Page 01
Aron Carter, better known as Void to the world, stood on the stage in the city square listening to the Mayor yammering on about how lucky the city was to have him. His eyes moved over the crowd seeing them all wearing I love Void t-shirts, Veil's (Virtual Empathetic Intelligent Lifeform), programing ran, scanning the faces of the attendees. Rolling his eyes when the Mayor called him a hero and how his mother had this wide grin on her face as she and the rest of his family were mixed into the crowd.
"Please, don't tell me that's what I think it is?" Aron groaned in his mind when the Mayor gestured to the object behind them. "I'm so not going to live this down," he muttered to himself as those who stood behind the stage pulled the tarp that was covering a bronze statue of himself off. Fighting himself from dragging his hand down his face at the sound of Vera, better known as Vemvendon, his mother and sisters Isabell, Firelight, and Lyla (Morphic), in the disguise of Lyle voices overshadowing those in the crowd. Knowing they were never, ever going to let him live this down. Then there was his daughter, Jill, from another age, bouncing on her feet and howling like mad.
"Void, incoming metahuman signals," Veil warned as her built-in sensors to his suit fired off like mad.
Aron didn't need her to tell him who was approaching. He could tell who they were from the color of their costumes. Jetstream and the Commander were inbound. However, the parting of the crowd drew his gaze downward, then caused his eyes to flicker up, wondering who else was coming, given how The Commander was walking towards him through the crowd with a purpose. Aron noted the grey in The Commander's hair, along the Jetstream's when she and whomever it was that was with her floated above the crowd when they came to a stop. He did not like the feel of it.
"I'm sorry, Mayor, for ruining this day, yet as heroes, who've protected this city for years along with the many others. We can't sit by and let this villain..." Aron arched an eyebrow at that when The Commander pointed at him. Slyly shaking his head when he noted how his family was about to weave through the crowd to suit up. That would just give away their identities; if it came to blows, he'd find a way to handle it on his own.
"You might want to seek shelter," Aron warned, looking at the Mayor and his staff, getting the feeling this was going to come to blows no matter what he said. "You think I'm a villain, huh?" Noting how Jetstream and whoever was with her told the crowd to disperse. Telling them, they couldn't guarantee their safety with this villain around.
"You're actions at the capital have proven you are not a hero and must be brought to heel, for the good of the world," The Commander uttered.
"Void, I would recommend you do not fight them in such a confined setting."
"Agreed," Aron uttered, his hand moving along the 3D display that appeared over the left sleeve of his coat. "Good luck with that," Aron taunted, leaping into the air as his newly redesigned wing came soaring in. "Shit, they're fast," he grumbled as he noted Jetstream and the newcomer racing after him with The Commander dangling from the stranger's arms.
"Aron?!"
"Dad?!"
"Don't get involved," Aron stated as he pulled himself up. "Veil find me a secluded area, so the world won't know how much I'm going to kick their asses," he said, feeling the old anger he felt when his grandparents died resurfacing.
"Take him down, Jetstorm?!"
"What kind of name is Jetstorm?" Aron asked himself, only to feel something slamming into his back and ripping him off his wing. Sending it spiraling down to the ground.
"This is the end of you, villain," Will Stronghold growled, plunging right down to the ground, keeping Aron locked in his embrace as he planned on planting Aron into the ground just like his mobile platform had done.
"Yeah, see, that's where you're wrong, fly boy," Aron spoke, activating the electrodes in his gloves. Bringing his hands up and clamping them against Will's head. Listening to his screams before he went unconscious. Shrugging Will off once he was five feet off the ground. Then falling to a knee as The Commander's punch landed squarely on his left jaw. Aron knew the Commander was strong; however, it was nowhere near as phasing as Maximins or his mother's. Hearing the wind being knocked out of The Commander as he landed two quick elbows to the man's midsection. Catching the man's punch in his left hand, listening to the concussive clap that was produced when he did. "You think you're any match to Maximins? I bet you worked alongside him, huh? Does that make you a villain? Seems you're getting weak in your old age," Aron spoke in a cold tone as his grip tightened around The Commander's fist. "Seems you have no clue who or what a villain is. Do you go around just attacking people out of the blue?"
"You're a villain?!" The Commander growled before throwing another punch.
"Did you think repeating the same thing was going to work?" Aron asked when he caught The Commander's left jab. "No wonder Royal Pain played you like a fool," he sneered before headbutting the man. Seeing the daze flooding his eyes as The Commander's knees wobbled. Aron wasn't going to kill him; as misguided as The Commander was, the man was still a hero, but that didn't mean he was going to allow the man to keep attacking him.
"No!" Will shouted as he watched his father flying backwards from the uppercut the fiend had delivered. "You monster?!" he growled before pushing off with all his might. Striking Aron in the stomach with his left shoulder only to feel and see how his force only pushed Aron back half a foot. His eyes went wide when Aron's knee struck him in his upper gut, breaking two ribs.
"I'm not the one that attacks people out of nowhere; I'm not the one that endangers innocent people when they're just enjoying their time off in the park," Aron spat, tossing Will Stronghold, aka Jetstorm, off to the side. "Lady, don't. You have no chance against me," he said, aiming his laser pistol at her, having already set it to stun. He only killed villains. As tempting as it was to switch it over to the kill setting, they were still heroes. "You attacked me. Look around you; look at the terror you brought to these people. From where I stand, you're the villains here." Sighing when she pressed the attack, listening to her cry as the laser bolt stunned her. Catching her as she fell unconscious to the ground. He wasn't gentle with her when he dropped her to the grass at his feet. Walking over to where his wing had crashed since they were no longer a threat to him. Glad Veil had talked him into making the new wing out of the leftover neuium he had left after making Veil's android body, along with the modified jet car he and Aminah had tinkered on.
"You know if I was a villain," seeing Will Stronghold peering up at him as he was trying to crawl to his mother's side, "you would be dead and not dealing with two broken ribs. Do you think I would leave two unconscious heroes alive if I were a villain? Maybe think on that before you think to come after me again; next time, I might not hold back," Aron spoke as he stood on the platform of his wing as Veil ensured it was still flight-worthy.
