The MetaWar Saga (unfinished)

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 11



We arrived at the school, I spoke over the team frequency.

“Everybody stay put, weapons under cover until we leave.”

I got out and headed into the school. The looks I got were mostly amusement, somebody dressing up like a Olympus MetaHuman, no biggy. The principle's office was not hard to find, and my reception there was slightly less than amused.

“I need to see your principle.” I told the glowering woman behind the desk.

“Please take off that mask.”

“Sorry, that is against the rules.”

“Who are you?”

“Pulsar, and this really is urgent.”

“I mean who are you really, I can see who you are dressed as.” snarky and unpleasant.

My forcefield lit up. Her mouth hit her desk.

“The Principle, now please.” a little Darth Vader voice to complete the effect.

She pointed to a door to her right. I opened and went through it to find a rather average middle-aged man doing the usual paperwork.

“Who are...” he began.

I flashed my shield, I was out of patience.

“I'm Pulsar, and I need your help. One of my people has been hurt, and the only chance we have to save her requires your school's help.”

“But. But what could we do? I don't understand.”

“I do not have time to make you understand. You know who I am?”

He nodded, twice actually.

“Then you know what I do. Does Olympus matter to you at all?”

Again, he nodded. Just the once this time.

“Then help me, explanations can come later. Call an assembly, and take me there. I have a team of people outside waiting for my signal, time is short.”

“Alright.” and off he went. The PA crackled to life and the student body began to shift it's location.

Mr. Huckle, the Principle, showed me the way to the gym. As soon as we got in the door I tapped my earpiece.

“Psyche, bring her in, my location.”

“On our way.”

The kids started to steam in from the other end of the rather large space. They spotted me and their chatter grew louder. The bleachers along the walls began to fill.

Psyche and the team made their way in the room, I directed them to the center of the open space.

The kids were dead silent now. Somehow they had figured out that we were not some sort of show but instead the real deal. Never felt so many eyes on me before.

Might as well do it right. I floated into the center of the room, hovering 10 feet over where Selene now lay. She was still, but breathing.

“I am Pulsar.” add a little echo along with some volume, bring up the shield.

“We are here because we need your help. Selene is a Metahuman and she has been hurt. Not shot or stabbed, the hurt is in her mind. A very evil man has done something to her and we need all of you to help us undo it. Do you think you can do that?”

“YES!” came as a roar.

I floated down next to Selene's prone form. To Psyche I directed the question I had to ask.

“It might not work, but the kids will be in no danger. You have my word on that.” was her reply.

“Why the tears honey?”

“The kids, they love us, so much, it is wonderful. Bring them closer.”

Back into the air.

“Kids, I need you to move down here, sit in a circle around us.”

A waterfall of children roared down towards me. They were not yelling or shouting, but just the movement was like thunder. I think I was a bit over-sensitive right then.

“Now I need one brave boy, and one brave girl. I am going to ask you to take one of Selene's hands. This will be a little scary, like a roller coaster. You are perfectly safe but you might see lights, or flashes of weird stuff. I know this is a lot to ask, but you know we would not let anything happen to any of you.” Psyche was speaking with what we called the 'mom voice' it worked on everyone, including me.

Full of warmth, trust, and love, it was her at her very best.

A bunch of hands shot into the air, but one boy, and one girl, got up and moved to sit next to Selene's hands. I was ready to warn them not to touch her until we were ready.

Off by the rest of my team the Principle was looking extremely uncomfortable. I could not blame him, but I could not allow him to stop us either. I drifted down near Psyche and whispered “The Principle, convince him this must go on unhindered.”

Via my special senses I saw the tendril of mental force reach out and make the connection. In a moment the look on Mr. Huckles face changed to something more hopeful.

I rose back into the air, I needed space to focus. I wove a matrix of energy around, and through, the entire group of us. It was delicate and complex. Working with psychic energies is difficult for me and I was really pushing my limits here. Psyche was helping, and on familiar ground, but I had to guide energy that I could not control.

But now I could put Selene into telepathic contact with each individual person and shield them from any hostile feedback. In theory.

“Ok, everybody. I want you all to think of a happy memory. A birthday, a trip, anything you like. I need you to keep thinking about it until I tell you to stop. Now you two, please take her hands.”

They both reached out, I felt contact being made.

Selene stirred, not much, but it was something.

The two children holding her hands looked ok. Nothing was coming back to them from Selene that I could detect.

“Psyche?”

“Tiny but positive, not sure how much it will take. Go slow, one a second until I tell you to stop.”

I began to link the kids to Selene one at a time. Everything was flowing into my wounded Telepath, and nothing was going back. At least that worry did not materialize, the kids were fine.

We continued for a few minutes. I could tell Selene was responding but she was still out. The fear that this might not work was back in full force.

My head was aching, and I really needed a drink of something. Each new link was a pop in my head that sent little echoes of pain down my spine.

Psyche called to me from below, odd that she spoke rather than sent, stress of the moment I suppose.

“It is not enough, that blackness just swallows up each new contact. Hit her with all of them at once. I know what that means. I love you, please don't die.”

Oh, this is going to hurt.

I landed and sat down, let's not crash into the kids.

Up went my hand, into it I gathered all the strands, all the connections. The faint glow of my forcefield became a stronger one. In a smooth motion I threw the energy at Selene.

In one instant she was connected to some 300 children. Their lives flooded her, all that power, life when everything is possible, invulnerable, eternal, alive.

Selene's eyes snapped open and she screamed. A long hard scream that seemed to empty her and finally fade away into echoes. She grabbed the two children that had held her hands and squeezed.

Cheers erupted, all that sort of stuff. Everybody cried.

At least that is what I was told. I was unconscious at the time. Head pretty much exploded when I made those links, fire, pain, not even a little bit fun.

As I swam up from the blackness a thought not my own swirled just out of reach.

'You know, if you die you are going to bum me out.'

My eyes open, slowly. Impressions intruded, couch, dry mouth, whole body intact, but wishes it was not. Alive, probably.

Psyche was sitting next to me. We seemed to be in a lounge of some sort.

“Where is everybody else?”

“Entertaining the kids, that was the plan if this worked.”

“So I guess I am not dead.” the jury was still out as far as I was concerned. Nobody alive could hurt this much.

“No, but if you were a cat I would say that you have 8 left. She is fine, Speed came and took her home. The docs have her but it looks good. Long term though, not sure. We are going to have to alter how we handle this project of yours.”

“Yeah, fine, water please. ”

We stayed for a couple of hours. I got better quickly and was soon setting up zero gravity bubbles for the kids to try. They loved it. Sure a fair amount threw-up, but as soon as it left their mouth, it vanished. I am good. The child in question also found themselves floating back to the ground to recover.

