April Writing Challenge: Apocalypse Hammel

[Sean *]

It's writing challenge time! To enter, just post a ficlet (300-4000 words suggested) in this thread. When the voting for this month's OTM winners comes around, a voting poll will go up for this as well.

We are resurrecting an old favorite for this month.

The Challenge: Due to the popularity of the apocalyptic AUs (and the popularity of this challenge the last time we issued it) this month's challenge will focus on those elements. Apocalypse, war, destruction, disaster, whatever you want, just write a story about the Hammel cast in a situation that would be a summer blockbuster.

The rules:

• Characters must be Hammel-related, but the ficlets are not site canon.
  
• Alternative universe interpretations of characters are allowed.
  
• Entries must be at least 300 words.
  
• You can enter no more than three stories. Any ficlets posted after the original 3 will not be considered for voting. If you want to post more, however, have fun.
  
• Ficlets must be titled.
  

[Lani Hunter]

(Sorry it ran kinda long!)

The Crow and the Butterfly

Leo’s eyes widened as he beheld the weapon. The Lani Hunter. The telekinetic floated in a mysterious fluid with a mask strapped over his mouth and nose keeping him breathing. Nude and vulnerable, the boy appeared to be sleeping.

This one person. This demon had brought on war and death. The world was a black suppressed place. And this creature was the ruler of all of the destruction. Leo had to admit he was surprised that when he entered the compound that Lani Hunter wasn’t sitting in an obsidian thrown.

Never had Leo seen the weapon up close before. He crept closer looking up at the slumbering man’s face in fascination. “What are you doing to him?”

“Storing him.” Dr. Rapp said emotionlessly. “We’re shutting down his power until we need him again.” Dr. Rapp grabbed a pen as it floated up. “It’s like he’s fighting it.”

“I thought he was sedated.” Leo looked back up at the telekinetic. This was the person he was supposed kill? How was he going to do that? Protected by glass and with his power working even in slumber. Leo fingered the syringe in his pocket. Marco said it would be easy, catch Lani when he was sleeping and in a few seconds his reign of terror would be over. Leo swallowed; he didn’t know that he could do it.

“He is,” Dr. Rapp said, “It happens sometimes. When he’s dreaming.”

“What does he dream about?”

“Whatever monsters dream about I suppose.” Dr. Rapp recorded something. “Increase the dose, will you?” A man sitting at a monitor pushed up a lever and a bar on the screen increased. “Now watch. You’ll see how he is fighting it.”

Leo turned his eyes back up to Lani and watched. The weapon was motionless like he was in a dream. It seemed the dose hit and the telekinetic’s head jerked ever so slightly to the side. There was a loud beeping sound. He looked back over at Lani. His face had lost the peaceful guise of sleep and had changed into one of pain. “You’re hurting him!” Leo cried. His brow creased, he was supposed to kill this person. No, this wasn’t right. Marco had it wrong! Lani Hunter wasn’t a madman, he was a prisoner! This, this would be murder.

“Don’t be silly. We’re doing him good. He could never control it anyways. A power like that should never have fallen in the hands of someone like Lani,” said Dr. Rapp sounding positively gleeful. Leo tossed a glance at Dr. Rapp, this couldn’t be right, they were protecting themselves from Lani. That was it. He was a tool of the government but a double edged sword. Lani was a mindless killing machine. Was it really so surprising that he would bite the hand that fed him? No, Lani needed to be stopped.

Leo turned from Dr. Rapp to the boy in the tube. Youth had not yet completely let him go, he still had the long limbed gainliness of adolescence. Never had he expected someone so fragile. A harbinger of death. The crows followed where he went and swallowed the feed he sowed in his wake. Leo hated to admit it but he had not expected someone human.

Suddenly there was a cry, “Dr. Rapp!”

Dr. Rapp looked at the man who was waving his hands frantically. Leo looked up. Lani had stilled and his eyes had opened and he stared at all of them numbly. “Don’t worry, he does that sometimes.”

“No! Sir, look!”

The man flailed at the monitor and Dr. Rapp raced staring at the monitor in disbelief. “Pump more sedatives in! I want him back under now!” He swore loudly. “Why is this happening? He shouldn’t be this powerful!” Leo’s heart pounded. What if Lani woke up? I’m going to die! Leo panicked.

Crack! The whole room went silent and every face turned toward Lani. A spider web crack marred the glass and split the telekinetic into a million pieces. Leo’s heart jumped into his throat in panic.

“Now!” Dr. Rapp cried.

As if triggered the glass shattered.

Leo ducked away from the shattering glass and when he raised his head Lani was free. Standing proudly on a slab of glass, not so vulnerable after all. The telekinetic blinked a few times as if unaccustomed to the light and air. He lifted a hand and tugged the cords off of him and plucked the needles out of his temples. Small trickles of blood dripped from his temples.

“He’s awake!” Someone cried unnecessarily.

Dr. Rapp had ducked behind a table when the glass shattered. “Shoot him! I want him out!” Leo ducked as bullets started fly. They never made their target. Leo dove behind a desk. This was the end. Any moment now they would be speckled with bullets. But nothing happened. Warily Leo poked his head to see.

A shaky hand reached up and pulled off the mask. Lani inhaled deeply and Leo was sure he saw a smile as Lani looked skyward at the lights. Lani dropped the bullets and took a step off of the glass.

“Free at last,” he said barely above a whisper, but it echoed in the room. Like poetry to the deaf the joy in Lani’s voice fell on his ears and Leo could only hear evil. They were all going to die.

There was silence and it seemed like Lani was coming back to the present. People shifted nervously and Lani seemed to become aware of this all at once. Leo ducked and watched the terror in his throat making it impossible to scream. They were all going to die. The bullets fell like rain as they struck out against Lani’s power. Their chiming on the stone echoed like needles in the mind pinging one last step to insanity. The fiend was there one moment and gone the next. Inhuman.

Eyes wide Leo pulled the syringe out of his pocket. There was no way that would have ever worked. Marco really was insane. Head swimming in air and if anyone asked he was not going to tell them he fainted with relief.

~~

2020. Years. It had been years. He had lost years. Pilot Ridge. It was his last hope. Maybe there was someone he could still trust at Hammel. Someone who would believe him when he said that person they saw wasn’t him.