The sound of the clap as the wing broke the sound barrier echoed through the city as Aron headed for home. Rolling his jaw, The Commander might not be as strong as Maximins, but that didn't mean the punch didn't hurt.
"Aron, we're on our way?!" Tazia's frantic voice came over their com line.
"Don't bother," Aron replied.
"Aron, we are coming?!" Vera stated in a motherly tone.
"It's already over; I'm already halfway to the base," Aron stated before bringing his wing to a halt in midair when Sara's com-line appeared on the screen of his Hud. "Go ahead," he spoke once he had connected to it.
"Void, I need you and your team here in thirty," Sara directed. "We have a mission for you."
"Understood," Aron answered before cutting off the link and reestablishing the com with his family. "Aminah, how soon can you and the rest be suited up?"
"We already are," Aminah responded quickly.
"Good. We have a mission; you know where to meet me," Aron directed, taking charge of his team.
"Okay, Aron, we'll meet you there."
"Aron?! Aron?! We aren't done, you hear me?!" Vera uttered in a worried motherly tone. Thinking now that heroes have attacked her son, more and more heroes would soon be trying their hand.
"What's there to talk about? They attacked me, not the other way around. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at them," Aron grumbled, cutting off the link and heading off towards the roof of the NSA building that housed the hub where he and his team, the Dark Marauders, operated out of.
Aron stood on the roof waiting for Tazia and the others to arrive; his fingers moved over the holographic display that hovered over his left coat sleeve as the homing beacon drew near. Allowing Veil to take command of the wing and the car so the docking wouldn't cause any foul-ups when the wing attached to the new jetbike he had created to replace the one the Collector had destroyed a few weeks ago. The moment the jetcar landed on the roof, Aminah and Tazia leapt out of it and barreled into him. Fretting over him like two love sick girls, which they were.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Aron said softly. "Yes, they were alive when I left them. I don't kill heroes," he reiterated for the hundredth time as he noted the looks in their eyes.
"Void, you and your team are needed in the command center," came a male voice from behind them as another agent held the roof's door open. "Please, if you would follow me," the man gestured to the stairwell.
Their footfalls echoed off the concrete walls as they descended towards the NSA floor. Aron nodded to the rest when the man asked them to disengage any recording equipment they had on them before he allowed them to enter the hub. Watching the light turn green as the man slid his card into the reader, the metal groan of the hinges as the door opened, and the clicking sound of it closing behind them as they entered that sterile hallway. Seeing the heads popping up from over their cubicles when Aron and his family filed in. Aron nodded to the few people he knew who worked there, namely the single mother who had asked him for an autograph for her son.
"Greetings, team Dark Marauders," Sara greeted, sticking to her ruse that she didn't know who they were beneath their masks. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, if you all will have a seat, I'll get this briefing started," she said, gesturing to the table before her as she stood in front of the large display screen. "Thank you, Agent Conder," Sara spoke in a warm tone as the man closed the blinds before he left the room, closing the door behind him as he did. "There're coffee and snacks if you need it; this briefing will be long; I'll try to get through it without too much headache," she uttered, smiling warmly at all six of them as they sat facing her.
"Okay, Sara, what's this mission about?" Aron asked, speaking for his team, given how he was the leader of it.
"At 0900 hours yesterday, our spies intercepted this transmission," Sara stated, playing the garbled noise they had picked up. "I know it doesn't sound like much now, but it took our best audio decrypters most of the night to break the encryption embedded within the transmission; this is what they uncovered." Pointing her remote at the screen and playing the file over the speakers.
"If you don't want your little crime ring destroyed and added to my collection. You will cease operations and incorporate your operations into my own, for I am the Collector. You have three days to reply before I send my own team to destroy you." Pressing the stop button on the remote. She knew this would get Aron's attention, given his failed interrogation of the man he had spent weeks searching for before he was killed by a sniper.
"That was just a snippet of what we intercepted," Sara said, turning back towards them.
"And where was this transmission located from?" Neil asked, leaning back in his seat.
"While we can't trace the source location where the transmission originated, we were able to trace it to the providence of Mures just outside the city of Tirgu Mures in Romania," Sara said, bringing up the map of the country on the screen. Going over the intel they had on the crime lords, organizations, and everything in-between, they had on those operating out of that province, unsure who was affiliated with whom there. Casting Aron a smile as he rolled up his mask above his nose and brought his coffee to his lips. She did hope he liked the blend she had picked out for him. "My superiors would like it if you could bring everyone in alive, yet I know that's impractical. Then again, Void, your name has spread around the globe." Seeing how Aron scowled as she showed off the posters of his image plastered around the city and towns in the area, warning those with evil in their hearts to turn away from their paths that the killer of villains would be after them.
"You're famous," Tazia chuckled lightly as she elbowed his arm.
"Not funny," Aron grumbled.
"What did you expect to happen, Void, after that display in DC?" Aminah asked, peering over at him. "You had to know those people without powers would be flocking towards you, knowing there was someone like you out there picking off villains who constantly somehow manage to escape their prisons. You should have seen this coming; it's a natural reaction to your actions to date," she said, waving towards the screen. Patting Aron's thigh beneath the table when she saw how he was not happy that he was seen as a hero to a great many. She knew his reasoning for why he thought he wasn't a hero. Well, in hers, and a great many heroes, thinking, Aron wasn't. She knew he would agree with that assessment, given how he, too, didn't see himself as a hero.
"And what do you need from us?" Carl asked, getting the discussion back on topic.
"We, the NSA, and my superiors need your team to travel to Romania. Conduct your own recon on the location where the transmission was sent and wait for the Collector's team to show up." Playing the rest of the clip, their interceptors had caught.
"We don't know who you are, you fool, but you made a very bad choice. What little you have, we will be taking."
"So you can see that this will give us an excellent opportunity to nab some of the Collector's men and hopefully get them to talk on where this villain operates. However, if you're faced with the choice of them killing you, and they give you no other choice, you have the authority to do what you need to do to come back alive," Sara said sternly, wishing she could go along with Aron on this mission. "I will be staying behind to offer you any support we can from here. Our men on the ground will provide any and all backup you need to execute this task we have asked of you."