Selene did recover but our new understanding of what constant contact with horrible minds could do to the Telepaths made us slow down our operations. We knew we had to continue the work, but we did not want to destroy our people to do it.

So to compensate each of the psychics visited a elementary, junior or senior high school every month. Through less dramatic means they absorbed the happy life of the children. The kids got a MetaHuman show that they would never forget, and some of the worst of the worst vanished off the face of the earth.

Sitting back, here and now, thinking about it all. 63 Jack the Rippers would never hurt anyone ever again. More than worth what it cost, but it did cost. Psyche and the others tried to hide it from me but the impact of those 63 personalities on them is something they will never shake. Every Telepath who has done this work has shown some twitch, or phrase, or emotion, that is not their own.

Evil has a foothold in my girls. From the moment I understood this I have thought carefully about everything I ask them to do with their power. I need them.

There are more serial killers out there, in North America, and the rest of the world. But we eventually terminated the search program. We did not want to, we knew there is more to do. But to continue would have cost us some amazing women and I could not ask that of them.

13 months, 63 killers, enough to make a difference in a lot of lives.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 11a



When we returned home, I got to read this:

Transcript of initial Police interview with MetaHuman known as 'Mad Mongo'.

9:07 pm

Officer1: Subject was apprehended after he personally and intentionally, caused the destruction of a entire shopping mall. Suspect is charged with 157 counts of first degree murder along with a host of destruction of property, both public and private, charges.

Officer2: Relax Mongo, those chains are titanium, unbreakable. And we have you on a heavy dose of muscle relaxers so even if you get free, you ain't going nowhere. The chains come from Olympus and they know your kind.

Mongo: Wanna bet?

Officer2: Why the mall Mongo?

Mongo: Like you give a fuck.

Officer1: We are just curious, thought you might like a chance to tell your side of the story.

Mongo: You guys are a scream.

Officer2: Some clerk blow you off for a date? Cause lets face it, you are butt ugly. Come on, why not tell us? None of us is going anywhere, we have to talk about something.

Mongo: muttering you don't care.

Long silence

Mongo: You never cared, any of you. Oh you would arrest me, lock me up, but you never asked why before. You never asked if anything was making me do the things I did. Fuck you. Now you care because I am strong, you fear me.

Officer1: We brought you down with tear gas and tasers, you are not that tough.

Mongo: LUCK! Fucking luck was all that was. I'll get a gas mask or something, yeah. Stupid tasers would not have worked if I could have kept moving, fucking gas made me puke.

Officer1: Superpuke, you killed an officer by blasting him into a wall with your vomit.

Officer2: And you killed three other of our brother officers before you went down. You are going to pay for that.

Officer1: Arch, cool it, you know the rules.

Mongo: Rules! Yeah, that is what is going to kill ya. You will never even see it coming until it is right in your miserable faces.

Officer1: What do you mean Mongo? When what is in our faces?

Short silence

Officer2: Hey Mongo, how can we be scared if we do not know what to look for?

Mongo: Cute, so so cute. I see how you get humans to talk, push their buttons until something works.

Well I am not human assholes, I am Metahuman, I am a GOD. You have not yet learned your place but you will soon enough, he is going to teach you.

Officer1: he?

Mongo: He. And we.

Officer2: He got a name?

Mongo: He does, and you will learn to fear it, just before you die.

Officer1: Subject seems to be undergoing some sort of convulsion. Wait, wait, he is changing, altering his appearance. He is smaller now, closer to human-sized.

Mongo: You think I am some insane child, Mad Mongo. I kept that stupid name because it was fun, it made you fear me even more. That visage is just my power you idiots. When I power up, I get a little ugly along the way. Everything else, is theatrics.

You two have no hold on me, no levers to apply. I will be free in hours, either by legal maneuver, or by a good old fashioned jailbreak. Attempting to hold me here simply shows how little you understand the situation. You should have turned me over to the Olympus goons, or just shot me in the back of the head. Tell me, how many of you fine police officers are in this building?

Officer1: Over 100 so forget any ideas about that jailbreak.

Mongo: Confident, good trait in a cop. Too bad you are most likely dead.

Officer2: Making threats against a police officer is a crime pal.

Mongo: Indeed. 157 counts of murder, looks impressive. My actual total is 831. After I rip this place down around your ears it will be close to 1,000. Since you are recording this I believe that qualifies as an admissions of guilt.

You think I care about your LAWS? You are nothing, mere insects that infest OUR world. Do you believe that Pulsar and his dogs of Olympus will save you? They are a pathetic handful of misguided fools. Worship us, or die, even you monkey boys should be able to understand that.

I am done talking to the two of you.

End Interview

Nine hours later a group of what were believed to be MetaHumans assaulted the police station. Mongo was released and he carried out his threat to level the building. 169 Officers and civilian staff lost their lives. Detective Archie Toma managed to survive, his partner did not.

Mongo's kill total stands at 1,000.

End Report

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 12



We kept our secrets well. Except for those people who had some sort of public display of their power happen by accident or design, we kept our true selves hidden.

So much so that even our enemies really did not know what we looked like. The effectiveness of our efforts was brought home to me one summer afternoon. I was off duty, me, totally and completely free. Nova was at Olympus and I was sitting on the grass watching Psyche's youngest sister, age 15, show off her dance moves.

The sun was shining, the wind was gentle. I was peaceful.

Two men and two women came around the side of the house, heading towards the backyard where we were. I had heard, and sensed, the car pull up but had assumed it was Psyche's mom and other sister. I fully admit I was not suspicious in the least.

They were dressed in neat casual clothes.

“Beth Smith?” one of the women asked my companion.

“Yes.”

“We need you to come with us, there has been an accident, your mother and sister have been hurt.”

“Who are you?” I asked as I stood and moved towards Beth.

“Police, please come along now.”

“If you are the police, you have badges, and names.” I was way past suspicious now, I knew cops and these were not cops.

“We have these, will they do smart guy?” snarled one of the men.

Guns. pistols, machine pistols, not messing around these people.

I wove an invisible shield around Beth. I was wishing Psyche were here. Something about the way they said 'your mother and sister' made me think they have them prisoner already. We were in no danger, I decided to play along for a bit. But I needed to talk to Beth, she was quietly freaking out and kept looking at me.

The Smiths kept two dogs, large and overly friendly. They were currently barking themselves crazy in a pen to my left. The tension between all of us was obviously affecting them.

Popping the lock on their cage was simple enough, as was erecting invisible forcewalls to guide the dogs right into the midst of our would-be kidnappers. Chaos erupted as the dogs escaped and charged into the stunned thugs.

I pulled Beth back one step and spoke rapidly, “I have put a shield around you, can you feel a tingle across your skin?”