Lani ducked his hooded head under a dying tree and his power swept like radar. All he wanted was a hotel room, a place to sleep that wasn’t the ground and a bath that wasn’t in a stream. Even a meal that wasn’t out of a vending machine would be nice.

Lani warily stepped onto the streets. He didn’t get it.

Traitor!

Murderer!

Scum!

Memories flashed before his eyes, nightmares he that tortured him cognizant and slumbering. Hands bloodstained. All those people! It couldn’t be true! Lani squeezed his eyes shut as his ears rang with the screams of myriads of souls.

He leaned against a building rubbing his eyes. He caught his face in the glass. Black circles under his eyes. He glanced up, quoth the crow its raggedy caw. Lani tightened his jacket around his shoulders pulling the collar to cover his face from the chill that took hold of his spine and refused to release it.

Amateurs, he thought as his power alerted him to followers. His eyes passed over them and his power could feel them stiffen as if they were looking into the eyes of Death himself.

Traitor!

Murderer!

Scum!

Lani swayed as he realized he had been herded. “Why don’t you come out of hiding now?” He called his mouth dry and his heart pounding with fear.

Lani wasn’t prepared when he caught a fist to the face. His power flared and he closed his eyes clamping down on it hard. His fists would be enough for this.

Jabbing out with fist and foot like a mad man Lani found that the bitter reward for landing a blow brought down the three others. He flung his fist at and then through someone and his skin prickled. Meta humans.

He gasped as he stumbled toward another.

There was a flash of light in his eyes and he covered his head with his arms. Blinded he braced himself as a barrage fell over him. He fell to his knees as a blow to his gut left him gasping. Lani couldn’t keep the grunt of pain from escaping his lips as a sharp toed boot caught him in the rib. He could have taken them one on one. But four against one. He didn’t stand a chance. His eyes watered and he rubbed at them struggling to see through the spots.

“What’s wrong, why aren’t you using your power?” One of them scoffed.

Lani didn’t answer, he couldn’t breathe.

Another joined in the taunting. “Monster, maybe it’s gone and left him.”

“Big bad Hunter’s lost his mojo. Gone ape shit and lost all the balls he has to fight.”

His power surged around him and he gripped the four and flung them away. Three hit the walls of the alley hard and the last was flung down the pavement skidding a little bit. Lani struggled to straighten up. “Leave me alone. I’ve never done anything to you.” He backed away his stomach sick from having to use his power like that.

“Like hell! I oughta tear your tongue out for lies like that.” The one who recovered first was a large thickly muscled brute. But Lani was ready, he ducked under the blow and grabbed the arm twisting it back slamming his attacker into the wall.

“Leave me alone,” Lani repeated desperation leaking into his voice. “Please, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Too late for that Hunter.” One of the others said. Lani didn’t really know how it happened but the next moment he was on the ground and his head was ricocheting off the pavement.

His power pressed against the man and pushed him away. But Lani didn’t rise. “Please, I didn’t do anything! It wasn’t me!”

Traitor!

Murderer!

Scum!

“Really, you think we’re going to believe that? We all saw you!”

“Who are you?” Lani finally demanded and made to scoot himself away as they approached again. His power rose like a wall to protect him. Their faced blanked in shock as they hit the invisible wall. Bracing himself on the wall he started to get to his feet. “Please, believe me. I don’t know what happened. I don’t remember!”

“Yeah I bet you destroy so many people’s lives it’s hard to remember one from the next.” One said and with a gesture a wave of flames flashed across the area. Lani yowled as he threw his hands up to protect his face and his hands got licked by the flames.

Lani’s legs went weak and he pressed them away with his power. His eyes started to glow and he was fully prepared to destroy them. The action had never come so easily and he balked away from it. With a blink the glow was gone and he backed until the bricks pressed into his back and he did his best to hold them back without hurting them.

“Stop it right this instant!” A voice called. A familiar one. Lani didn’t know if that was for him or for the four guys but either way everyone stopped moving. Lani’s braced himself against the wall hissing in pain his ruby hands shaking uncontrollably.

The stranger shoved her way through them. “What the hell is wrong with you?” The woman demanded turning to the four.

“Liar needs to be taught a lesson.” The last, least spoken one spat in Lani’s direction.

“And what if I told you he wasn’t lying?”

Lani’s eyes narrowed, he recognized that voice. “Adrianna?” He asked wearily. The next moment the world shifted abruptly and it was lights out.

Murderer.

~~

He didn’t know how much longer he could do this. He allowed himself to be interrogated. But no matter what he said they didn’t believe him. It was exhausting.

The curtain overhead was familiar and even the smell of the place was familiar. Lani could almost close his eyes and he was seventeen again. It never lasted more than a moment as a breath of air hit his hands and made him shutter and clench his jaw in pain.

He was at Hammel he was sure. Adrianna was nowhere in sight, maybe Lani had imagined her. It seemed the ring leader was the one doing all the talking. He wasn’t someone whose face Lani had seen but couldn’t place a name.

Apparently, Lani’s first act after he lost his memory was destroying Hammel after some protestors made it a rebellion base. Lani couldn’t believe, he didn’t want to believe the things they were saying he did. The world was not the place he remembered. He was the ruler of this dark world. The crown weighed heavily on his head, he never wanted it.

A frown set in his features he leaned over his hands. It was almost fitting that they were damaged. It was his hands that had caused all of this. If he couldn’t remember, it was still his fault.

“I told you,” Lani said wearily, “I don’t remember.”

The man just readjusted his hold on his gun.

Lani swallowed nervously. His voice hoarse and shaking with pain he said, “Look we’re going in circles. Will you allow me to tell you my side?”

The man smirked. “Well I suppose its story time.”

Lani’s eyes narrowed he was really getting sick if this but he swallowed it down and started, “I was going to meet someone. Odion.” Saying the name was like sugar on his tongue, he missed Odion. What must he think of Lani vanishing and then going on a rampage? “I never made it. I know it sounds strange but one minute I was walking and the next I was waking up in this tube thing.”

“Strange doesn’t cover it. But Adrianna seems to think you’re telling the truth. Have you gained the ability to lie to yourself? Does that help you sleep at night?” The man laughed his tone filled with venom. Lani hung his head; he was never going to convince these people.