"I see, then we need time to prepare for this kind of duration and what seems to be rather dangerous given who we're up against," Aron said, getting to his feet and seeing Sara nodding as he did.
"We understand, Void, do what you must to ensure you and your team return to us in one piece," Sara said, hoping he heard her worry and concern underlining her voice. "A word, Void, before you leave," she called out when Aron was the last to leave. Rushing over to him when he shut the door. Pulling up his mask so she could peer into his eyes before she passionately kissed him. "Please be safe and come back to me in one piece."
"Had planned on it."
"Good, please; I know taking captives alive isn't your forte, but we need them alive, the Collector's men, I mean. You are authorized to take out the Romanians if you must. They aren't our concern, and it would benefit the city's people to know at least some of the crime, which has sprung up in their country, has been curtailed."
"I can't make promises, but I'll see what I can do," Aron said, seeing how Sara's cheeks heated as he squeezed her ass.
"And you better remember what's waiting for you when you get back," Sara uttered breathlessly as she pressed her body against his.
"Like I could ever forget," Aron responded, pulling his mask down before reaching for the doorhandle. "Let's go," he said, walking through the center of the little huddle his family had formed as they waited on him. Noting how Tazia and Aminah looked at him, then back to the room before puffing out their cheeks. They knew what had gone on in that room behind that closed door.
"You best be kissing us too; you can't leave your wives wanting," Tazia grumbled as their jetcar lifted into the air.
"Hmm... I don't know; you do get a little frisky with a little wanting," Aron retorted, smiling beneath his mask as he sat on the jetbike that was docked to the car when Tazia peered back at him.
"Hmpf!" Tazia huffed, crossing her arms below her breasts.
"Aron, you aren't so mean to us as to give her something and not us, are you?" Aminah pouted as she gazed back at him.
"Well, before Tazia went off about wanting this and that, I planned a hot make-out session. But if I'm going to get griped at, I'll just save my kisses for Henry and Nettie," Aron mused, seeing Neil, Carl, and his aunt/granddaughter Chery fighting back their laughter at how Aminah's and Tazia's mouths were moving like a fish out of water.
"Aron?!" Tazia whined when she knew he was just messing with her.
"Mmmhmm," Aron hummed beneath his mask.
"That's not funny," Aminah huffed, with Tazia nodding along.
"What? I thought the two of you wanted a trip to another country with me," Aron teased as their jetcar roared down the tunnel that led to the base his past self had created. Sighing in his mind as his mother, Jill, and his father were waiting on them for their return.
"Aron, we need to talk," Vera said sternly.
"I'm going to say this once again, so maybe you will listen this time," Aron said, his short auburn hair rustled as he pulled off his mask. His eyes cut hard to his parents. "They attacked me, understand? I didn't seek them out; I didn't start this. They did. They're the ones who crashed the ceremony. They're the ones who caused the people of that park to run scared when they knocked me off my wing. I was planning on hashing it out in a private area away from innocent people. Yet that wasn't good enough for them. They're the ones who put innocent lives in danger, not I! They're the ones who acted like villains, not I! So spare me your self-righteous attitude, Mom. I left them alive, if not broken, but alive; they should be grateful for that," he uttered in a dark tone as he walked towards the armory. "Veil, unlock the armory. We have work to do."
"Understood." Veil's voice came over the built-in speakers of the base.
"But Dad! They're heroes! You don't fight heroes!" Jill called after him, feeling her face heat when he turned back to her. Seeing the look, he was giving her as if to say: 'You sure you're my daughter?'
"And I was just supposed to what? Allow them to pound on me? Endanger innocent civilians because they're so hellbent on their fame? Get real, Jill, I thought my daughter would know me better than that," Aron stated coldly before turning back and heading back towards the armory.
"You know they'll just keep coming after you, son?!" Noah called out.
"So? You seem to think I'm some villain of sorts; if they come, if they're smart, they won't, but if they come, they will fail. Remember, I'm not the one who wanted to put on this suit. You were mother. You don't like how I operate, tough. I'm not forcing you to work with me; if you two can't handle that, then it's time for us to cut ties," Aron stated, not seeing the shocked looks in his parents' eyes as he disappeared around the corner.
"Really wish you two would lay off him," Aminah sighed, with Tazia nodding along.
"But..."
"Sis, I do love you and all, but stop being so stubborn. You can't force Aron to be something he's not. We all can see that. Why can't you?" Neil asked with the wisdom of his age. "We all know you love him and want the best for him. We all get that, but he's his own man now. You have to stop babying him. All you'll do is alienate Aron even further than you already have."
"But he's my baby?!" Vera whined as her lip trembled.
"Sis, we know that, but you must remember, Aron isn't like us. He's smart, okay, ridiculously smart, he's experienced things that aren't even remotely possible, yet he still lives. We know you worry about him every time he goes out there. I know I will worry like mad when or if Henry joins this life. You're his mother, nothing is going to stop that, but there does come a time when you have to step back and let him just be him," Tazia said in a sisterly tone.
"But you'll watch out for him, won't you?" Vera sighed, knowing her sister was right.
"Always, like I'm going to let Henry's dad just die on me," Tazia said with determination.
"Tell him I'm sorry; I just worry about him so much since Bosnia," Vera said, wiping away a tear, remembering how she had thought she had lost her son that day when the complex he was in blew up with him in it. She could still hear his final words. They still haunted her to this day, even nearly two years after the fact.
"I will, sis, I know he isn't the hero you wanted him to be, but you have to see how the nonpowered humans see him," Tazia stated, noting the look in Vera's eyes.
"Huh?"
"Can't talk about it right now, but when we get back, I will," Tazia reassured her.
"And just where are you going?" Noah asked, looking at his sister-in-law.
"We have a mission; that's all we can say," Chery spoke, placing her hand on Tazia's shoulder when she started to speak.
