn't seen her and it was safe, approached the bleeding police officer. With a panicked expression etched on her face she would stoop down: looking to see if he was still alive. After a few moments she would gasp upon hearing his shallow and ragged breath. “Oh! Oh my god!” She quickly uttered as she stood up, looking around wildly to see if anyone was nearby. “...Someone...Anyone...Please...” She frantically said, each word getting louder and louder as the panic and fear continued to grow. “Someone...” She looked to the sky and inhaled readying a mighty shout.
"HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!!"
An armored ship cut across the city skyline at a breakneck pace. Police hovercars swerved and weaved through traffic with their sirens blaring to intercept and capture the crooks within. They were too far behind though, the lead the ship had was substantial and the illegal engine parts it was using made it faster than their fairly standard hovercars.
“Once we get outta the city and to the base we're home free boys!” The pilot said with a satisfied grin, looking to his mirror revealed just how har away the cops were. There was no chance that they'd get stopped. The other henchmen let out a cheer as they shared in the confidence that they were really going to get away. Even their leader seemed to relax somewhat. His relaxation was short lived however as a few numbers flashed before his eye with an electronic beep.
“Hey! What the hell!? Whose shining their brights at us?!” The pilot snarled suddenly before shielding his eyes with an arm as a golden light filled his vision.
“Brace yourselves!” The leader barked as something slammed into the front of their ship with enough force to make the impact to knock their ship into a spin. The pilot desperately tried to right the ship as it spun out. Ivan gripped his seat as he tried to resist slamming about while Horace just seemed to tumble every which way. Their leader growled
"Wh-What the hell was that?!” Jax spat as he whipped his head around trying to look out the window. All he could see was a trail of golden light. He began accelerating again but stopped as he heard a thus on the dented front end of their ship. The man looked up to see a young man dressed in a costume of white, black, and gold posed with his arms crossed before them. It was the up and coming hero: Captain Nova!
“You know, if you wanted to take out a loan the bank opens in the mornings at 9... I know it's a bit of a pain but you've gotta follow their rules!” He said in a slightly more snarky version of his super heroic tone before pulling back his fist to punch in their windshield. The man cut his yoke sharply to the side to send the ship into an aileron roll. The ship suddenly rolled in a complete 360 from it's side sending Nicolas tumbling off before he could react. The henchmen laughed a bit, thinking they were rid of the strange costumed hero...That was until the ship began to rock and shake as a barrage of ki blasts struck it's armored hull.
“We won't be rid of him that easily...” The leader said as he stood and walked to the door. “Keep the ship steady...I'm going out.” He opened the door and stepped towards it, the intense wind blowing his trench coat to the side. “Whatever happens keep this ship going...Do you understand?” He merely asked, though he knew their answer. They wouldn't cross him.
With that he'd slip out of the moving ship and climb unto the roof of the moving vehicle. He took a second to claim his footing but eventually he stood tall and awaited the 'hero' to come. He glanced around, though it was hard to see. The lights of other hovercars moving in the opposite direction and the lights of the various buildings that whizzed by provided him with ample illumination but everything was just moving so fast. The masked man's gaze cut towards the sound of energy screaming through the air and watched as another volley of golden ki bolts came hurtling towards his ship. He lowered down letting out a guttural yell as he suddenly sprung forward and began swatting them away. Each swat sent them hurtling into the air.
Nicolas landed on the ship before the strange masked man and dramatically pointed to him. “Have you come out here to surrender you fiendish foe? If so I must tell you to land your ship immediately!” He ordered as he placed his hands on his hips and gave him one solid nod. The man merely shook his head as he took a step towards him, his hands extended at his sides and his gloved palms remained open.
“No, surrender is for the weak and foolish. I assure you I quite easily break the mold of your day to day criminal. I've got the strength to take on an army with strength to spare. Someone with a powerlevel as low as yours poses no threat to me.” He closed his eye as he laughed once, almost mocking the hero before him. “I didn't come up here to surrender...” He said opening his eye and glaring at the hero.
“I came here to kill you.
“Kill me? Well you'll be sorely disappointed! Justice never dies and neither will I! Not to the likes of you!” Captain Nova responded as he began to charge his energy around him in the form of a brilliant golden aura. He wasn't sure what the masked man meant by 'power levels' but he was sure that he was going to prove him wrong! After charging enough of the energy that circulated through his blood Captain Nova would lift into the air, his aura sparking around him fiercely. The young man would then fly towards the masked man and attempt to slam a heavy fist to his jaw! Though all he hit was air, for the hooded man leaned away from the strike and avoided it. “He's fast!” Nicolas said to himself before feeling a palm slam into his sternum. He coughed, eyes going wide at the jolt of pain.
"I'm every bit as strong as you, one gifted with ki. I have, however, something that pushes me further past you.” The man said in a cool tone before firing a bolt of red ki into Captain Nova's chest, the sudden force launching the hero into the air. “I have been augmented to be a fighting machine.” The man continued as he effortlessly reached up and grabbed the foot of the airborne Captain Nova before he slamming him unto the roof of the ship. The sudden force from the slam and the movement of the ship caused Nicolas' body to roll and tumble away from the man. He caught himself before falling off the ship however, and pulled himself to a stand panting lightly from the burning in his chest and the aches from being slammed like a ragdoll.