Traitor!

Murderer!

Scum!

He had become someone he didn’t recognize in the mirror. Even when he had been a liar and a con back at Hammel he had been able to see his face somewhere in the mirror. But this person, bleeding and broken was not a face he recognized. He was older, colder. He had a numb look in his eye and a frown etched into his face. Lani didn’t know this murderer but they shared a body. He cursed all of the universe that he should be the one to blame.

He had asked if they knew where Dr. Neville was, if there was one person who could settle this once and for all it was the telepath. But. Apparently Lani had killed him as well. He let his head fall into his hands and he made a sharp sound as the salt from his tears burned into his wounded hands.

Lani glanced over toward the door as a commotion started.

“I want to see him.” A voice called, it was familiar and it made Lani’s heart ache. It was like Odion’s but it wasn’t him. Lani’s power would know if Odion was anywhere close. “Let me through.”

Lani rose to his feet turning toward the man now stalking forward. “Declyn!” He cried with relief, Declyn would believe him. They had had a hard start but they had eventually become friends. Yes, Declyn would help him make sense of all of this. Declyn would help him find Odion.

Lani heard the blow before he felt it. It was nothing more than a backhand to the face but after everything else Lani couldn’t imagine anything more painful.

“Why did you bring him here? He’ll call the whole goddamn army down on us.” Declyn raged at the other person.

“Marco wanted to bring him here.”

“Does everyone just do what that man says?! Bloody hell!”

Lani shook his head in complete confusion. Great, Declyn hated him too. “Declyn,” Lani said with an air of urgency earning himself a scathing glare. “Where is Odion? I need to find him, I need to—”

He bit his tongue as another punch landed. He really should get better at dodging. “You can’t be serious.” Lani coughed and spat blood. Death would be a marvelous release from this.

“Claims he doesn’t remember a thing. Not a damn thing in four years.” The other supplied.

Traitor!

Murderer!

Scum!

Declyn glared and grabbed Lani by his collar. “Let me remind you, you son of a bitch. You looked him right in the eye. And you killed him.”

Lani was so stunned that when Declyn pushed him away he fell.

“Lani stop, this isn’t you! I know this isn’t you!” Odion was saying gripping his arms like iron. “Fight it!”

He felt his lips twist into a smirk and he looked out through his eyes and he was screaming but what came out was: “Lani’s not here right now.” A blank mask of shock crossed Odion's face. Odion’s blue eyes faded and his love, his partner, his life fell lifeless from a gun in his own hand.

“No!” Lani cried screamed. He tore his hands through his hair. Tears poured from his eyes like rain and his heart shattered into a million pieces. He could do nothing but hold onto his head and scream.

Murderer.

~~

“Mind control?” Toby asked more than an air of skepticism in his voice.

“Precisely. There is evidence of it all over his mind.” Marco said. Toby frowned. If Marco were anyone else he’d say he had gone mad. He had been terrified to find that Lani Hunter, the Lani Hunter had been brought here. Marco continued, “Whoever it was shut Lani down completely. If Lani was awake for any of it he did a good job of blocking out the memories.” Toby sighed, Marco was a healer of sorts. And up until about an hour ago he had hated Lani Hunter just as much as the next person, perhaps a little more. But according to Leo something had happened when Marco punched Lani. Marco didn’t heal bodies, he healed minds, he healed hearts. Toby didn’t understand it and he was just as willing to believe that Marco made it all up.

“Which was why he lost his marbles when someone decided to tell him about Odion.” Toby turned his sharp eyes on Declyn, he might be one of the younger members but sometimes he wondered if he wasn’t the smartest. Perhaps it was unfair but Toby couldn’t help but be shocked whenever he did something especially idiotic.

“That is exactly why I didn’t want you here.” Marco said harshly.

“Why the hell are you defending him?” Declyn yelled back, “Does no one remember he still killed my brother!? You expect me to forgive him for that?”

“Declyn, this is Lani we’re talking about. Do you honestly think that he would kill Odion?” Adrianna demanded her arms crossed, “I think Marco hit it. The Lani I knew wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I don’t believe this.” Declyn threw his hands up in the air.

Toby scoffed. “You’re an idiot, Dec. You think someone could fake something like that? I don’t think he had any idea Odion was dead until you opened your big mouth!”

“You don’t know him. He’s an actor, always has been. He has you all feeding right into his hands. You’re letting him fool you! He’s a murderer! You’re falling into his con, but I’m the idiot?”

“I know him too!” Adrianna hollered back.

“Then you’re the Queen Fool!”

“Hey!” Toby called after Declyn as he stalked away.

“Leave him.” Marco suggested. Good thing because Toby’s next course of action was to throttle Declyn.

“He’s not a killer.” Adrianna said firmly.

Toby couldn’t help but believe Adrianna, she wasn’t a liar and he trusted her judgment over anyone else, except perhaps Marco, and only some of the time. But Toby had been heartbroken when he heard Lani’s voice. He had only heard that kind of keening once before.

Toby turned away and went back to where they had left Lani in his misery. Toby found he couldn’t blame Declyn either. If he had a brother and the man who killed him came around, he didn’t know what he would do. Maybe Lani was just that good of an actor.

“Toby,” Adrianna said taking him by the arm, “Please will you heal him? For me?”

Toby glanced at Leo who scoffed taking himself from the room. He nodded. Adrianna was such a strong woman and he had heard the story of what happened between her and Lani all those years ago. He didn’t believe half of it.

Entering the room Toby paused, the telekinetic just looked broken. Sitting against the wall head down on his arms and every piece of him shaking.

Pained gray eyes snapped to attention and locked on him the moment he moved. Toby moved forward and crouched in front of Lani who pulled his legs to his chest as Toby approached.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you found out like that.” Toby said gently.

Lani shook his head and didn’t say anything in return. His sad skeletal face just looked at him numbly. Toby swallowed, in order to heal the telekinetic he would have to touch him. It was easy to think of him as human from a distance but never had Toby looked into the eyes of Death. His hand shook as he reached it out. Despite the presence of the human in his eyes the nightmares surrounding Lani seemed to make him grow paler, thinner and his eyes darker. Lani’s power moved around him like a black veil preparing to grab hold of Toby and tear his soul to pieces. All he had to do was touch Death.