"It has something to do with the Collector, doesn't it?" Jill inquired, peering at her niece; the look in Chery's eyes told her what she needed to know. Noting how Chery and the others lightly touched their left ears, she knew her father was speaking to them. "Keep Dad safe; he can be reckless sometimes," she said in a loving tone as the five started to move off.
"Worry not, Jill, I'll bust anyone trying to take my man away from me," Tazia proclaimed; the dull ring rang out when her metallic skin raced across the space as her right fist struck her left palm. Her eyes were set with determination not to ever feel what she felt again after Aron's fight with Maximins or his ride on that rocket. She was not going to lose Aron if she could help it.
"I'm counting on it," Jill nodded, smiling at her niece.
"Whatever is going on, watch each other's backs out there!" Noah called out as they watched the five of them heading off to the armory. Dropping his head, wondering if they were pushing themselves too hard onto Aron. Even when Aron was first born, he knew his son was different; he couldn't say why he felt like that; he just did. His head jerked up as the alarm resounded. Rushing over to the monitor, seeing what was the cause of it, peering over at his wife. "Well, honey, the city needs us; what do you want to do?"
"We suit up, is what we do," Vera stated firmly, looking over at Jill. "You ready for your come back?" she asked, smiling warmly at her aunt. Watching how her power bloomed up off the palm of her right hand before Jill closed her fist.
"Dad might not be a hero, but he's raised some fine heroes, let's go protect the city?!" Jill stated, her violet eyes glowed as she felt the radiation stored in her bracelets responding to her will. She knew without them, without the deal her father had made, she wouldn't be here. Yes, she has lost the people she loved the most. Her mother and brother. Her father might be younger than she was now. Yet her father had given her a chance to be a hero again, along with another chance to love the man she left behind all over again. Taking off towards the changing room, feeling like old times, like when she had joined his side when they were patrolling the city. She knew she was taking a risk.
She knew the Collector might be watching the city since her father had been seen repeatedly in it. That was why she could no longer use the first hero name she had used when she was her father's sidekick. Now, as she tugged on the gloves of her new suit. Clipping the bracelets into the adapters like her father had taught her in their numerous training sessions. Watching the interface flicker on across her eyes as the interlink to Veil's system booted on. Jill knew her father had embedded Veil into her suit so Veil could monitor her radiation level and absorption rate. Running down the list of colors that the suit displays before stopping at the desired color. Blowing out a breath, psyching herself up, feeling like it was her first time out all over again.
"Whoa?!" Isabel muttered, running her eyes down her grandaunt's body and how her skintight supersuit looked on her as her cape brushed against the back of Jill's ankles. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Moonlight," Jill purred, seductively gesturing to Troy with her eyebrows.
"Vera, Lyla reports she would meet you all en route." Veil chimed in, holding Henry's and Nettie's baby carriers in the doorway. "Worry not; the children are safe with me. They are my primary function to see to their health and safety."
"Thanks, Veil; we'll try to be back as quickly as possible. You two suit up quickly," Vera stated, glaring at their slow response time as she walked past them.
"Two minutes," Isabel nodded as she moved quickly past her mother
"What the hell are you taking?!" Jill heard Vera ask as she raced to catch up to her niece. Even she was a little surprised how geared up the six were as her father, and the rest exited the armory.
"What's needed to take down some very bad people," Aron spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "Veil, you know how long we'll be gone. If we aren't back... well, you'll know what to do when that happens." His thought derailed when he realized what he was saying. She would know when it happened if something went wrong. Wondering if Jill had found the function he had added to her suit yet.
"And just how long were you planning to be gone?" Vera huffed, crossing her arms.
"If we aren't back by tomorrow for dinner, Veil will inform you on what to do," walking past his mother before stopping, "Be safe, Mom," Aron whispered, remembering what his past self had said before he had sent him back. Feeling her arms wrapping around him as she hugged him back.
"You too, honey," Vera said softly, placing a light kiss on his shoulder. "Whatever you do, you come home safe, okay?"
"Always will," Aron replied with a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, we have a long flight," Aron ordered as he walked off towards their jet car.
"He wants to tell you, but he can't. However, Veil is under no obligation to keep that secret," Aminah whispered into her sister's ear before hurrying to join Aron. Nodding when she peered back as Vera mouthed, 'Thank you.'
"Well, Moonlight, leave the air cover to Noah, Isabel, and Lyla; you, Troy, and I will keep the area safe for the civilians and stop the bad guys; you ready for this?" Vera asked with a warm smile.
"As Dad would say when he thought we weren't around, fuck yeah?!" Jill said, seeing the bemused look in Vera's eyes.
"Good," Vera whispered in a motherly tone. She wasn't about to let Aron down in protecting Jill, knowing the trust he was placing in her with her safety.
"Don't worry Jill, we got your back; we best get moving," Troy said, as he meandered along with his father, with Isabel trailing behind.
"And what were you two doing that caused you to be so late?" Vera's voice could be heard as the five of them walked towards their jet car.
"Nothing," Isabel said innocently.
"If you're just joining us, thirty minutes ago, a savage attack ravaged the City Center when a notorious group known to operate from the Akisa Kingdom, the eastern breakaway block of the once Chazr Empire thirty years ago. In the interim, once the call for help was sent, the city's police force made a valiant effort to hold off the villains. However, what they were facing, they were quickly outmatched?!" Howard Clark clutched hard to the handle as the pilot of the news chopper swerved hard to the right. A bolt of plasma shot passed him. "As you can see, viewers, we are currently being fired at... What was that?!" he shouted as a silver beam streaked past them.
Seeing something quickly approaching before he lost sight of it. "No!" Howard screamed out when the flyer of the group suddenly appeared wearing a sadistic smile as he brought up his hands. Deep purple plasma swirled along the man's hands. The fireball that struck the man flashed before his eyes. Watching the scream playing out before his eyes as each sweep of the helicopter blades seemed to pass ever so slowly as his death played out before him. Then all of a sudden, time seemed to speed up as his pilot managed to dodge the hero coming in to draw the villain off.