Augmented? What did he mean? Was that why he was so fast and strong? Captain Nova shook his head before he came at him once more, this time firing a few bolts of ki as he ran. The masked man let out a yell as he held his gloved hand out and fired another bolt of scarlet energy. The bolt was powerful enough to overpower the small volley and threatened to slam into the hero as well but he dodged by the skin of his teeth and kept coming towards him. The man wasn't expecting the dodge which left him open for Nicolas' next attack. A swift but powerful punch to his jaw. “Bingo!” Captain Nova grinned watching the man stagger. His grin faded quickly however... “W-What are...”
The man's hood was down, revealing his face fully. What Nicolas thought his face was anyway. Behind the black metal 'mask' was a translucent 'dome' of sorts that housed his brain. The 'mask' was just his face, though all that was truly left of his 'face' was that one eye. “...A lucky shot. You won't get another.” He merely said in annoyance as he righted his stance, “As for what I am...I'm human...Partially, My organs are still mine... Everything else is just...Augmented.” He tossed off his coat, letting it fly away and revealed more of his twisted body. Namely his arms. They were clearly metallic like his 'face.' though unlike his face there were a few glowing red lines of circuitry running up them. Nicolas assumed that the trend continued underneath his padded vest. Though he didn't have much time to think because the amalgam of technology and flesh came at him once again.
Captain Nova held up his arms as the cyborg began to slam his fits into him like pistons. The flurry of mechanical fists was almost too much for him to stand but he held his arms up and protected his face. “Your defense is pitiful. I can crush you. I was augmented to destroy anything and anyone.” He laughed as he found an opening and smashed his fist into Nova's face. “...And when I get away with my money... I'm just going to make myself stronger and better. Soon even the heroes of old will be a joke to me!”
Nicolas stumbled back, his vision going white briefly as the blow nearly knocked him out then and there. He forced himself to stay up however. In fact, he was more determined to beat this guy than ever! “Y-You're more machine than man... Darksteel...” He spat, naming his current nemesis on the spot. “I don't care what you've been augmented to do, you're hurting people and I can't allow that.” The hero said, spitting to the side before getting ready for his next attack. Captain Nova clenched his fists and began charging his energy pushing his body to strengthen him his next move. The cyborg blinked, and looked as a few numbers flashed before his eye. Numbers that began to steadily rise the more Captain Nova charged his energy.
Darksteel? Was he serious? 'Darksteel' couldn't “Hm? He can push his body and raise his energy the more he charges for an attack? His power level shouldn't be rising that much... I have to stop him I-”
His mutterings were interrupted however as the hero suddenly dashed towards him covered in a dome of energy. “SHOOTING STAR STRIKE!” He yelled his sphere flashing as he bolted straight towards the man. He didn't have enough time to dodge or counter the hero the extra charged 'Shooting Star Strike' hit. He let out a pained yell as golden ki burned into him from all sides with enough force to knock him off his feet and sent him careening closer and closer to the edge of the ship. The cyborg panicked, he couldn't fly... So if he was pushed off from this height and speed he was done for.
The cyborg regained his footing however and punched through Nicolas's dome of ki. The energy sprayed out around the two in a series of tiny sparks as his metallic fist flew toward's Nicolas' visor clad face. The hero leaned back however and met Darksteel's fist with his own, the resulting shock-wave causing a few windows that the ship whizzed by to shatter sending shards of glass falling to the street below. Both fighters took a step back as the shock-wave passed but after a brief moment of respite they were back at it.
The two traded blows at the edge of the ship. Sometimes Darksteel landed a solid punch sending Captain Nova reeling back in agony. Other times Nicolas would score a powerful blow that sent the cyborg's pain receptors into a wild frenzy. “Ho-Hah! I've not even begun to fight yet!” Captain Nova taunted as he flashed one of his signature over the top poses. Darksteel merely scoffed and kicked him in the chest while the caped crusader was in the middle of his posing. He coughed, eyes nearly bugging out of his skull as the boot sent him into another tumble.
“Get serious! I have no time for your antics idiot!” The cyborg chastised as he began to charge another bolt of scarlet ki into his palm. Though he didn't get the satisfaction of using his full power against a worthy opponent at least dealing with the idiotic hero was easy. He clenched his mechanical hand around the energy bolt as he took a step towards the downed hero. “Or you can just end it here!” He jeered as he fired his bolt of energy at him.
"I will end it here Darksteel!” The young man yelled as he charge a bolt of golden energy into his own palm as he sprung up instantly. Nicolas rolled out of the way of the crimson bolt (which slammed into the roof of his ship) and began running at Darksteel. The cyborg's eye widened, if there was anything this hero was it was persistent, and he knew that. He'd have to kill him or find away to send him away. Having him buzzing around was getting quite annoying.