He gasped in surprise as Lani caught his wrist and gave him a venomous glare. Toby’s heart flew into his throat and after a moment he realized his imagination had fled with his sanity. Telekinesis didn’t work like this. Lani looked just as he had a moment ago, a world weary traveler, not the harbinger of death. “I’m a healer, I just thought you might need a little help.”

“Thanks.” Lani amended and released his hand. Toby reached out and as he touched Lani’s bruised face he felt every ailment and pulled them away from Lani. He winced as the pain transferred to him for a few moments. He had had his fair share of pain in his life but the fact that Lani was functioning…

“Are you okay?” Lani asked.

“One little glitch of the power. Your pain is my pain.” Toby explained and upon Lani’s worried glance quickly added, “Temporary, don’t even feel it anymore.” Toby marveled for a moment. Why would someone who had killed hundreds of people without batting an eye be concerned about one person’s pain? They did say Death was merciful. “Hey someone wants to see you, think you can stand a blast from the past?”

Lani’s eyes flashed with confusion then widened with obvious relief as he saw Adrianna.

Toby fell backward with an ‘oof’ as Lani surged to his feet. He started toward her then seemed to think better of it. “Adrianna,” Lani said his voice thick with emotion, “It was you… but I suppose… I should apologize to you as well, for anything you blame me for.”

Adrianna closed the gap and took Lani in her arms. “I don’t blame you for anything.” That seemed to break whatever walls Lani had built up and he all but collapsed against her. Toby smiled to himself and he backed into the shadows by the door as they started murmuring to each other. Toby’s heart broke as he saw the great Lani Hunter drop his head on her shoulder and sob.

Death. Death, if Death were a being this was no him. Death knew now mourning, knew no emotion, knew no regret.

~~

Found you.

~~

Lani snapped to attention and looked off into the distance before darting toward the door. “Who said that?” He asked starting Toby out of his thoughts.

“Said what?” Toby asked confused. He rose to his feet feeling the dull ache of Lani’s wounds in his limbs. “Is everything okay?”

Lani frowned and then sighed. “Yeah.” It didn’t seem fine. Every muscle in Lani’s body was tensed. “No,” Lani corrected, “He’s here. They’re coming.”

Lani was off faster than Toby could wrap his mind around what was happening. “What? Who?” He called following after Lani. “What is he talking about?” He asked joining Adrianna.

“The mind controller, I can feel him.”

~~

Lani felt a chill and he ignored people as he ran. He skidded into the bright sunlight and he covered his eyes. The hallway just ended. Like someone had taken a giant knife and sliced off half the building. Not someone. Him.

Lani could sense what lay behind the walls. He closed his eyes and rounded it his eyes like steel and his pace slow and wary. It wasn’t an army. It was a man. And Lani was terrified of him.

The few Hammel refugees who had come out to see what the fuss was. But Lani didn’t even spare them a second glance. It was the man. The one he had heard in his head a moment ago.

Suddenly he felt someone in his mind. Someone was rummaging around in it. Their cold and vial mental hands making Lani cringe away. He brought up his power and closed himself off behind a wall.

His body was gone and he was in a vast open space. It shimmered like polished obsidian but was as bright as the glow of a sun. He never imagined someplace could be black and bright at the same time. The polished stone reflected a million faces and a million memories.

The pockets of light all around were like stars and they shimmered filling his heart. It was a slow moving area. For a moment he wondered if he had been mistaken and it was a liquid around him but when he took a step his footsteps echoed on stone. The veins of gray and white glowed and pulsed as he paced forward.

Something dripped on his face. Rain? He touched the moist spot on his face and his blood ran cold. There was a great jagged hole in the blackness that through flowed dark blood. It stained the ceiling and streaked the walls and floor.

It pulsed an angry red and the veins coming from it were vicious infected cracks that oozed the poison. Lani stared up at the nothingness above the hole. It wasn’t the clean and beauty of the blackness, nor was it dotted with stars but it was a vicious nothing. Colorless and filled with poison. It flung out a line and Lani ducked but realized it wasn’t heading for him.

He turned. It struck the ground and the next moment in the middle was a man. He reached out his bloody hands and placed them on a silver orb coloring it red. He turned as Lani stepped across the floor. Lani looked down at the puddles of blood at his feet. “What have you done?” Lani asked softly.

“Again, Lani? We don’t have to do this every time we meet.” The man said his voice smooth as glass but cold as ice. Lani just shook his head. And his eyes turned toward the orb. The man gestured him forward. “Want to take a look?”

Lani stepped forward and when he was in reach the man stopped him and put his hand on Lani’s hand. Lani was suddenly aware. He was standing, but he wasn’t moving his body. He was a silent watcher. He faced the Hammel refugees with a smirk on his face. Someone frantically started firing. He felt himself laugh and one moment later the bullets rained on the Hammelites. He raised his hands his power thundered through the ground opening mighty cracks and pulling the ruins of Hammel out of the dust and the sharp broken steel became flying guillotines.

“No!” He flung his mind at the intruder. They skidded through blood and Lani just started hitting the man. “Traitor! Murderer! Scum!” Lani swore as his hand impacted the hard surface, the man vanished. He looked up and caught a boot to the face. Stars flashed in Lani’s eyes. “The mind is a powerful weapon; you don’t know how to wield it.” The man paced back toward the orb. Lani didn’t know what it was but it was the source of his control.

A gun fired and Lani looked up as searing pain raced through the back of his head. But it wasn’t his pain. He looked over that boy who healed him was standing over the body of the man inside his hand.

He looked up at the hole and the vial nothingness fell in. Lani retched at the sight of it. He didn’t want that in here! It was a terrible thing and it started to seep across the floor. It was not nothing, he realized, it was a terrible memory and channel for the man. The man was stuck.

Lani grunted and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him as he hit the floor. The terrible creature started to wrap around him. Like snakes the poison coiled around his legs and arms and torso. The man screamed at the orb. “No! No! Let me out!”

Lani bit out a laugh. “You’re stuck! They’re going to kill me and then we’re both going to die!”