"You bitch!" the man hissed in a far eastern Eurasian accent. Patting his hair out, feeling his scalp burnt. "You're going to wish you were dead after I burn that pretty face... off," the villain's voice trailed off as he stared up as the shadow of a giant scaly tail loomed over him. Screaming out in terror as the face of a dragon appeared over the tail. Flashes of his childhood played out before his eyes as the old tales haunted his memories. A look of confusion played across his face when a man filled his view. Then he felt three hard impacts on his chest before the world turned black.
"Yeah, that ain't happening," Troy spat as his father caught the unconscious man. Peering up, smiling at Lyla as her arms wrapped around him. "We need to get down there."
Jill's tonfas whistled in the air. The sound of a crack played loudly in the air, and a horrible scream quickly followed as Jill broke the man's kneecap. Looking around for Vera and noticed how she was being hemmed in by three villains. The man's body landed in a hard thump at her feet once she had landed the knockout blow her father had taught her on the man's jaw. Sprinting towards an overturned bus for cover as she activated the flight commands to send her stored radioactive energy to her boots. "Be a doll and say hi, huh?" Jill flirted, catching the three in surprise as she took quick aim and raised her hands. Smirking when Vera didn't waste the opportunity as she was racing to close the distance between the two. Reaching down and pulled her tonfas from their holders. Butting the handle ends together and twisting, the handles quickly folded into the now-formed staff. Landing in a roll, coming to a knee, striking out low to throw the very stony metahuman off-balance, listening to the man's howl as her stunner penetrated his stony hide. Dropping to her stomach as Vera used her momentum to lift the cement truck and swing it like a very oversize baseball bat.
"Okay, that's something I don't hear," Vera held back her laughter at Jill's catchphrase. Her eyes flickered to the left as Noah came in for a landing with the fourth member of the group on his shoulders, followed by their children. Surprise played along her face as Lyla took on a female angelic form. Her eyes shot toward Lyla's face; pride shimmered in her eyes that this was a very big step for her daughter since she had never been in a female form in public before. Trying not to embarrass her daughter as Lyla's face heated.
"Well, I guess you didn't need backup?!" Troy whistled, glancing at the two men groaning on the ground, then back to the man behind him.
"What did you expect?" Jill shot Troy a look, who glanced away. "You know who trained me."
However, she didn't see how Vera was smiling when Vera could see some of the techniques she had taught her son in the way Jill fought. It wasn't hard for Vera to notice when they first practiced together. Knowing without her past-Aron, she wouldn't have her current Aron. While she could never see that form of her son any longer other than through the videos he had left for her and their family. She would always be grateful to him for giving himself back to her, as weird as that sounded. While her son may not be like her, yet she could see it in Jill, albeit a little rougher than she would have liked. Turning at the ready, she heard noise approaching, unsure who they were about to meet. She couldn't be prouder at that moment as her family formed up within the second. Blowing out a breath when the city's swat team poured into the area.
Holding the men down as the police put the neutralizers on them. Wondering what brought them so far from their homeland and why their city. Unaware to anyone at that moment, a second-team was silently making their getaway with the item they were hired to steal. The sound of the water sloshing as the hover engines propelled them towards their rendezvous to slip out of the city undetected. They had hired the terrorist team under the disguise of a partnership, yet they were just a distraction to keep the city's heroes busy while they stole what they were hired for.
"Well, let's get back; I'm sure Veil could use a hand," Vera spoke, peering back at Noah, who nodded in agreement. "Now, let's see how you handle the press," she uttered in a challenging voice, nodding to the vans that were speeding in now that the area was safe.
"Aron, what are you planning?" Chery asked from behind him as Aron had been spying on the compound for the past hour.
"We go in an hour before they're meant to show up, take out the crime syndicate that's in there; that should be enough time to keep them in the dark so they can't change their plans. When they arrive, we lure them into our trap and close the cage on them, so to speak," Aron stated factually as he turned to look at his aunt.
"Okay, but what about the men on the outside?" Chery inquired, waving to them from their dark perch.
"The rest of you will gather them up, secure them somewhere out of the way while I cut off the head of the snake. Hopefully, the police force in this country can use the opening to weaken the others that lurk around here while they fight with each other to fill the void left behind.
"That's awful sneaky of you, Aron," Chery said, casting him a glance.
"What? Not like I can stop all of it at once; this way, they can use it as a means of getting the upper hand for themselves. Sometimes people just have to save themselves if they want a better world," Aron said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And sometimes that means doing things you might not like."
"And what happens if they call for backup?" Chery asked, wondering if he had thought of all the possibilities that could go wrong.
"Why I brought the EMP gun with us. We'll have to be up, say ten thousand feet, for us to be undetected, so they don't get a whiff of my ingress. Tazia knows what to do with it, so you don't need to worry; then, well, you've led your team longer, and you know how well you all work together. I trust your leadership," Aron stated in a confident tone, seeing his aunt blush at his praise. "Then Carl will clean the outside up to ensure we don't spook them. Once they're inside, they're as good as caught," showing off the cubes in his hand, "think of them as a portable shield; we're just going to use it as a way to keep them locked in while we subdue them."
"Okay, then we best bunk down for a few hours. We're going to need to be at our best," Chery stated, lightly rubbing his back.
"Right, a few hours without Henry or Nettie waking us up will be nice," Aron agreed.
"Come on, I know two someones are eager for that, too," Chery said, resting her arm along his shoulders as she led him back to the stairwell of the building they were on a mile away from their target.
"You sure you want to go in this high?" Tazia asked as she lifted the EMP gun up to her shoulder. Her fingers moved over the screen to limit the area of its effectiveness before looking back at Aron as he sat on the side of the jetcar.
"What, leap off a perfectly good jetcar? Are you insane?" Aron teased, smiling beneath his mask.
"You be safe, baby. Nettie needs another sister or brother, and you can't do that if you're out of commission," Aminah cooed, winking at him as she squeezed his hand.
"Don't worry; we'll be inside before you know it," Chery assured him as she peered back at him.