She nodded.

“Their guns no longer work, but with that shield around you there is nothing, nothing, they can do to hurt you. Do you understand?”

Again the nod, but with a little less fear.

“I think they might have your mother and sister and I want to play along for a bit until we can find them. I can fly us away at any time. But if we can play along we might find your mom and sister faster. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I think I can.”

“Good girl, your sister will be proud of you. If they push you, or hit you, you will not even feel it but try and pretend that it hurts. Do not overdo it, just move away from the blow and glare at them.”

“yes boss” came with a smile.

Great, it runs in the family, but it did make me smile.

Our abductors had managed to get the dogs back in the pen. I do not think they attempted to take a shot, civilized kidnappers will wonders never cease.

“This way you two, move!”

“We do not want him, he's not part of the deal.” came from one of the women.

“You will take me with you, or I will start yelling. You can shoot me but that will draw a hell of a lot of attention in this neighborhood.” not bad I thought, I did not leave them with much choice.

“Fine, come along, but keep your fucking mouth shut from now on.”

Yeah, that was gonna happen.

I still had one minor problem, my communications earpiece. They would certainly search us eventually and that would be kind of a dead give away. Putting my hand in my pocket I formed a small force sphere around the device. A flick of my wrist, and a touch of gravity neutralization and the sphere shot straight up. I tethered it to me with a line of force and it hovered like a tiny pretty much invisible balloon a few hundred feet above my head.

They were a quiet bunch. In my experience thugs, or criminals in general tend to be noisy. They walked to a large SUV, did a quick search. I can control my forcefields to a rather fine degree, when they went into our pockets the shields simply shifted along with their hands.

I grinned at Beth while they looked her over. She seemed to be ok, and was certainly glaring at our abductors in the way only young girls can do. They were not impressed, but I was.

No blindfolds, either that is only done in the movies, or they were a cocky bunch.

A long ride lead us to a farmhouse. Isolated but with a lot of very nice looking cars parked along the massive driveway. I revised my opinion, these were not thugs, they were a better class of criminal scum.

I am not Pathfinder, but at close range I have a lot of different ways I can sense people. I scanned the entire area, Beth's mom and sister were not here. Dammit!

They walked us through the front door and into a huge living room. I looked around, someone lived here, no dust. Could be one of these people, but I doubt it. Four more people were waiting for us.

Enough with the games.

“Beth please go sit over there.” I pointed to the far end of the room.

As she moved away the guy I took as the leader barked at me.

“Hey, you do not give orders around here!”.

I had moved into the center of the room, between all of them and Beth. I gave her a smile, she returned it. Brave girl.

“Please forgive me for everything that happens from this point on Beth, but these people are scum and I am going to treat them as they deserve.”

“Are mom and Carol here?”

“No, but we will find them, trust me.”

I turned back to the now very confused pack.

“Draw your weapons.” I said with the tone of command unmistakable in my voice. “Shoot me.”

“What? Are you crazy?” came from the back of the pack.

“No? How about this, shoot me you miserable pack of brain-dead, donkey-fucking, foul-smelling rejects from the asshole factory.”

That did it. Guns came out, and nothing happened. No clicks of course, just confused looks, and some panic.

I held up my hand and called my little sphere down to me. It drilled a neat hole in the ceiling before dropping into my palm. My would-be kidnappers just stared at me as I replaced the little bit of electronics in my right ear.

“oh shit” came from someone, quiet and terrified.

“Yesss” I slurred and twisted the word. Darth Vader would have been proud.

Tap. “Pulsar to all Speedsters. I feel the need.”

One of the large tough guys off to my left wet his pants when I smiled at him.

“You are not him.” challenged the leader.

“Really? Actually, being wrong about that, is going to cost you your life. Look around you, standing next to each of you is a zombie, the walking fucking dead.”

Their leader roared and charged me. He got to take 2 steps before I incinerated him. In one second he went from living man to nothing but ash in the form of a man. The forcefield I used to contain the heat that roasted him held the ashes in his shape.

I blew a puff of air at the figure and released the shield. The ashes flew everywhere and the goons scattered to the outer edges of the room.

A familiar vibration began to fill the room. The walls rattled, the already terrified hoods hunkered down even more.

Three on my left, three on my right, the Speedsters of Olympus had arrived.

“I want everything except their clothing on that table. Blur, take Beth to Psyche. Everybody outside on perimeter until I call.”

As fast as I could say it, it happened. Now it was just me, and them.

I flipped through the wallets and other trinkets. Really nice cars. Nothing useful.

While I was doing this one of them made a slow move towards the door.

Without looking up I said “Another step and you die now, rather than later.”

He backed up.

“Alright here is my problem, you have committed a mortal sin, you have messed with our families. This is beyond repulsive, it is not even human. You have two other people, and I want them. Tell me where they are and one of you can buy your life.”

Cold, somewhat empty, but necessary, I had seen that far ahead already.

“Don't tell him, as long as we have them he cannot touch us.”

I put a pencil-sized laser through his left shoulder. He went down with a shriek, the shock from a hit like that is pretty bad.

“Really? I think I can take each of you apart piece by piece until you talk. But I do not want to. So last chance, anybody have an attack of brains?”

“I'll tell you” came from one of the women.

“Come over here then.” as I waved her to a chair. “As for the rest of you. I will give you more than you deserve, a running start. Go, out the door, run.”

“With them out there, we do not stand a chance.”

“Fine, stay here then.” as I brought my right hand up.

They left, some out the front, some out the back.

Tap. “Speed.”

whoosh

“sir”

“The people who just left here need to become dead.”

“blur won't do that”

“Then send her to guard Psyche. Go.”

whoosh.

The woman looked pale, “So you are going to just kill them?”

I did not answer, the screams from outside did. It was over quickly.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 12a



“Where are they?” I asked.

“If I tell you are you going to let me live?”

“Yes, because I have a task for you, something you are going to do for me. Where?”

“8799 Grant, industrial district, guarded by 8 well-trained men.”

Tap. “Speed.”

whoosh

“Find 8799 Grant, look for guards and Psyche's mom and sister.”

whoosh

“You realize if you just lied to me I will know in seconds.”

“I am not stupid, it is the place. What is it you want me to do?”

“After I know. Shut-up.”

Speed was back in under a minute. He reported that everything checked-out.

“Can you and your brethren get them out?”

“boss you wound us of course we can and you want the guards dead”

“I want them dead and bloody. We are sending a message to anybody who wants to try this again. Make sure the letters are plain.”

“yes boss are you ok boss”

“Yes my friend. We have to do this, we have to do this or else this is going to keep happening.”

“right boss with ya boss”

whoosh

“You do not look at all like what I pictured.” said the woman.