“Not if I have anything to do with it.” He motioned with his free hand. A blackness covered Lani’s eyes and suddenly he was himself but not in control again. All of the memories all the memories of the monster living inside of him came pouring through. He was rampaging at the direction of someone. He was looking at himself suspended in that tube. He was nothing but a body. It fast forwarded or reversed he couldn’t tell. But every time he killed someone with a smile on his face he screamed. It wasn’t him. There a man, there a woman and there a child.

“Lani stop, this isn’t you! I know this isn’t you!” Odion was saying gripping his arms like iron. “Fight it!”

He felt his lips twist into a smirk and he looked out through his eyes and he was screaming but what came out was: “Lani’s not here right now.” The glee this second mind felt scattered Lani’s sense to the wind as he reached out to Odion.

Lani screamed in rage. His power gathered and the nothing covering him shattered in a million directions from the force of his will. He rose from his prison of poisonous memories and he wasn’t human anymore. He was his power. Pure telekinesis. The man just looked at him and laughed.

“Did you see something that upset you, Lani?” The man said tauntingly.

Lani didn’t react, his only emotion anger and pain and it flowed through him like a fire. He lifted his hands and the silver orb flew out of the man’s hand. The man backed away and he sent a wave of the nothing at Lani. Lani gestured and the wave broke around him and crashed against the walls staining it with oozing red. Lani was pure energy. Pure emotion. It coursed through his veins and across his skin. He was so full of something that the nothing couldn’t touch him.

This man killed Odion.

Lani’s glowing eyes narrowed and raised his hands above his head. He screamed all of the rage in his mind surging forward. That which was meant to break him was making him powerful beyond measure.

~~

“Him!” Adrianna hissed in Toby’s ear pointing to the man. He ducked under a soaring brick. Toby didn’t think he just reacted and one moment later he had killed a man.

“No! No!” Lani shouted turning to him his face contorted in anger. “Let me out!”

Then Lani had turned to him. He felt the power close around him and he was lifted off of his feet. His clothing became constricting and it pressed upon him. Toby flailed but he could do nothing. He clung to his collar trying to give himself a breath. Lani’s skeletal face look up at him relishing in his agony. Death stared at him through Lani’s eyes. Lani’s smile faltered and became a mask of anger.

Toby fell to the ground gasping for air. Declyn rushed to his side and pulled him away from Lani.

Lani screamed. It was pitched and demonic, a multitude of voices all crying out in the same anger and pain. They shielded their eyes as the wind pitched and the ground rocked. Lani’s eyes glowed in an unholy flame and the debris flying became a vortex around which Lani’s power swirled fighting itself.

Toby could only watch in horror and fascination. “Kill him!” Someone screamed.

“No!” Screamed someone else.

“Are you mad?”

“Hush!” Marco cried waving a hand to silence them. The screaming had stopped and stones fell like rain.

Lani had fallen still in a crater. They moved tentatively forward. They all aimed at the body and he heard someone cock the gun. He wasn’t sure who. There was something in Lani’s eyes. They glowed and as he blinked it faded. Lani took a shaking breath and looked around at them panting and gasping.

“Lani?” Toby asked warily.

Lani coughed and sat up. “What are you waiting for? I can’t destroy him. It’s only a matter of time.”

Toby lowered his weapon and shook his head. “You’re going to be alright, we’ll help you through it.” He held out his hand for the telekinetic to take.

Lani gave a peculiar look. It was a sad look but at the same time determined. The telekinetic smiled and a gun floated to Lani’s head.

Toby’s heart caught in his throat. Someone screamed, someone else cried.

It clicked.

No one was more shocked than the telekinetic himself. His head turned and all heads turned with it to where Adrianna was extending her hand.

“Forgot I could do that didn’t you?” She said with a vicious glare.

“Adrianna…” Lani started.

The gun pulled away from Lani and Adrianna trudged forward bending to give Lani a nice slap that rang across the yard making everyone wince. “You asshole!” She said and she hit him again. “You liar!” And again.

Leo stepped forward and grabbed her arm as it looked like she was going for another blow. “Are you crazy?” He demanded.

Adrianna shoved him away and shoved a finger in Lani’s face. “I bet you also forgot I can sense powers. The mind controller is gone, I can’t feel him anymore.”

“Adrianna…”

“Shut the hell up and listen for a goddamn second, Lani!” She screamed, “I know exactly what you were trying to pull!” Toby ducked his head very glad he was not the telekinetic, who had a nice red hand-shaped mark forming on his cheek. “Trying to kill yourself. Coward!” She was vicious.

A caw of a crow drifted down in the beating of black wings as the sun gave way to clouds and a monarch fluttered through a shower of black feathers.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Totally not the Hellmouth

He hadn’t known that stepping down would cause problems to this degree. It had felt so right, so romantic. A grand, sweeping gesture that articulated all of his feelings for the Hunter in one action.

Oh, sure, Sean had objected. Sean had objected rather strenuously, in fact. But the former vampire was sure that had been the product of a misunderstanding about his intentions rather than a realistic perspective about the consequences.

He had only considered himself and Sean when he had taken the cure, only thought about the fact that the Hunter refused to be Turned and this was therefore the only way one of them wouldn’t outlast the other by centuries.

But although it had taken a few years, the Hunter had proved right. Without his leadership the coven had betrayed their agreements, and then declared him to be their enemy.

And because they no longer had protection against Sean Neville, the most feared of all the Hunters in the Americas, they had formed alliances with the other creatures of New York and the surrounding areas to wage war against him.

Centuries of precedence were abandoned in favor of turning the City into a warzone. Citizens were slaughtered in the streets, or taken captive; many of the local Hunters were slain as whole battalions of demons and vampires ambushed them.

The only guaranteed safety was staying inside one’s home and not inviting them in, but that wasn’t a long term option.

Josh bit his lower lip as he watched Sean equip himself for a food run. The Hunter may have been the best, but he certainly wasn’t immortal. “We should wait until your reinforcements arrive...” The former coven leader began. Telephone and internet lines were down, but Sean was a strong enough telepath that he had still been able to call for help, and to encourage the closest of the Hunters to send out messages around the world so that the City could be liberated from the armies of the night.

The actual government had done absolutely nothing to help, though as a former coven leader Josh wasn’t surprised; the human government had never been immune to bribery and to threats, and the continued existence of vampires in the midst of humans had always required some measure of negotiation with human politicians.

