PACHELBEL'S PILOT - IV.b.

Downtown Electropolis had seen its fair share of villains- its heroes an equal measure.

So it was that not even two days after newcomers managed to rob every bank on a single block, people awoke, coffee mugs in hand, to the same sight as the previous one. In truth, all citizens did was 'wake up' with a slowness synonymous with routine.

Explosions rocked the distant section of the district, chunks of debris careening into the air and sending tremors coursing through the ground and rising into the very air itself. Smoke billowed into the sky, forming a dark cloud and spreading a hazy gloom into the ruined surroundings.

The bank.

Of course, FINANCIAL GAIN was an adhesive incentive, like it always had.

Surely, to avoid future incidents, the police would have solved their own mistakes- except such thinking would work more easily if not for a bunch of morons running around with the gall of immoral fortitude.

In the center of the catastrophe lay a figure, draped over a bike. He groaned as the flames burned at his body. He stood, body wavering, though a determined fury burned behind his eyes. His clothes, singed and streaked with ash, were torn in several places. The charred skin beneath glistened, a wet, oozing sheen coating his forearms, his back, and across the parts of his legs not fully encased in protective armor.

Eric and his motley crew of heroes took point above ground, high above. While the sounds alone gave off the illusion of mayhem, the real chaos began when one looked into the distance. Forget about sore thumbs— one piece of conversation kept searing, settling horrifically deep within the recesses of his mind.

"Don't bother calling me into work tomorrow."

Yet, it had to have been TODAY.

And it was the main attraction himself-

"-RECKER."

The self-imposing meathead alongside his band: The Ruin Brigade punk-rocking at it with their 'roided out physiques that made paper out of metal, smashing and crashing, and rolling to win, the 'game'.

But this is where things become complicated, tricky.

It was up to the other members of the group, the ones that could cause more damage than a regular superhero trying to be polite- or rather... those who could even separate spectacle from grace.

"...Who's their ring leader?" Eclipse interrupted Eric's train of thought, pushing in with a raised finger.

For the first time ever since the fallout, she stared squarely into the man's eyes.

"Hey, look. All villains, and bad guys are already waiting for us! You can't make an omelet without a few eggs, right?" said Nicole.

Some others, perhaps not.

The caveman Snarrk could only shake his head in disapproval and turned his back to her. A sharp exhale parted his plump lips, and in the next moment, his skin became a reddish shade of pink, a cool glow escaping it.

Eric leaned against the nearby wall, trying not to pay heed, or not, to the other person-

He felt as good as he possibly could. But seeing himself, alongside the gathering vanguard, looking upon an assortment of assailants? That wouldn't be a pretty sight.

As if he were expected to be out front alongside Mirage Mistress.

"Well, if they want to make our jobs easy... then why would we need a mascot?" Rockweed chuckled, slapping Eric on the arm, causing his massive partner to stumble forward. "...Just some light chit-chat."

The chime-like earrings, fashioned for any formal occasion, were not often worn just like the starched collared uniform.

As such, despite all the confidence earlier, Mirage Mistress remained a beacon of silence.

Smiling wryly, his head hung before walking forward-

Stepping off the ledge was inevitable, a leap of faith.

No one wants to let down a room full of strangers when you make no promises. This wasn't a hero's battle alone- if he, of all people could see that, maybe the rest could join up.

A dwindling cluster of sparks, bright and clear:

But now that they had, indeed, went the extra mile-

-there had to be a payoff; one he wanted and expected back.

It was more evident by now as the ground thrashed and burst with a thunderous roar, sending a spray of asphalt skyward with a crash.

Alarmingly close by the sounds of collateral destruction reached a zenith, only to be met with the opposing side's crescendo:

Shooting off with the flair and gusto of a cork popping out of a champagne bottle- Rockweed, a miniature jet airborne dive-bombed an ear-splitting buzz, high above the area, drooping into a freefall. His body swirled forward through the air before pushing downward and rocketing straight-at the large target like a heat seeking missile.

A charcoal-hue smokescreen flung out from the reptile's nostrils, cloaking him from prying eyes.

Secondary from the right, a shadowy blotch descended.

Whips of razor wind began digging into Recker's raw musculature.

Then from the left, a third erupted. And with that third also came the sound of a wispy growl- like a raging wildfire roaring over the open plains.

Snarrk used his burly shoulders to try and tackle his foe. 'Nicole' in hand, stabbing upwards like lightning while barely caught across their neck before Rockweed, and no stranger to the jaded air of combat, kicked off to close the gap in an instant.

-Only now, they appeared,

And seemed so unfamiliar, the people, 'heroes'.

The initial clash was not hard enough. While the opening salvo and Recker being attacked as the opposing party, did not take any 'chunks' off his health meter - it had managed to slow his advance.

✩

The torrential downpour emitted by Mirage's maelstrom rapidly overwhelmed the gravity chamber, leaving Eclipse powerless against the force field and sending her crashing to the ground.