“I suggest you try and forget what I look like, describing me to anyone would be unwise.”

“I understand that.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you do this?”

“Oh, that why. You know why, the money.”

“Bullshit, there are a hell of a lot of people a lot safer to extort from than us. You wanted something else, or to make some sort of point.”

“Perceptive but then I read that about you. Even without the witch you are good.”

I waited.

“We did want money, but what we really wanted was information. All the data you have on all the MetaHumans to be exact.”

My turn to be confused, “Why so you can write a book?”

“No so we can survive. You MetaHumans are going to destroy this planet. How many have died already, even before your tally tonight? It is going to get worse and we needed information to find some sort of vulnerability in you people.”

“I take it you do not trust Olympus to protect the planet?”

“No, you don't really think that we believe this goody-two-shoes act of yours. After tonight I believe it even less. You are just more subtle than the rest, wonderful PR campaign you have. A fair majority of the common populace thinks you people are heroes. Even if you do mean it, there is still the whole cult of personality problem. This kind of power always goes bad, you know it as well as I.“

She did have brains I have to give her that. What she was saying was not entirely wrong. Over the damn top as their actions may have been, what she was saying was rational. Based on fear, but rational.

“Would you rather I stopped trying, joined the rest of them. Your society would not stand a month if I did that.”

“No we want you to keep doing what you are doing, while we find a way to stop you.”

Resolute, determined and resolute. It would be a waste of time trying to change her mind, Psyche can handle that, I hoped.

“Well at least we agree on something. In case you had forgotten, you now have a task to perform. In exchange for your life you will go out and tell the world what happened here. Go on TV, write a fucking book, I don't care. But tell the world this: Anyone who goes after the family or friends of the Heroes of Olympus will die. They will not accomplish their goals, they will NEVER force us to do anything. They will die.”

“I understand, an effective tactic in my professional judgment.” said my new messenger.

“Ah, a professional criminal. I'm not impressed.”

“Until 39 days ago I was an agent of the Secret Service of the United States. My last assignment was on the White House detail.”

I am pretty sure I did not believe her at the time, I was wrong.

“I resigned when I, and some others, realized that the current administration had no chance of dealing with the threat you MetaHumans represent. Criminal? I bust criminals asshole. Well I used to, I am one now thanks to you and your kind. The criminal here is you, all of you. How many murders have you committed Mr. God? You are hunting serial killers? You ARE serial killers.”

Every item, every bit of furniture, everything except the two of us, disintegrated into dust.

She dropped to the floor but was quickly back up via a smooth trained move.

The house around us melted away. Starting from the roof it lost all cohesion, all it's energy drained away.

We ended up standing in the center of a massive swirling pile of dust.

“It is the only way. This is war. Tell the story.”

I floated upward, looking down at her.

“You think all your enemies are Evil don't you! Big old capital E right? Some of them are, but not everyone who stands against you is wrong. Remember that Pulsar!” she shouted up at me.

I flew home. I expect she had a long walk.

Her words affected me, all of us eventually, but it did not alter my plans. She and her people kidnapped a woman and two teenage girls to use as pawns. My friend's mother and sisters. I would not allow this to happen again, I. Would. Not.

When I returned I looked over the list of all the MetaHumans who were either at Olympus or were friendly neutrals. I picked a new team, recruiting 3 from outside our walls.

I called them the Black Team. They call themselves Bloody Vengeance, or just Blood.

They do not operate out of Central like everyone else, they do not wear cameras. The missions are official, but covert and more highly secret than anything else we do. They work for me, and I take full responsibility for everything they have done.

Their first task was to hunt down everyone who knowingly helped the kidnappers in their plot. This was surgical and focused, but merciless. Everyone that was found to have provided assistance died within 2 weeks.

My little messenger did her work well. The picture she painted of my reaction to the kidnapping was vivid and memorable. She of course also tried to convince the world that we were not to be trusted. Much to my surprise her warnings were not only rejected, they were shouted down. For now anyway, much of the public was indeed with us.

Official Olympus policy is that threats to the family and friends of the residents of Olympus are to be met with maximum force. It is to the Black Team's credit that in the time since they were formed, we have had few problems in this area.

Here endth the lesson.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 13



Everybody always wants to know how Nova and I got together. Not sure why it is so interesting but I am willing to tell the story.

She has explained her power, how hard it is for her to keep it in check. I have to do the same but it comes easier for me. I can get mad, I can yell. For me it is just a matter of not losing control beyond a certain point. Sex was never a problem, in fact I can do some tricks... But I digress.

Nova has never gained that level of control, she may not.

I am the only person who is perfectly safe with her, she might be able to hurt me if she really tried but certainly not by accident. So I guess it is natural that we might spend a lot of time together when we were not working. AT first we did not. Some, but it was always as part of other groups.

We did not come together easily, in fact Psyche made me. It was not that I did not like Nova but being around her made me worry about myself. Would I end up like her? Sure I had perfect control then, but I also knew my power was slowly growing. I was being selfish, I admit that. But I was responsible for a whole planet, cut me some slack. Psyche sure as hell did not.

Psyche knows me far too well and she would not let it go. At first the time Nova and I spent was awkward but once I learned to fly things got easier. She and I would fly together every night.

Technically she taught me how to fly but mostly it was me studying how she did it and replicating it with my own powers. I did try to use heat as the driving force a couple of times, but aside from destroying a bunch of trees, not much happened. Gravity was the obvious choice.

What she contributed was her knowledge of all the body contortions you have to learn to maneuver well. Those days were fun and always too short. Eventually my control over gravity allowed me to simply power my way in any direction I wished. But sometimes I fly the old way, it is still a rush.

I had accepted that she needed me and I was doing my duty. I did grow to enjoy her company especially since it was often the only downtime I had available. She loved ancient languages, Greek, Latin that sort of thing, why I cannot to this day tell you. So I had people who could speak Latin brought in to chat with her, and bought her a library of books I will never be able to read. She obtained a never ending supply of gadgets and movies for me. I have to laugh at how hard she tried not to fall asleep during my beloved WWII movies.

Have I ever mentioned that little passion of mine? Except for that series with MSNBC I have rarely done any sort of interview so probably not. WWII was a clean War if such a thing could possibly exist. Good guys, bad guys, and lines in the sand. I know a fair bit about the reality of the conflict, trust me. But the movie versions I enjoy. It was close enough to my life to work, and yet far enough away to relax me.

Psyche, tricky little mindwitch that she is, had told Nova that I needed help. Psyche said that I was too deep into the job and was going to burn out before it was all over. When Psyche later told me about this I thought she was manipulating both Nova and I, but for Nova's benefit.

“You would think that, but what I said to her was every bit as true as what I said to you.” was her reply.