And occasionally infiltration.

He wasn’t sure how many of their politicians were demonic in nature, but enough that any calls to action would be stalled while the City was under siege.

Sean shook his head as he slung his crossbow across his back. “We can’t wait that long. You may have been able to survive for months without food as a vampire, but even the best Hunters in the world need to eat. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

As Josh watched him leave he could only hope the Hunter spoke the truth.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Can’t Run, But

I had a dream about us,
In the bottles and the bones of the night.
I felt a pain in my shoulder blade.

“It hurts!”

“Why isn’t he sedated for this?”

“Sedated with what?”

“Can someone please calm him down? I need to concentrate.”

A hand snaked out amidst the jumble of bodies and limbs, managed to find the pressure points in the neck. Mere seconds later, the screaming man slipped into unconsciousness.

“Thank you, Josef.”

“You’re welcome.” The former martial artist glanced down at the body of the unconscious man but he addressed the man in charge. “Do you need anything else?”

“If we have any ice left, because I’ll have a headache when I’m through here.”

***************

They didn’t have any ice.

The telepath settled for tepid water, which did little to ease the throbbing in his temples. Sean knew that he was lucky to even have access to clean water, regardless of temperature. The intellectual knowledge also did little to ease the throbbing in his temples.

At least it was only a headache. There was always a risk of far greater damage or lingering effects when he conducted extractions.

He had just sat down in their makeshift common living space, only to be approached by a blonde young woman whose fingers twitched nervously. Concern rolled off her mind in waves, which was to be expected; it was more than warranted, after all. “How is he, Doc?”

The telepath offered her a small smile, which was all of the encouragement he could muster at the moment. “He’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t at the moment, but he was on the upswing – far better than when he’d been forcibly dragged behind the walls of their territory, writhing in pain and screaming as though he was possessed. It was a milder reaction than some other people experienced, but that was undoubtedly due to his powers. His super-enhanced perception made him particularly mindful of the goings on of his body, which included the breaking of physiological and mental barriers, even though he was simultaneously unable to stop the breaches.

The pain was also excruciating. More so when coupled with awareness of the entire process.

James was lucky to be alive and to have his sanity intact. However, Sean wouldn’t actually say that to his daughter, not when she needed the good news more than any sort of objective commentary about the situation. Ginny was young, but she was hardly obtuse; it was impossible to maintain wholly oblivious to the situation.

At least it was in Pilot Ridge, where there had been less than perfect implementation.

Ginny sighed in relief; the prognosis was exactly what she’d needed. She spent a moment reveling in the news before she asked, “How about you?”

“I’m fine,” he assured her, coupled with another small smile. Which he would be, because he didn’t actually have a choice in the matter. He needed to be fine, and thus he would be. Any lingering, shy of fine, was a luxury that he couldn’t afford.

Such was the nature of the world that they’d inherited.

“What do you do when you extract them?

The question broke him from his reflections, and the telepath turned to look at the young blonde woman. “Physically, you mean?”

“In general. Do you kill them after you pull them out?”

“They’re dead when I pull them out.”

“I thought you killed them.”

“I do.” The pain affecting both temples and the frontal lobe were evidence enough of that, even if nobody else could verify his internal suffering.

That had its upsides and downsides. It allowed him to maintain the illusion of being essentially indestructible, which gave others the hope and confidence they needed to get through these hard times. Even though it wasn’t true.

Although having someone who could sense and ease pain would be so very useful.

Perhaps if they rescued enough people.

“But you just said they’re dead when you pull them out.”

“I kill them while they’re still attached.”

Ginny blanched at that. The telepath couldn’t blame her. The process was every bit as unpleasant and painful as it sounded. “How do you manage that?”

“They’re psychic parasites,” he reminded her. “I lure them away with something more enticing.” With that, Sean gently nudged his temple as illustration, which was all he could muster with the headache.

“That’s so risky!”

He was aware of that. “That’s the only surefire way to kill them. Then they’re easy to remove when they have no fight left in them.”

“Don’t you get scared?”

That was of no consequence, because he didn’t have the luxury of experiencing or expressing fear. Not with the small colony of people that he had to lead and protect.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sean said, offering her one more small smile. Tilting his head slightly, he added, “I think your father might be stirring awake, if you want to go see him?”

Ginny nodded, but she didn’t seem as distracted by that as the telepath had hoped or expected. She went to hug him briefly, and then said, “You should go lay down.”

“I plan-”

He was interrupted by the sound of screaming, followed by Josef yelling for him. “Sean, we need you!”

He could always rest later.

[Christian Lucas]

Mine's rather long as well, but I was interested in imagining what would make Christian evil while still maintaining the idea that no one thinks they're the bad guy.

The unending journey

Christian took a deep breath and smiled. He could feel new power surging through his body. He held the breath, enjoying the scents around him and doing his best to memorize the moment. Death, destruction, and above all he could smell the powers around him.

Looking down he saw the man he had just killed. Using only his foot Christian shoved the body away. "Pathetic. Barely even gave a fight." He then turned and began walking. As he passed the hut formerly owned by the corpse on the ground he looked down at his hand. Giving a slight shrug he raised his hand to the hand built lodgings and let loose a ball of raging flames which roared its way through the air to hit the structure. It immediately caught on the old wood and was quickly spreading. The entire place would be up in flame in a minute.

"Well. That may indeed be a useful trick, won't it?"



-------------------------------------------------------


Uriah woke up with a gasp. He was sweating profusely, but felt incredibly cold. He realized he had tears in his eyes and tried to remember what his dream had been about. Of course. The beginning of the worst time of his life. He felt his chest tighten as he remembered the day. It had begun at Pilot Ridge, but now the world shared his nightmare. He closed his eyes and fell back on the worn mattress, pulling a thin blanket back over himself.

As he fell back into sleep, the dream returned.


-------------------------------------------------------


There had been a magnificent discovery. Someone had found an enzyme that gave people powers. Now anyone could be a Meta if they wanted. It helped to remove any remaining barriers between Metas and normal humans. However they wanted to do more. They had contacted Hammel and asked for a few Metas that would volunteer. They wanted to do something that had sounded impossible. They wanted to give Metas a second power.