"Alright, let's get this party started," Aron spoke, leaning back and freefalling to the Earth below. Just as Tazia fired off the EMP to keep his suit from being caught in the blast. The wind whistled loud in his ears as Aron watched the lights of the compound shutting off as he fell silently through the air. Righting himself into a pike as he drew close to a thousand feet. Feeling the thrust of his jet boots firing off, peeling off his velocity before crashing through the skylight. Surprise filled his eyes as the table held true as his left knee touched its surface. The sounds of his pistols permeated that still air; Veil's tracking system flared to life as he lifted his head. "Goodbye, gentlemen." Were the only words Aron spoke before that chamber was filled with flashing red lights as he mowed down the leaders of that syndicate. Smirking when he heard Carl zooming into the building. Wondering if his past self ever fought alongside his grandfather/son in the past. Pondering if his past self had that same feeling in his chest as he did now as he tossed the bodies of the dead criminals into another room.
"Okay, Void, the yard is cleared, and the thugs are strung up in the wine cellar. What's next?" Chery inquired, walking into the center room, ignoring the blood that marred the floor.
"Now, we set our trap," Aron directed, gesturing for Tazia and Aminah to bring the bags they were carrying forward. "Carl, place four around each window and door you can on the ground floor. If there are two side by side, then you can just use the same four over the area," he said, showing his uncle how to use them. Seeing Carl nodding along as he displayed how they were to be set up. "The rest of us will use this time to get this room set up." Noting how Tazia was giving him a look as they set about ensuring that whomever the Collector was sending wouldn't be leaving that room.
"Why is it you get the comfortable chair, and I have to hide?" Aminah pouted into her communicator as they waited.
"Invulnerable, remember?" Aron said once he had activated his voice dampeners. Listening to the chatter of the men the NSA had them working with as they too were getting into position to swiftly take custody of whoever was trapped in their web.
"Oh, no, I agree, you're looking far too smug in that chair," Neil joined in, getting an 'Mmmhmm' out of Chery and Tazia. Hoping his age wasn't going to be a hindrance to his group. He knew his time as a hero was running out. He just hoped he had a few more missions in him so he wouldn't leave them all vulnerable in whatever task the NSA would send them out on.
"So? You seem to think I'm some villain of sorts; if they come, if they're smart, they won't, but if they come, they will fail. Remember, I'm not the one who wanted to put on this suit. You were mother. You don't like how I operate, tough. I'm not forcing you to work with me; if you two can't handle that, then it's time for us to cut ties," Aron stated, not seeing the shocked looks in his parents' eyes as he disappeared around the corner.
"Really wish you two would lay off him," Aminah sighed, with Tazia nodding along.
"But..."
"Sis, I do love you and all, but stop being so stubborn. You can't force Aron to be something he's not. We all can see that. Why can't you?" Neil asked with the wisdom of his age. "We all know you love him and want the best for him. We all get that, but he's his own man now. You have to stop babying him. All you'll do is alienate Aron even further than you already have."
"But he's my baby?!" Vera whined as her lip trembled.
"Sis, we know that, but you must remember, Aron isn't like us. He's smart, okay, ridiculously smart, he's experienced things that aren't even remotely possible, yet he still lives. We know you worry about him every time he goes out there. I know I will worry like mad when or if Henry joins this life. You're his mother, nothing is going to stop that, but there does come a time when you have to step back and let him just be him," Tazia said in a sisterly tone.
"But you'll watch out for him, won't you?" Vera sighed, knowing her sister was right.
"Always, like I'm going to let Henry's dad just die on me," Tazia said with determination.
"Tell him I'm sorry; I just worry about him so much since Bosnia," Vera said, wiping away a tear, remembering how she had thought she had lost her son that day when the complex he was in blew up with him in it. She could still hear his final words. They still haunted her to this day, even nearly two years after the fact.
"I will, sis, I know he isn't the hero you wanted him to be, but you have to see how the nonpowered humans see him," Tazia stated, noting the look in Vera's eyes.
"Huh?"
"Can't talk about it right now, but when we get back, I will," Tazia reassured her.
"And just where are you going?" Noah asked, looking at his sister-in-law.
"We have a mission; that's all we can say," Chery spoke, placing her hand on Tazia's shoulder when she started to speak.
"It has something to do with the Collector, doesn't it?" Jill inquired, peering at her niece; the look in Chery's eyes told her what she needed to know. Noting how Chery and the others lightly touched their left ears, she knew her father was speaking to them. "Keep Dad safe; he can be reckless sometimes," she said in a loving tone as the five started to move off.
"Worry not, Jill, I'll bust anyone trying to take my man away from me," Tazia proclaimed; the dull ring rang out when her metallic skin raced across the space as her right fist struck her left palm. Her eyes were set with determination not to ever feel what she felt again after Aron's fight with Maximins or his ride on that rocket. She was not going to lose Aron if she could help it.
"I'm counting on it," Jill nodded, smiling at her niece.
"Whatever is going on, watch each other's backs out there!" Noah called out as they watched the five of them heading off to the armory. Dropping his head, wondering if they were pushing themselves too hard onto Aron. Even when Aron was first born, he knew his son was different; he couldn't say why he felt like that; he just did. His head jerked up as the alarm resounded. Rushing over to the monitor, seeing what was the cause of it, peering over at his wife. "Well, honey, the city needs us; what do you want to do?"
"We suit up, is what we do," Vera stated firmly, looking over at Jill. "You ready for your come back?" she asked, smiling warmly at her aunt. Watching how her power bloomed up off the palm of her right hand before Jill closed her fist.
"Dad might not be a hero, but he's raised some fine heroes, let's go protect the city?!" Jill stated, her violet eyes glowed as she felt the radiation stored in her bracelets responding to her will. She knew without them, without the deal her father had made, she wouldn't be here. Yes, she has lost the people she loved the most. Her mother and brother. Her father might be younger than she was now. Yet her father had given her a chance to be a hero again, along with another chance to love the man she left behind all over again. Taking off towards the changing room, feeling like old times, like when she had joined his side when they were patrolling the city. She knew she was taking a risk.