“Besides she is a whole lot better for you than all those bimbos you sleep with.”

Do all women call other women bimbos? One of those bimbos was a Nobel prize winner for physics I will have you know. She was also hotter than hell. I was her subject and the things I told her about energy made her into a superstar. She does deserve the award, she took my information and advanced human knowledge by a number of great bounds.

I knew about Nova's worst restriction, no sex. We did not talk about it, but she had to know I knew. I blew up at Psyche when she suggested it would be safe for Nova and I to sleep together.

“So is that the new command requirement? It is not enough that I am risking my life and taking responsibility for 300 power-mad little gods, now you want my dick too? That is too much to ask of me and you fucking know it!”

Psyche smiled and walked away.

Sometimes I really, really, hate her.

Well I thought things had been awkward with Nova at first, guess what they were like after I suggested that I would be willing to have sex with her if she wanted that.

For one second she looked at me with hope, could we really? And was that...?

Then my actual words registered. I, uh, pissed her off.

It cost me my house, vaporized in an explosion of fire before I could even react.

She raged at me, “Willing? W I L L I N G! Am I some charity case? Or is this just part of your job Mr. Commander Sir! Should I say thank you sir and spread my legs for service? Who the FUCK do you think you are?!”

I wanted to respond, to say something, but it was all I could do to contain the heat flowing from her. She could have leveled Olympus. I had just unleashed a nuclear bomb in my living room and I was fighting to contain it. 'Psyche if I live through this I am going to kill you.' went through my mind as I fought for control. I managed.

Then I looked at her.

If only you could see her as I do. Every living person is a beautiful spiral of energy to me. But she was radiating power, in my eyes she is more beautiful than any woman who has ever lived. A Goddess of power and light. I am energy and so is she, why did I not get that until now?

A step towards her.

Ever have your life completely change in a few steps? I walked towards her as she huffed and ranted at me. I am not going to tell you all of it, just insert every vile word you can think of and you will be pretty close. I do think the things she said about my mother were out of line though.

Another step.

I was really stupid. I realized this. My entire life had become Olympus, my task, I never expected to live to see the end of this War. For any of the other sides to win they had to kill me, and when I was really honest with myself, I bet on them. You can only defy the odds for so long.

Never looked at her as anything other than an asset. A person with feelings yes, but a tool that I needed for my work first. Not a woman, never that. Damn I was Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel. No scratch that, he had a mate.

I forgave Psyche.

Another step, within touching distance.

She had wound down and was just glaring at me. Daggers of fire shot from her eyes and spattered harmlessly against my shield. Pretty sure I did not notice at the time.

Very quietly I said, “stop.”

The energy around her started to contract, the heat began to drop. I intensified the shield I had around what had been my house. Fool me once.

I kissed her.

Energy flared, but it did not matter anymore.

We made love for the first time in the ruins of my home. Protected by my opaque shield we spent a long time letting a lot of demons out of both of us. And damn she really could shoot fire from any part of her body. When it was over, and we were dressed, I dropped the barrier.

Psyche was standing there, along with a dozen other people, mostly Metas.

In keeping the energy of our passion contained I had blocked everything, even Psyche. They had been afraid I had been attacked. Olympus was on alert.

Awkward.

Cheers, hoots, and assorted catcalls burst from the assembled group.

I flew over, swept Psyche up in my arms, took her 20' up into the air in a slow spiral, and kissed her.

To clear the crowd I said, “The show is over, anybody within my sight in five minutes gets fried, and I will let her do it. Clear out people. ” Nova had joined me as I finished and I nodded to her with a smile.

Love is a funny thing.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 14



Olympus was growing, we were making a difference in human society, and even better, they noticed. Overall coverage of our activities was positive despite constant reminders by the US government that we were all technically criminals and traitors. We had reached a significant portion of the MetaHuman population with the Pact, and it was working.

There were some battles you never heard about of course, but most ended up on the news. A group would pop up somewhere, do some damage, probably kill some people, and disappear. Some of us would arrive in town and hunt the villains down.

We worked hard to avoid combat on city streets. If one of us saw a crime in progress, regardless of location we would want to respond, but the result of our kind of combat was usually destruction. We weighed the cost of taking action against the danger in front of us.

It has been alleged that we enjoyed destroying the municipal properties of the very cities we risked our lives to defend. We did not enjoy it. The people we fought, a lot of them took great pleasure in the chaos they could cause. We operated the way we did because it was the way to reduce casualties, to keep people from getting hurt.

One of the wonders of our times that is not related to my kind is global communications. News travels, anyone can see the news from anywhere, books are published on every possible subject.

Even books by Murderers, Sadists, Rapists, Monsters.

Even books by cold, heartless people who died at my own hand.

Even them.

History is told by the victors eh? Well not anymore. This is our story, their story has been coming out since Day One actually. The first book that alleged it would tell the true story of the Fateful Four came out 33 days after the actual battle itself.

Question? How many of the scum that we hunted down like dogs had a best selling book?

Answer? Too fucking many.

The only good thing I can say about most of them is that the profits generally go to the surviving families of those lost souls. They have all of the sympathy and compassion that Psyche and Nova have beaten into my head over the years.

Sadly in well over half the cases, it is only distant relatives who benefit from the posthumous publishing of such a work. Immediate families are most often the first victims of a Meta who goes over to the dark side.

If you think we had been sailing along at this point, dispatching our opponents left and right without a worry you would be half right. We were succeeding at a great many things. Those like us who went public in a criminal way found our response fairly quick, and very final.

There are people we have not yet been able to stop. Loki had not played any more games with us but he was still out there. We knew of a few Metas who were gathering forces but had not yet made any serious moves, mostly they were based in Europe or Asia.

MetaHumans had begun disappearing from North America and appearing elsewhere a short time later. Someone was making money by getting people away from us. One thing it was pretty easy for us to learn was that the people who were leaving had ample reason not to want to meet us.

Olympus had the advantage of having gotten started first, we were far bigger than any other group could hope to be. I intended for it to stay that way so we did a lot of recruiting. Those Metas who did not want to live at Olympus were offered training anyway, most accepted. I built up a reserve force that eventually turned into some of the independent teams.

But there were some that we could not catch, or could not beat.

There was Zippy.

He calls himself Mercury, but we call him Zippy and worse. The one rogue speedster.

Speedsters can see each other at about the normal distance. Catching one that does not want to be caught is damn near impossible. So far despite the constant effort of Olympus's speedsters, the bastard is still out there. And if I have been successful in describing how much my speedy friends do, the phrase 'constant effort' should really mean something.

There is no way to calculate how many deaths Zippy has caused. He ranges over the globe, he kills by accident more often than not, but what does that matter except to make it more horrible. Humans mean nothing to him, what a flat phrase but it is the simple truth.