The air displaced itself in the training area, whipping and swirling amidst the flash of Mirage's conjuration-

Eric immediately was reminded, however, the world around them warped and flickered like a flame.

The heroines got out for breath; Inferno Blaze got all up in Mirage's face.

"GONE- MISSED. USELESS,"

He grumbled and growled, indicating no signs of stopping.

She shrugged: at his unkempt, brown tresses streaked with flares dancing almost hypnotically, their intensity gradually increasing- muttering:

"What do you expect?"

Standing eye-to-eye, Inferno paused.

A moment of silence, before raising a hand past Eric-

"CARRY THAT WEIGHT."

-And stepped away from everyone; Eclipse slowly slumped her posture, unbuckling drenched wrist weights.

Before she could catch herself.

"That's fine..."

Gravity's shift took a hold of the brunette, eyes rolling and focusing, only, her head began dribbling; drooling onto the dusty terrain- and from there, his body flailed and flopped, seemingly paralyzed-

"NO, it's very CLEARLY NOT." Eric plastered a can of iced coffee onto her forehead, her skin prickling upon impact.

He waved arms up in surrender.

"I can't imagine phasing through matter akin to holding one's own breath, but... having to extract hostages under such intense duress-"

"-Can't ENVY ya." Rockweed leered at Eclipse's face before jumping back out for Eric to hoist her up.

"It's ironic, isn't it? Mirage's abilities are forthright in reducing casualties, yet merciless in its innate destructive potential."

Eric stroked his chin, comprehending the superhero's restraint in leveling an entire city block. The Csygon knew he was up to- something.

His train of thoughts was interrupted as Eclipse grabbed his arm and drew herself close to his ear, "Do you think Inferno's trying to protect me, or hold me back?"

She brushed her hair behind her ear, blinking inquisitively while the rest just stared.

Eric, maintaining professionalism, slammed fist against palm, clearing his throat:

"Have you ever tried littering?"

✩

More waves followed as the storm intensified.

Chained.

Compressed.

Recker raged against the turbulence as a massive outpouring was unleashed upon the ground.

The industrial piping lodged into the villain's calves shattered, raining down before the gale even reached him.

All sense of mobility was nonexistent as it appeared to consume the surrounding air.

Still, in the midst of this whirlwind, one voice was raised and amplified; a low bellow drowned by the high octave echoes of the chasm's vastness and Mirage's howls.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING DOWN!"

From the cloud, a tiny streak careened into Recker's temple, planting it right into his flesh before slicing through it.

Rockweed and Eclipse swooped away; Snarrk was no slouch either, spinning away as he braced for the shockwave.

All the while, Mirage's attack hammered relentlessly into his armored form, and no one held back, especially not Rockweed.

"C- C-- COME ONNN!!"

Rockweed growled, swinging the blunt edge of the weapon wide.

She knew; that a headshot was the only way to take someone of his stature down, a person who didn't so much as wince at repeated hits.

Spikes sprouted out of the asphalt, its weaver quickly shifting and raising one up in a horizontal slash.

It was the work of sheer desperation- for there to be a man, leading the charge. For there to be a woman, striking in lightning and lashing out with rage.

Big collisions caving roads every time they landed.

And it was a good effort, what they could do.

But Recker simply stumbled and mimicked a gorilla, regaining balance in a blink of an eye. His fists swung around, crashing to the ground- static sparks razed the craterous terrain where he brought them down.

Mirage couldn't keep pace anymore and decided to rush between them before unleashing a desolate wind to push Rockweed back from finishing him off.

Even a mere glance from any bystander could tell how Recker was a tough foe to crack, showing how he thrived on the battlefield. For him, as with all foolhardy men, there could not be a concept of quit. He would go at it endlessly, over, and over, and over again.

The remainders of the Ruin Brigade had already been separated from their dear leader, the junta of additional superheroes arriving on scene, having the other three cut off from any means of escape. Real-time satellite imaging detailed on screen, the phone blaring out with notifications of more locations tagged for proper authorities, firefighters, and police forces to intervene and disengage ongoing battles to prevent further damages.

Tagged and flagged.

There would be little difficulty in knowing the aftermath without seeing it play out in front of him, given Eric could taste it: rain slicking through his hair and the hot-burning fury it had endured without his control.

Every sound soon escaped, muting to a lower hum.

The Heroes Initiative Agency's motto: the safety of the civilians foremost.

A rout of citizens filed out of the ravaged downtown, shambling and gasping towards designated shelter zones, towards a safe area through the quaking streets of Electropolis. The superhero consultant undid his tie, swimming against the current of hysteria to stake a claim before it became too late.

It's a day like any other:

He'd take that plunge after his own bloody clients, since it's about time they cleaned up the scum cluttering the sidewalk like dirt.

While Eric still had ideas of how to conduct himself. All the same, one had to possess the resolve and the will to be an effective hero; otherwise, he would have no hope of succeeding in this field, like many others before him.