She knew the Collector might be watching the city since her father had been seen repeatedly in it. That was why she could no longer use the first hero name she had used when she was her father's sidekick. Now, as she tugged on the gloves of her new suit. Clipping the bracelets into the adapters like her father had taught her in their numerous training sessions. Watching the interface flicker on across her eyes as the interlink to Veil's system booted on. Jill knew her father had embedded Veil into her suit so Veil could monitor her radiation level and absorption rate. Running down the list of colors that the suit displays before stopping at the desired color. Blowing out a breath, psyching herself up, feeling like it was her first time out all over again.
"Whoa?!" Isabel muttered, running her eyes down her grandaunt's body and how her skintight supersuit looked on her as her cape brushed against the back of Jill's ankles. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Moonlight," Jill purred, seductively gesturing to Troy with her eyebrows.
"Vera, Lyla reports she would meet you all en route." Veil chimed in, holding Henry's and Nettie's baby carriers in the doorway. "Worry not; the children are safe with me. They are my primary function to see to their health and safety."
"Thanks, Veil; we'll try to be back as quickly as possible. You two suit up quickly," Vera stated, glaring at their slow response time as she walked past them.
"Two minutes," Isabel nodded as she moved quickly past her mother
"What the hell are you taking?!" Jill heard Vera ask as she raced to catch up to her niece. Even she was a little surprised how geared up the six were as her father, and the rest exited the armory.
"What's needed to take down some very bad people," Aron spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "Veil, you know how long we'll be gone. If we aren't back... well, you'll know what to do when that happens." His thought derailed when he realized what he was saying. She would know when it happened if something went wrong. Wondering if Jill had found the function he had added to her suit yet.
"And just how long were you planning to be gone?" Vera huffed, crossing her arms.
"If we aren't back by tomorrow for dinner, Veil will inform you on what to do," walking past his mother before stopping, "Be safe, Mom," Aron whispered, remembering what his past self had said before he had sent him back. Feeling her arms wrapping around him as she hugged him back.
"You too, honey," Vera said softly, placing a light kiss on his shoulder. "Whatever you do, you come home safe, okay?"
"Always will," Aron replied with a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, we have a long flight," Aron ordered as he walked off towards their jet car.
"He wants to tell you, but he can't. However, Veil is under no obligation to keep that secret," Aminah whispered into her sister's ear before hurrying to join Aron. Nodding when she peered back as Vera mouthed, 'Thank you.'
"Well, Moonlight, leave the air cover to Noah, Isabel, and Lyla; you, Troy, and I will keep the area safe for the civilians and stop the bad guys; you ready for this?" Vera asked with a warm smile.
"As Dad would say when he thought we weren't around, fuck yeah?!" Jill said, seeing the bemused look in Vera's eyes.
"Good," Vera whispered in a motherly tone. She wasn't about to let Aron down in protecting Jill, knowing the trust he was placing in her with her safety.
"Don't worry Jill, we got your back; we best get moving," Troy said, as he meandered along with his father, with Isabel trailing behind.
"And what were you two doing that caused you to be so late?" Vera's voice could be heard as the five of them walked towards their jet car.
"Nothing," Isabel said innocently.
"If you're just joining us, thirty minutes ago, a savage attack ravaged the City Center when a notorious group known to operate from the Akisa Kingdom, the eastern breakaway block of the once Chazr Empire thirty years ago. In the interim, once the call for help was sent, the city's police force made a valiant effort to hold off the villains. However, what they were facing, they were quickly outmatched?!" Howard Clark clutched hard to the handle as the pilot of the news chopper swerved hard to the right. A bolt of plasma shot passed him. "As you can see, viewers, we are currently being fired at... What was that?!" he shouted as a silver beam streaked past them.
Seeing something quickly approaching before he lost sight of it. "No!" Howard screamed out when the flyer of the group suddenly appeared wearing a sadistic smile as he brought up his hands. Deep purple plasma swirled along the man's hands. The fireball that struck the man flashed before his eyes. Watching the scream playing out before his eyes as each sweep of the helicopter blades seemed to pass ever so slowly as his death played out before him. Then all of a sudden, time seemed to speed up as his pilot managed to dodge the hero coming in to draw the villain off.
"You bitch!" the man hissed in a far eastern Eurasian accent. Patting his hair out, feeling his scalp burnt. "You're going to wish you were dead after I burn that pretty face... off," the villain's voice trailed off as he stared up as the shadow of a giant scaly tail loomed over him. Screaming out in terror as the face of a dragon appeared over the tail. Flashes of his childhood played out before his eyes as the old tales haunted his memories. A look of confusion played across his face when a man filled his view. Then he felt three hard impacts on his chest before the world turned black.
"Yeah, that ain't happening," Troy spat as his father caught the unconscious man. Peering up, smiling at Lyla as her arms wrapped around him. "We need to get down there."
Jill's tonfas whistled in the air. The sound of a crack played loudly in the air, and a horrible scream quickly followed as Jill broke the man's kneecap. Looking around for Vera and noticed how she was being hemmed in by three villains. The man's body landed in a hard thump at her feet once she had landed the knockout blow her father had taught her on the man's jaw. Sprinting towards an overturned bus for cover as she activated the flight commands to send her stored radioactive energy to her boots. "Be a doll and say hi, huh?" Jill flirted, catching the three in surprise as she took quick aim and raised her hands. Smirking when Vera didn't waste the opportunity as she was racing to close the distance between the two. Reaching down and pulled her tonfas from their holders. Butting the handle ends together and twisting, the handles quickly folded into the now-formed staff. Landing in a roll, coming to a knee, striking out low to throw the very stony metahuman off-balance, listening to the man's howl as her stunner penetrated his stony hide. Dropping to her stomach as Vera used her momentum to lift the cement truck and swing it like a very oversize baseball bat.
"Okay, that's something I don't hear," Vera held back her laughter at Jill's catchphrase. Her eyes flickered to the left as Noah came in for a landing with the fourth member of the group on his shoulders, followed by their children. Surprise played along her face as Lyla took on a female angelic form. Her eyes shot toward Lyla's face; pride shimmered in her eyes that this was a very big step for her daughter since she had never been in a female form in public before. Trying not to embarrass her daughter as Lyla's face heated.