Before he knew it though, Captain Nova was already on top of him. With a golden shining hand Nicolas would slam a ki charged palm right into Darksteel's face. “Now! Release!” Captain Nova called out as he exploded the bolt of ki he was holding right into the face of his enemy. The cyborg let out a grunt and a snarl as the golden ki melted away at the black paint on his face leaving a chrome hand print on half his face. The resulting impact from the palm pushed the cyborg back towards the edge of the ship, if Captain Nova pushed just a bit harder he would have fallen.
That hurt...A lot... How was he getting hurt? The augments should have made Darksteel invincible! How was a joke like Captain Nova pushing him so hard? He had to stop this...
“You won't beat me that easily! Hero!” Darksteel spat as he held his arm up. His forearm disconnected at a hinge and moved down revealing a cannon built into his arm. “Will you fight me or save the innocent?! Your choice!” He shouted firing a bolt of energy from the hidden cannon.
Nicolas stopped and looked back in horror as the powerful beam struck into a nearby hovercar. The engine for the floating vehicle exploded creating a trail of smoke as the car started to lower down towards the Earth below. “No! Damn you!” Nicolas cursed before jumping away from the speeding ship. He had to save those people, even if it meant letting those bastards get away.
The media had already started scrambling to get in on this huge scoop. Bank robbers, high speed chases and a whole lot of police. It was a dream come true for most news studios looking to get high ratings for a singular story. So it wasn't too surprising that there was already at least one group reporting on the chaotic scene.
A pretty young woman wearing a formal but professional dress stood in the center of West City with a microphone in hand. Standing in front of her was a camera man who was trying to adjust his lens to get a clearer picture. Once satisfied he'd give the reporter a thumbs up and switch on his camera. The woman cleared her throat before looking ahead, microphone ready. “Good evening, this is Katie Summers from LNN 'On the Spot!' live. A tragic sight to behold today, a cop has been shot and the men responsible are still on the loose but the cops are in pursuit currently, in a high speed chase.” She said, introducing herself and the current situation
An explosion from above cut off the reporter forcing her to look up. “Oh...Oh my god! There was an explosion overhead! I'm not sure what's going on but I can see smoke and... Oh my god it's a hovercar!” She cried out as she began to run away from the crashing hovercar, the camera lowering to the street shaking lightly as the cameraman also ran to a safe distance. “Jim! Jim! Quick Look! Get that thing back into focus!” The reporter ordered her tone shifting to one of excitement and shock.
The cameraman lifted his camera and focused it, gasping lightly at the sight before him. The image of a costumed hero covered in an aura of golden radiance swooping in and catching the smoking car was shown on hundreds of TV screens across the globe. Captain Nova made his official debut in the mainstream media with the image of him saving the citizens trapped in their smoking and burning vehicle from their certain destruction. “Don't worry citizens! I've got you! You're safe now...” The young hero said as he lowered the car to the ground. Without hesitation he would rip the door off it's hinges and reach in saving a single mother and her young son.
“Don't worry you're safe now...” He repeated, the woman was in complete shock and the boy was crying loudly from the fear of almost dying. He brought the two over to the reporter. “Please, you need to get them some help. I can't stay. I've got to stop those responsible for this villainy!” He said in his overly heroic tone to the reporter.
“O-Of course... But first before you go! Who are you?” She asked as she held the microphone to him. The super hero clad in gold, white and black smiled briefly but began lifting up into the air pulling away from the woman and the camera. “W-Wait! Hold on!” She called out.
“I'm the hero of justice: Captain Nova! I've gotta go try and nab those guys!!” He said dramatically giving a thumbs up for the camera and a grin before he shot into the air as quickly as he appeared.
“Captain...Nova?”
The cyborg slipped back into the ship, satisfied that he had taken care of their caped nuisance. He returned to his seat casually and popped his neck as his henchman looked back to him. “Woah boss you took care of that masked freak?” Jax asked with a devious grin. He shouldn't have doubted him, that was for sure.
“Yeah boss! You're the best!” Horace exclaimed in pure excitement, the chubby man throwing his arms up in the air in his happiness.
“You killed him?” Ivan merely asked in a grim tone hoping that the dead was done and over with.
“I underestimated his power... He backed me into a corner so I provided an ultimatum for him. He chose the life of some innocents over us...” He explained as he looked to the windshield at the disappearing city skyline as they made their way out of the capitol city.
“...Do you think he'll return?” Ivan asked. Darksteel ran a mechanical hand over his scarred 'face' as he thought of the hero. He ended up laughing to himself softly. As he crossed his arms.
“He'll have to... I'm his villain after all... He called me Darksteel. I think I'm going to keep that name.” Darksteel decided as he began to laugh a bit more. “Next time we meet though, I'll be stronger than ever... He'll fall just as he was supposed to today.”
With that Darksteel would close his eye and drift off, thinking of the next time he'd fight his new super powered rival.
Word Count: 4177
Light Weights (+25%)