If you analyze automobile accidents you can find spikes that represent his movement in different areas. The longer he is in one place, the more people die. We tried to find him this way once, the numbers we eventually attributed to him were too heartbreaking to reveal.

Three years at supersonic speed. I do not mean to sound flip but, move over Hitler, the new King of the Dead has arrived.

I should have them delete that last part. I am trying to talk about someone who I hate more than I thought was possible for me. If I am walking along with my shield down and a viper bites me, I would not hate the snake. It might kill me but it is just being a snake. I might kill it, but I would not hate.

Zippy is a man. A MetaHuman, a superpowered superspeedster, yes, but still a man. He has chosen his path.

Because of him we built the Wall. Geo, with a team of engineers, designed and created it. Huge, thick and dense, it was meant to keep Zippy out. The Gates of Olympus serve the same purpose, multiple layers, sensors, defenses, we are not kidding around.

Zippy has invaded Olympus twice, both before the Wall. The first time Speed talked to him and ended up chasing him off. The second time he killed two new MetaHumans, six Security personnel, and two of the Admin people before Speed and Kid Flash could arrive to drive him away.

After the second invasion we had recruited all the remaining speedsters bring us to the familiar six you all know so well. I decided that I needed to impress upon them how much I wanted Zippy stopped, and by stopped I meant stone cold dead. I don't mess around either.

I had Geo construct six knives with 12 inch blades. They were made of some of that extra hard metal that he creates and had a special surprise in the handle. The most powerful battery we could find could turn the blade into a vicious weapon for 10 seconds. I know that seems short to us, but to them it was as perfect.

Speed called 10 seconds “like a hundred round clip”.

The metal was black and double-edged. The hilt and handle were heavy non-reflective black. And when I make something non-reflective I really do it up right. The knives are slivers of midnight, evil looking things. They matched the purpose for which they were forged and I was quite pleased with the result of the work.

When I presented the six with the new weapons I kept it short, as was appropriate.

“I have had these made for each of you because one of the people who was gifted with your power has become our enemy. He is out there right now, killing. He has killed people on our own soil. Take these, find him, kill him. Continue with all your other tasks, but get him.”

They look, and they keep looking. I've lost track of the number of times they have almost got him but those keep happening on a regular basis.

We will get him, they will get him.

But even if it were to happen this very second, it would be far, far too late.

An angry god has rained death on the Earth for years. Nothing we can do will ever change that.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 15



Philadelphia.

I remember when it was so raw it seemed like the pain would last forever. It was what Olympus was built to stop. We failed, I failed, what more can I say.

Nine months after Day One, four MetaHumans decided to take over the city that held so much of American history. Morgan, their female Telepath had no trouble subverting the minds of the Mayor, Chief of Police, key members of the City Council and most of the police force.

In one day they turned a proud American city into Hell.

They must have known what had to happen.

Their leader, Mordred, shared a couple of things in common with me. We were both males, and we were both Energy Masters. The biggest difference between us was our ages. Mordred was 18, and all his companions were under 20 years old.

You remember the broadcast, some call it the dark reflection of our first press conference.

I hate that.

Mordred, flanked by the smiling members of the city government, announced he was now running the City. New rules would be posted, and any unauthorized Meta activities would not be permitted. It went on for quite a while. He did not try to rationalize it, or make it sound legal, the city was his because he had taken it, and would keep it, with force.

The citizens of Philadelphia were hostages. That obscene list. Assigning the number of lives that would be taken if a whole host of 'infractions' occurred. I issued orders that the speedsters and everyone else was to stay out of Philadelphia until we had a plan in operation.

Troll, a male Meta with massive strength, and Pandora, a female Telekinetic rampaged through the city to terrify the populace. It worked. With all forces of authority at their command, there was little anyone could do but to hunker down in their homes and wait. People died, fires burned for hours before city fireman were allowed to respond, and chaos ruled the streets.

Tens of thousands fled the city.

MetaHumans had been around long enough that plenty of people knew it was time to be somewhere else. Troll and Pandora responded by building barriers across the exit routes. Oddly they did not directly attack those poor fleeing people. Some were killed, but as far as we can tell it those were accidental. In 24 hours Mordred was firmly in control of the remaining 350,000 Philadelphia residents.

The U.S. Military went in, supported by the government's superteam. A entire armored division, M1A1 Abrams Tanks, Apache helicopters, and all the modern weapons of war stuck at the outer edge of the City. They essentially moved in and called the invaders out.

Mordred and his team was happy to comply.

Troll leaped into the leading formation of Tanks and flung them like toys. Pandora swatted Apaches out of the sky. One of the first thing I realized about my new opponents was that Pandora was the most powerful Telekinetic we had seen. We coined the class name 'Black Lantern' because of her.

Mordred and Morgan killed the government superteam fairly quickly. I may feel they were somewhat misguided, but I wish they had met a better end.

Is there any sight more chilling than that pair wandering through the attacking military forces? Mordred kept Morgan safe and they killed everyone they saw. She would turn troopers against their comrades. Madness was a byproduct of her wake. She was very creative, men did things that had they lived to remember them, would certainly have driven them insane.

Nearly 1,000 men and women died that morning.

The President of the United States called me. He asked for my help, that had to hurt.

I told him the price was our independence, Sovereignty. Diplomatic Immunity for all of our combat teams, and all the adjacent federal lands. That plan started so long ago finally was complete. He surprised me by saying my request was expected. He agreed.

The government of the United States rolled over with a whimper, were you really expecting it to end differently? They needed us, it was only a matter of time. I wish it had not taken what it did, that was a high price to pay.

Now I had to plan how, and who.

It was 8 am, Friday.

I was only concerned about Mordred and Pandora. Thor could handle the Troll, and would appreciate the mythic names involved. Speed could tag Morgan if Mordred was prevented from shielding her.

Pandora was a major worry, her strength was not going to be easy to beat.

Every MetaHuman at Olympus wanted in, and told me so. Medusa demanded, demanded of me, the right to go in to take out Pandora. None of this bothered me, and I sat for 56 minutes and listened to every single one of them make their pitch.

When the last was finished, I stood up and began to walk to the exit.

“I will pick the one other person I need and let you know.”

What would have been a confusing roar of questions had only begun to build when I flooded the room with energy that neutralized all sound. The room went still, and I left.

Nobody followed.

I considered trying to talk to Mordred, to threaten him into giving the city up. Nobody, including Psyche, thought that was going to work. I did not have much confidence in the idea either.

So I got creative, I lied. I told Mordred that a delegation from Olympus was willing to meet with him. Although we did not approve of their methods we had no choice but to recognize their success. We would consider recognizing their claim to Philly if they would meet with us in person.