Yet he chose to try again.

By now, he's not surprised to see it fail as the brute merely snorted, "YOUR TIMING SUCKS!"

Eric raised his phone up high, thumb set against the camera's touchscreen to enable flash photography, bright lights clearly gathering more than just attention- and that was, easily, the ONE thing that was working towards his favor.

-CRACK! CRACK! KKRAKSHSHSH…

Unlike the average person who would normally not flinch a single muscle as they are accosted by the blinding radiance, Recker staggered backward, staggering out of line as he tried to hide his eyes.

Then- the whole atmosphere was ablaze.

The city block descended into a spiraling, swirling inferno, but rather than being a cloud of impenetrable opacity, a sea of colors and refractions, a rainbow of sorts, lit the darkness.

Brilliant sunlight refracted blindingly off the windows, rendering them mote-strewn shields to the INFERNO.

Mirage swept off to the side, containing the fiery vortex to just a flaming homage to the main suspect himself, holding the scorching core in stasis, lest she could not maintain the structure against the massive force for much longer.

As swiftly as the conflagration formed, did it reduce.

The mist became solid- more akin to a blob.

In a matter of minutes, Recker found himself surrounded; six against one, and by then, every member knew the Ruin Brigade didn't possess a mere bit of strength to hold onto their long-term livelihood.

Inferno Blaze landed before Mirage Mistress, hand outstretched before shifting his wrist to make a shoving motion upwards, causing a sudden gust, bringing the ash up like a balloon and into the air, though the dust and blackened residue still clung to the surroundings despite the recent fires.

Firelight began to die down.

Not a moment later, a shuffling of gravel and clanging steel echoed out.

Behind every smoking mass, which once was an unfortunate soul, Recker appeared at each, wiping off a singed remnant of fabric, from his forearm.

It was a comical sight, considering how he failed to see any form of oppression to threaten the presence of 'him'.

A moment of hesitation.

"Now... give me a good reason, TO KEEP YOU ALIVE."

With a jovial response, Recker drew his hands forward, twisting himself forward, fists grasping the air while extending his index finger to an angle, striking the spot that he meant to strike.

"After all, nothing lasts FOREVER."

Pandemonium rocked the perimeter, the smoldering heap on all sides. The blazing rubble tumbled one way; the concrete heaved and folded where Rockweed landed in a rolling dive.

Recker came to a grinding halt with Eclipse phased up with an upright steel beam, his chin nearly touching tips of the extended metal.

Sawtooth trenches crept across its face.

Mimicking a dog on a leash, his body shook from impact, and the weight held against his body. A massive impact left him rooted to his position- until his lower jaw clamped together and his fist grabbed the iron rod.

Yet, he had missed one detail.

Perched proudly atop Eric's shoulder, the dragon guffawed before gagging out with a belch- reigniting charred skin across Recker's torso as he spat flecks of congealed saliva.

His breathing slowed.

One step out of place, and the big man's chin crashed through the pillar's surface.

This time, his mouth clamped in silence.

Sirens roared, the tell-tale signs that the police had heard and had arrived with backup.

Inferno Blaze had been prepared for the worst, a constant vigilance that was part of his character. He was only sorry it came to this for a bunch of bank robbers, in his mind the lesser of two evils, given the ongoing threat.

He shared a look with Eric Rogers, and the former reluctantly relented in his pursuit as he was sure a criminal locked away by the law enforcement would be no further trouble for a while.

And, much to his surprise, unlike the last outing- it was entirely under an average joe's command.

★

Rainbow spherical balls drifted outside, seemingly suspended by the air itself. Yet, if it wasn't clear enough, wind began flowing from the center of the girth, rounder like it is.

The large round object stood proud in its regalia, even without requiring the gravitational pull around it. And without fail, all instigators of the gathering 'hurried' past the threshold.

For in its full might, in that instance, eclipsed the superheated white light released from a chest plate; just a flicker in reality.

A CONCRETE JUNGLE, reduced to rubble.

Outlined by the moonlight's bright shine and starlit glow, wreathed in flickering flame, the brilliant splendor was truly a breathtaking sight, the very embodiment of nobility and glory.

But enough to leave residual heat.

It looked as if two separate beings had come into existence, a black silhouette looming within the pale white shape.

The gale of a starry night's sky, it blew gently against the city, gently, just not enough, as-

Everything froze, every movement halted, suspended in mid-air, in action.

Then a moment later, a dark blur raced towards the nearest exit-

A familiar sight, the neon overheads shone: a figure leapt away, flying through the air, into the desolated region below. It was silhouetted against the flashes coming from the bright streets of a distant metropolis.

MIRAGE MISTRESS clenched her teeth, her breathing becoming increasingly more ragged.

A living thunderstorm.

Smoldering instances of what could have been, now a torrent of pain and fear.

The world flickered, phasing out.

SUPPRESSED.