"Well, I guess you didn't need backup?!" Troy whistled, glancing at the two men groaning on the ground, then back to the man behind him.
"What did you expect?" Jill shot Troy a look, who glanced away. "You know who trained me."
However, she didn't see how Vera was smiling when Vera could see some of the techniques she had taught her son in the way Jill fought. It wasn't hard for Vera to notice when they first practiced together. Knowing without her past-Aron, she wouldn't have her current Aron. While she could never see that form of her son any longer other than through the videos he had left for her and their family. She would always be grateful to him for giving himself back to her, as weird as that sounded. While her son may not be like her, yet she could see it in Jill, albeit a little rougher than she would have liked. Turning at the ready, she heard noise approaching, unsure who they were about to meet. She couldn't be prouder at that moment as her family formed up within the second. Blowing out a breath when the city's swat team poured into the area.
Holding the men down as the police put the neutralizers on them. Wondering what brought them so far from their homeland and why their city. Unaware to anyone at that moment, a second-team was silently making their getaway with the item they were hired to steal. The sound of the water sloshing as the hover engines propelled them towards their rendezvous to slip out of the city undetected. They had hired the terrorist team under the disguise of a partnership, yet they were just a distraction to keep the city's heroes busy while they stole what they were hired for.
"Well, let's get back; I'm sure Veil could use a hand," Vera spoke, peering back at Noah, who nodded in agreement. "Now, let's see how you handle the press," she uttered in a challenging voice, nodding to the vans that were speeding in now that the area was safe.
"Aron, what are you planning?" Chery asked from behind him as Aron had been spying on the compound for the past hour.
"We go in an hour before they're meant to show up, take out the crime syndicate that's in there; that should be enough time to keep them in the dark so they can't change their plans. When they arrive, we lure them into our trap and close the cage on them, so to speak," Aron stated factually as he turned to look at his aunt.
"Okay, but what about the men on the outside?" Chery inquired, waving to them from their dark perch.
"The rest of you will gather them up, secure them somewhere out of the way while I cut off the head of the snake. Hopefully, the police force in this country can use the opening to weaken the others that lurk around here while they fight with each other to fill the void left behind.
"That's awful sneaky of you, Aron," Chery said, casting him a glance.
"What? Not like I can stop all of it at once; this way, they can use it as a means of getting the upper hand for themselves. Sometimes people just have to save themselves if they want a better world," Aron said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And sometimes that means doing things you might not like."
"And what happens if they call for backup?" Chery asked, wondering if he had thought of all the possibilities that could go wrong.
"Why I brought the EMP gun with us. We'll have to be up, say ten thousand feet, for us to be undetected, so they don't get a whiff of my ingress. Tazia knows what to do with it, so you don't need to worry; then, well, you've led your team longer, and you know how well you all work together. I trust your leadership," Aron stated in a confident tone, seeing his aunt blush at his praise. "Then Carl will clean the outside up to ensure we don't spook them. Once they're inside, they're as good as caught," showing off the cubes in his hand, "think of them as a portable shield; we're just going to use it as a way to keep them locked in while we subdue them."
"Okay, then we best bunk down for a few hours. We're going to need to be at our best," Chery stated, lightly rubbing his back.
"Right, a few hours without Henry or Nettie waking us up will be nice," Aron agreed.
"Come on, I know two someones are eager for that, too," Chery said, resting her arm along his shoulders as she led him back to the stairwell of the building they were on a mile away from their target.
"You sure you want to go in this high?" Tazia asked as she lifted the EMP gun up to her shoulder. Her fingers moved over the screen to limit the area of its effectiveness before looking back at Aron as he sat on the side of the jetcar.
"What, leap off a perfectly good jetcar? Are you insane?" Aron teased, smiling beneath his mask.
"You be safe, baby. Nettie needs another sister or brother, and you can't do that if you're out of commission," Aminah cooed, winking at him as she squeezed his hand.
"Don't worry; we'll be inside before you know it," Chery assured him as she peered back at him.
"Alright, let's get this party started," Aron spoke, leaning back and freefalling to the Earth below. Just as Tazia fired off the EMP to keep his suit from being caught in the blast. The wind whistled loud in his ears as Aron watched the lights of the compound shutting off as he fell silently through the air. Righting himself into a pike as he drew close to a thousand feet. Feeling the thrust of his jet boots firing off, peeling off his velocity before crashing through the skylight. Surprise filled his eyes as the table held true as his left knee touched its surface. The sounds of his pistols permeated that still air; Veil's tracking system flared to life as he lifted his head. "Goodbye, gentlemen." Were the only words Aron spoke before that chamber was filled with flashing red lights as he mowed down the leaders of that syndicate. Smirking when he heard Carl zooming into the building. Wondering if his past self ever fought alongside his grandfather/son in the past. Pondering if his past self had that same feeling in his chest as he did now as he tossed the bodies of the dead criminals into another room.
"Okay, Void, the yard is cleared, and the thugs are strung up in the wine cellar. What's next?" Chery inquired, walking into the center room, ignoring the blood that marred the floor.
"Now, we set our trap," Aron directed, gesturing for Tazia and Aminah to bring the bags they were carrying forward. "Carl, place four around each window and door you can on the ground floor. If there are two side by side, then you can just use the same four over the area," he said, showing his uncle how to use them. Seeing Carl nodding along as he displayed how they were to be set up. "The rest of us will use this time to get this room set up." Noting how Tazia was giving him a look as they set about ensuring that whomever the Collector was sending wouldn't be leaving that room.
"Why is it you get the comfortable chair, and I have to hide?" Aminah pouted into her communicator as they waited.
"Invulnerable, remember?" Aron said once he had activated his voice dampeners. Listening to the chatter of the men the NSA had them working with as they too were getting into position to swiftly take custody of whoever was trapped in their web.
"Oh, no, I agree, you're looking far too smug in that chair," Neil joined in, getting an 'Mmmhmm' out of Chery and Tazia. Hoping his age wasn't going to be a hindrance to his group. He knew his time as a hero was running out. He just hoped he had a few more missions in him so he wouldn't leave them all vulnerable in whatever task the NSA would send them out on.
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