From what you have heard so far you must know this was all bullshit. He believed it because that was what he wanted to hear.

I took Thor and Geo. Speed would be just outside of town until I signaled.

Noon, Saturday.

A ring two to three blocks deep had been cleared around the City Government building. There was damage visible in various parts of the city but once we got close it looked like a war zone. A clearly frightened human clerk had told us over the phone to drive up to the front of the building and enter there.

We pulled up to the front steps, and sent the car and driver away.

We knew the four of them had set up court in the central rotunda. Too confining. We stayed outside, walking casually to a group of trees nearby.

“Think they know we are here?” asked Geo.

“They do, Mordred and I can easily sense each other. They are all in there.” I replied.

“Oh, yeah, right, sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, I am glad you are here. I know you have not been in the field all that much but I know you can do this.”

“I know what I need to do. It is just not as easy as it is for you two.”

“It is not easy, it is just necessary.”

“Where is everybody?” asked Thor.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 15a



“Inside, all four of them.” I responded.

“No I mean the others, the hangers on, the sleaze of the city, shouldn't they be having themselves a good old time now?”

“Interesting thought, too soon perhaps.”

Troll lumbered his way out of the large double doors at the top of the stairs.

“Hey morons, we are in here.” he roared in our direction.

I looked at my companions and we turned to face the large Meta. Thor took his place on my right, Geo on the left.

It seemed to take quite a while for Troll to get the message. When the idea had seeped into his brain he stormed back into the building.

“Geo, do not play with Pandora, she is too powerful for that. Find a way, and put her down.” I cautioned Geo.

“Yes sir.”

“You know my large blond friend, in the myths Thor has a long history with Trolls.”

“I do, and I hope to add a new chapter today.” grinned my always eager companion.

The double doors slammed open once again, this time at the urging of Pandora who flew out ahead of the rest of them. They came down the steps and walked towards us, stopping about 50 feet away.

“Are we playing games Pulsar?” shouted Mordred.

Shouted, he could not magnify his voice. I could, and I did.

“No games, people have died, far too many. I am here to offer you a way out.”

“Yeah right, all three of you?”

“Olympus offers you a way out, will you take it?”

“Fuck you Pulsar!”

Mordred had not shielded Morgan yet. I sent the signal to Speed.

It was hard to watch, one second she was standing there, the next her neck snapped and she dropped like a stone.

“Cassy, No!” screamed Mordred. “KILL THEM!”

My companions took off to the left and right. Thor and Troll thundered towards each other like enraged elephants. He was a big fucker too. Geo running to draw Pandora to him. I waited.

Mordred was holding Morgan in his arms. I felt pity, and suppressed it, later not now.

“It does not have to end like this Mike.” I said in a normal voice.

“It does for you you motherfucker! My name is MORDRED!”

His first attack was violent, but uninspired. He threw bolt after bolt of concussive force. I deflected most of it and then started to absorb. He showed surprise when I hit him with waves of microwave energy. His shield flared and flickered as it tried to cope with the overload of heat.

He was an Energy Master but he did not know enough about his powers. He never had a chance.

Gravity was beyond his control, I pinned him to the ground. He triggered an explosive burst to try and drive me back.

That was his last mistake. That attacks drains our shields, in this case down to the point where I could break his. I did.

His look of shock as his shield vanished was lost on me, but recorded for all time.

I took the energy that made him a living being.

I would be remiss if I did not at least acknowledge the battle that Thor waged against Troll. It was worthy of an epic poem in the viking style. And I was once again impressed with the sheer grit my friend could show. At least twice it looked like Thor was going to go down. Both times he fought back liked an enraged bear.

It was the hammer that made the difference. Thor would have won in the end if events had not intervened.

Why Geo? I am so tired of that question.

For the final time, I did not know what was going to happen once we got to Philly. We might have had to play out the friendly ruse, there could have been a hundred people staked out around our enemies. I did not know. If I had taken Apollo, or any other experienced combat Meta, the ruse might not have worked.

I took Geo because he was good, and I knew he could handle her. He had become known as the 'Maker of Olympus' by then and so seemed an obvious choice if we really were going to make nice with the wackos.

Geo did his best, I was there and I say it was so. Pandora threw cars at him, she got a hold of him and threw him. His response to the cars was to turn them to gas. His landing point after being thrown became foam rubber the instant before he hit.

He did attack, several cars exploded just as Pandora grabbed them, one almost got her.

He did his best, it was not his fault.

It was mine. Pandora was Mordred's girlfriend, I did not know that. Not sure what I would have done differently but I should have known.

When I killed him, she lost control of her power.

She screamed, a long, gut-wrenching howl.

I saw the lines of force that she commanded turn on her. Gravity began to fluctuate in waves.

“EVAC” I screamed.

Pandora imploded.

Thor, Geo and I stood with Speed, Quicksilver and Kid Flash and watched a city die.

For a moment Pandora became a black hole. An immense force drawing every bit of matter into itself. Everything for 10 miles rushed to try and fill the space that was once a person.

Then it was over. The dirt, stone, steel, and bones of the grand city of Philadelphia and her residents became one with the MetaHuman known as Pandora. The two destroyed each other, nothing remained.

I should have stayed, I should have tried to control it. I am sorry.

I would have failed but at least I would not have to live with the guilt.

We did our best, it was not good enough.

It was a taste of things to come.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 16



This is Thor. I guess I did not talk enough the first time so they have given me a list of things to tell you all about.

We have never invited a close inspection of our masks, or costumes for that matter. Not that pictures of us are not everywhere anyway, along with endless speculation about what we really look like.

Our masks started as a simple piece of cloth, they wrap completely around our heads and tie in the back. Our eyes are protected by plastic shields, our mouths by a fine mesh. From the start we added a few extra strips of cloth to change the contours of our faces.

So far it has proven impossible for any sort of identification to be made of anyone wearing an Olympus mask. We do not eat or drink in public, that requires the masks to come off.

We never told anyone but just after our one year anniversary, Day 356 as we called it, we undertook a special covert project. Basically we went looking for photos and other identification items for every Olympus MetaHuman. We collected, or destroyed them. After a few months of work it became almost impossible to find a picture of any of us, anywhere.

License branches all across the country were invaded, photos were swapped. It did mean that most of us lost most of our 'secret' identities, but it did not matter much at that point.

One unexpected hitch, the impact of this on the families. The desire to bring immediate family to Olympus was not limited to MetaHumans, all of our regular Staff were involved. So a fair percentage of our dependents did end up living at Olympus. Everyone feared for the safety of anyone they cared for. It is a good thing we got fast at construction or we could never have kept up with the demand.

Olympus was secure, so people living there could keep their photos and such.