There weren't many people who wanted to do this. No metas had been able to sustain more than one power at a time for any real length without their bodies failing on them. There was too much strain from it. A few exceptions had been noted, but their powers were always closely tied to one area.

So when Christian Lucas had volunteered, Uriah Kempe was worried for him. He decided the best way to help make sure his friend was safe was to volunteer as well. They had both been given leave from their jobs, Uriah bidding a loving fare well to his fiance.

"It'll be OK Eve! Xander and I have done so much worse before, this is just some needle poking and jokes. Please don't worry, you know I don't want to leave you alone. I love you, and we're still getting married right on schedule. Besides, if I let Xan go alone, he might let himself get hurt and then who is going to be my best man?"

Finally kissing his bride-to-be, he smiled and left.



---------------------------------------------------------


"I need a location of another Meta." Christian was very blunt with his order, but his assistant didn't complain. Then again, his assistant considered himself lucky to be alive around this man. Brother or not, Mark wasn't taking any chances with the older Lucas' temper. Sometimes it was just safer to do his job.

"What power are you looking for?" He had a small list that had been compiled. It had been nearly four times as long when he had first received it. But now between life being dangerous and Chris doing his thing, the list had shortened considerably.

"I want Uriah and you damned well know it!" He had been thinking about his former friend recently and his anger flared to the surface for a moment. His hands glowed with heat, his new power still not entirely under control. "But I'll settle for a sensor of some type. I still haven't found a good tracker. Have you heard of any of those? Or a teleporter, or time user. I'll take any of them."

Mark was used to the temper spikes, but they never ceased to scare him for a minute. "Well we have one on the list who I recently found who might be good. Her power is limited though. He has to be holding something important to the person she's tracking."

But that was good enough for Chris. He was off on his quest to further his personal list again.



-------------------------------------------


The lecture had been so long. Everyone was growing restless as the scientist wrapped up the rules, and expectations. Two weeks later they were finally submitted to their first test. One member of the group had been injected with a serum. A week after that he finally showed changes. It wasn't pretty. They hid the mistake from the rest of the test volunteers and pushed on. This was too important to let things as stupid as minor mutations and death stop them.

Two months after the experiments had begun only six of the original twenty were still there. Everyone had realized that something was wrong, but they couldn't leave. Chris had tried it twice and they had threatened to remove his power completely at that point. He behaved from then on.

Finally the scientists thought they had it. They called the remaining six into a lab and gave each of them an injection. This would be the first and last time this particular serum would be administered.

No one slept well that night. Everyone was feverish, wracked with pain across their whole body. One of them nearly died that night and had to be defibrillated twice.

The next day, everyone's new power had become active. That was the first day of Armageddon.



-----------------------------------------------------


Uriah woke up again shortly after dawn. He sighed, packed his blanket into his bag, pulling out a small pouch of trail mix. Then he sighed as he looked at the picture that he refused to leave anywhere. It showed Uriah in a tuxedo smiling. The Uriah in the picture looked exactly the same as the one sitting on the mattress, except for the eyes. In the eyes you could see years difference.

In the picture was also a woman. She was wearing a bridal gown and smiling as well. She was holding Uriah's arm and leaning against him. On the groom's other side was the best man. Christian Alexander Lucas. The most evil man on the planet, and probably on most other planets. They were all happy, it was the best day of Uriah's life. He pursed his lips as he force his mind elsewhere, tucking the framed picture back into his bag and standing up.

Stepping out of the hovel, Uriah looked around. A tent city of sorts, but it had been abandoned mostly. They were in the middle of nowhere, the hundreds of half build shelters and suspended tarps the only thing around. He had been lucky to have found this place. It had let him gather himself for a few days even if the mattress he had used was old and thin and only kept him an inch off of the dry hard dirt anyways. He wasn't sure who else was here, but he had seen one or two others. Perhaps scavengers, perhaps residents who had simply refused to be pushed out.

Either way he had let them be and they had ignored him. Adjusting his backpack he now let loose a world weary sigh as he set back out on his journey. It had been two years since he had stopped for more than a few days. Walking was his life now. Walking and hiding from Christian, for he was the only man who could kill the self created god-king.



------------------------------------------------------


The day after the injections everyone had been gathered in another room. A Meta who could sense and discern powers was in the room and inspected each of them. He spent nearly ten minutes in front of each member of the group. Finally he reached Christian. The former drama teacher had a raging migraine. It had been getting worse as he was in the room. A voice kept whispering things in his head, telling him to do things. He had nearly passed out twice as well. Finally after inspecting everyone else the Meta-traitor stepped in front of Christian. He looked into the man's eyes and suddenly Christian couldn't help. He reached two fingers out slowly and tapped the scientist on the forehead. The man began screaming as he instantly collapsed to the floor.

Chris closed his eyes as the headache left him. He felt something new, a tugging. He tugged back with his mind, and the man on the floor screamed louder. Finally Christian yanked as hard as he could and the man went silent but for a quiet gurgle. This had taken less than three seconds and the guards were only just entering the room. Smiling at the realization of what his power was, he turned to his neighbor. Uriah was at the other end of the line and looked concerned. 'Don't worry. I can fix this now," Christian thought as he tapped the forehead of the Meta next to him and gave the mental yank. This man didn't even have time to cry out before he collapsed. The guards had just about reached them but that didn't bother Christian anymore.

He turned and was now grinning. With a wave of his hands he sent the guards flying back into the wall. There was a sickening chorus of cracks as the men were slammed into the wall at enormous speed. With another wave of his hand, Christian used his newly stolen telekinesis to open the door. He sent a wave on energy into the mirror as well, shattering it into a million reflections and showing the scientists behind the mirrored glass. With a smile he used the first power he had taken to see if any had powers as well. Two of them. With a slight gesture of his hand he brought them in front of him, holding their feet of the ground and smiling as the voice in his head cried out with joy.

He didn't even gesture this time, instead just ripping the cords that he felt from the man and woman floating in front of him. He shudder with ecstasy at the surge of energy in him. They collapsed as well. By now two of the other metas in the room had run out of the door and were escaping. He didn't care though. Uriah and some woman were still in the room, but he didn't need the woman. "Let's go Uriah."

As he walked out of the compound he felt himself suddenly go sick. Christian lurched over and vomited violently for nearly a minute. As he stood back up, he felt all of his new powers had been lost. He didn't know why but he would find out, to appease the voice in his head. But for now he had to get out of there.



----------------------------------------------------------------


He had found the woman with the tracking power, and she was no real challenge. Weak people did not deserve to have powers as far as Christian was concerned, and he took it upon himself to make sure that they didn't. As he held her throat against a wall he felt the line to her power. He had learned though that if he took the cord and pulled it now, it would destroy the person's mind but leave them alive. He would also lose the power in less than an hour. So he crushed her windpipe and waited for her to asphyxiate. After she had finally stopped struggling he reached out. Yes, there it was. He had found the small gem that the cord was tied too, and absorbed that with his mind.

Taking a deep breath again he smiled before blasting a hole into the side of the building and floating down to the ground with his telekinesis. It had taken a long time to find another TK to steal from. But it was his favorite power by far. He could feel this new power merging with him more fully, and gained an understanding of it as it became his. As it sank in, he realized this was his chance to get the power he desired most.

He simply needed Eveangel Stonefeather, wife to his former best friend. He could use her to get to him now.



------------------------------------------------------------


Uriah was hunched behind a bush, trying to avoid the bandits that were nearby. They had seen him, he was sure of it, but they didn't know where he was. Yet. He ran, still hunched, to a tree to hide behind it now. He suddenly missed the mattress he had left nearly two months ago. This city was a living hell, anarchy reigning across parts of it, and military rule over others. He had a friend here who he might be able to help him if he could get to him but right now he had to deal with this.

The bandits seemed to have given up for the most part, three or four of them still sticking their heads around the trees and bushes in the park to see if their quarry was still around. Uriah gave a sigh and thought he was safe when suddenly a face was right in front of his. With a smile hidden by the bandanna across his lower face the bandit tackled the man. He hoped to kill him alone and without being found so as to avoid sharing any loot found on the man. But Uriah wasn't going down without a fight. He punch and kicked as best he could, finally forcing the man off him.

Now with both of them standing up they went at it again. Uriah kept silent to avoid alerting any other bandits for fear of being overwhelmed. He was not a martial arts master by any means, but he had learned how to defend himself. The fight went on for nearly a minute before the bandit pulled out a sharp knife and they went at it again. Uriah got lucky and slammed the bandanna covered man's head into a tree. It stunned the man and Uriah went in to finish it. He put his hands around the bandit's neck and pushed his weight down on him. As the would be scavenger began to lose the battle for consciousness he remembered the knife and with a sharp movement he plunged it into Uriah's chest.

Uriah felt the sharp pain but wouldn't give up his hold on the bandit. Finally the masked attacker couldn't hold on anymore and passed out. Uriah felt bad about killing someone, even in this situation, but he felt he had no choice. Standing up he felt the knife in his chest and winced. He looked down at the hilt sticking out and grimaced as he realized how deep it was. With only a wet squelch he pulled the blade out of his chest, not even looking this time as it healed itself almost instantly.

The immortal man continued on his journey again.



-------------------------------------------------------


Christian had found Eve after weeks of searching. He had kept her mind intact, to better bargain with Uriah. But he felt no qualms in beating her physically when she tried anything stupid. She was bruised and battered in body, but her spirit remained whole. He finally felt ready to deal with Uriah and so he searched now for him, using his wife to power the tracker's ability.

He found that it gave him a compass in his mind. Smiling his evil smile he focused again and they disappeared without a sound. When they appeared again in the city that Uriah was in Christian's smile grew. The teleporter he had found was quite difficult to trap, but his power was proving worth it. But an instant after thinking this he suddenly found himself clutching his ears. Eveangel had used this chance to send a sonic scream into his face and run away. The Super-Meta straightened up and was about to pursue her when the bandits that Uriah had been hiding from yesterday came out of the woods and began shooting.

Disgusted at them Christian gave a wave of his hand and the guns were all sent flying. Chris gave them a moment of observation in case one of them had a useful power. Only one was worth his time so he dragged the man to him through the air shouting. He the created a wall of flame that attacked the other gunmen and set fire to the wooded area behind them. As they died screaming he looked at his new prey. A flick of his hand sent the motorcycle helmet off of his head, and then Christian realized it wasn't a he. The gunman was a woman and she looked at his with eyes of fury.

"Well, aren't you a beautiful one. What's your power then?" He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them his face was lit up like it was Christmas. "You're the leader aren't you? No wonder, with a power like that!" he crowed. She said nothing but instead spit at his face. Laughing at her fighting spirit he decided to do her a small mercy and simply snapped her neck with another twitch of his fingers before absorbing the mind controller's abilities.

Now to kill an immortal and take control of the world.


--------------------------------------------------------


The wedding was rushed, but felt great. Somehow Christian had ensure that no one would follow them and had used his government contacts to get the entire place shut down for certain. Uriah was grateful to him for his help and when he was reunited with Eve they cried with happiness. She had thought he was dead but hadn't given up looking anyways. It felt perfect.

The day after the wedding Chris called Uriah to his house and said he had to show him something. When Uriah got there he had a strange feeling. He had discovered that he could heal any injury just that morning and wasn't sure what to think of this new power. When Christian didn't answer the door his best friend let himself in and heard noises from the basement. Walking quietly down there he saw the back of a man that he thought he recognized. In front of the man, strapped to a table was a half naked woman who was gagged and awake. She was trying to scream through the gag and found the restraints but to no avail.

Christian put his hand on her head and closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of her power. The ability to create wind wasn't really anything he cared about but she had been easy enough to abduct with the voice in his head guiding him. He thought he understood the power now. It would take hours for him to extract her power permanently. It was tied too strongly to each person. He needed it pure, no longer attached. He had an idea of how to do this but he was nervous to take that step. However the knife in his hand showed he was considering it.

The woman's head turned and saw Uriah frozen in the doorway with a look of horror on his face. He couldn't make himself move, he felt he had to do something but his mind wasn't working any better than his muscles. Finally Christian raised the knife and stabbed the woman in her heart. She spasmed for a very brief moment and then died. Christian felt success as he found the power in her mind and took it. Smiling again as the voice in his head told him of his success he didn't see Uriah run out of the house.

After telling Eve they had to hide, the eternal journey began for Uriah.