But for those related to residents of Olympus who choose not to live here, there was no alternative but to give up, or allow to be altered, many cherished photos and recordings. It was for their safety, for our safety, but it was hard.

We have improved the masks a bit, they breathe better, the eye shields react to light and darken when needed, and the communications gear is built right in.

Costumes, uniforms, we call them both. The standard outfit is a reinforced one piece bodysuit in non-reflecting black. The basic model is very lightly padded, but it can be altered into very sturdy body armor. I refuse to wear anything but the basic, I value movement over protection. Most people opt for a fair amount of protection even when their power offers even more. We try to stress to everyone that in combat you just never know what is going to happen.

Colors, quite a lot of people have a color, or perhaps two, that they use to trim their outfit. All non-reflecting muted colors, but they do add some variety. The use of different amounts of trim allows even two people with the same color to be distinctive.

Every Meta is encouraged to develop a symbol or logo for themselves. We have a small department of people who actually produce the clothes, costumes, and uniforms we all wear. They are quite good at what they do and they help even the least artistic to express themselves. If nothing else a stylized version of their name goes above the left breast.

Pulsar does not have a color, or a logo. But he is pretty much the only one. Even Psyche, who also sticks with the basic black, wears the PsiInt logo.

Most of the time we try to work behind the scenes, we do not want to disrupt lives we want to protect them. So black and stealth are the standard.

But of course there are those times when things are wide open, and there are no shadows to be found. So for these moments, some MetaHumans have a formal costume. These are the costumes that have few limits, and the ones that make Pulsar wince.

More color, reflecting colors are allowed, means that some are pretty spectacular.

Formal outfits are the ones mostly likely to have a cape. Normally we avoid such things because they tend to get in the way more often than not. But when we are going flashy, they do look nice. Capes are generally attached via break-way snaps. So if you saw The Incredibles and are worrying, don't. Batman figured that one out in the 1940s.

Pulsar's cape is a story all on it's own. I sat down with a very understanding tech girl and she explained how it works. Took a few tries but I think I have it now. I did ask him if he minded me talking about it, and he did say it was ok.

It is not really a cape at all but rather a whole bunch of one-quarter inch strips. Each strip is almost a full fifty feet long! Some sort of wire runs through each to carry a tiny current. The current forms an energy matrix that he can control. No idea what an energy matrix really is, but that is how it works.

When he first got it he could only do some simple shapes with it, but now, wowzy wow wow. He can animate it, form great wings, all sorts of stuff. He says there is a long standing comic tradition of capes that do amazing things and he is honoring that now.

This might also be a good place to talk about names, Meta names to be exact. Considering the number of people who eventually came to live at Olympus it is not surprising that the ways in which people gained their new names would be varied.

In the very beginning Pulsar and Speed choose their own names. Pulsar gave me my name, and when Psyche could not decide, he did. So we had those two traditions to go with. Having people show up even before Day One forced us to set some sort of rule about names very quickly.

We really did not want a bunch of comic book superheros running around. Not because of the copyright or other legal problems but for more basic reasons. Pulsar did not want people thinking too much about comic books cause like he says, over and over, “Real life ain't a damn comic book.”

Psyche says that taking a famous name can lead to unfair comparisons, or unrealistic expectations. I do not know about that, I was named after the God of Thunder, and I do ok.

Secretly, Pulsar had a great deal of fondness for much of the comic book world and he wanted people to be worthy of names like Spider-Man, Batman, or Captain America. Never found the first, the second is something different, and the third you will get to hear about eventually.

What we suggested was that new Metas not declare a codename at first. This worked about a third of the time. If someone came in and was dead-set on a particular name, that is how it generally ended up. But for most their names came from the people around them. During training you get to know people, and who you are does come out. This is the tradition among groups like military fighter pilots and it has worked pretty well for us too.

MetaHumans who have been around for a while sometimes help out. Pulsar has given names to quite a few of our comrades. For those of the physical bent, I sometimes make a suggestion that turns into a name. As far as all the Norse-based supermen and superwomen, that is not my fault. I objected, I told them to kiss my butt and find another kind of name. They ignored me, especially Sif.

Few other rules exist, the name must be something we can say easily, or at least have a short form. We are the good guys so that has to be considered, Blood Drinker was rejected for example. Pulsar has the final approval because as he said once, “I have to use these names along with everyone else. I have to call out to them when lives are on the line and people are dying. I will NOT ask Blood Drinker to do anything. Drinker would be stupid and if he wants to use Blood I know a group of people who would want to have a word with him first.”

But somehow it all works out.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 17



The first meeting of the Praetorian Guard of Olympus.

Janice, the President of Olympus started things off.

“Alright everyone lets get started. Take a look around you ladies and gentlemen, aside from myself you are all looking at the first members of the Praetorian Guard of Olympus. As you are guessing from the name your task will be to protect the most valuable members of our community. Commander Pulsar originated this idea and he, along with the rest of Olympus, knows you will all do your very best in pursuit of your mission objectives.”

Paul took over from there.

“I am your new Commander, and I will remain so until one of you shows me that he, or she, has the stuff to do my job. I want to go back to my dojo and training grounds. I am a human, but most of the people in this room are not. There are 102 people here. Our lovely President and myself are the 101st and 102nd.”

“Of the rest of you lot, 62 are Level 1 MetaHumans. Yeah, you are stronger, faster, and a damn bit tougher than any human I have ever seen but only 15 of you have had military training so you other 47 have a long damn way to go.”

“We also have 12 Level 2 MetaHumans, yeah you heard me.”

“I could let them speak for themselves but this is a military outfit so I gonna tell ya. They all have a few things in common. They all have some reasons for not wanting to join the flashy combat teams. It really is their business but to make it easy for the brain-dead out there I will tell you some of them.”

“Some of our new comrades have purely defensive powers, some just want to help in a different way, and finally some are people who have such extreme powers that the only way they will use them is in defense.”

“I think everyone who signs up for the Praetorian Guard is doing a noble thing. And the reasons, well, they really do not mean shit.”

“If any of you monkeys can do math, you will realize there are still 26 people unaccounted for. Well I will tell you. Look around, see the boys and girls who look kinda sleepy? Every one of those jokers is a former special forces op. Stone cold killers who only quit when they are dead. Wake up dickheads I am going to use you as examples of something besides sacks a shit.”

“These jokers are going to make this force into what it must be. We are going to protect those MetaHumans and others who are vital to Olympus. From this moment on the health and safety of the Telepaths and Scanners of Olympus is our responsibility.”

“The original Praetorian Guard was formed by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 27 BC. Two thousand fucking years later and we still have the same bloody needs. They were formed to protect the person of the Emperor but also the city of Rome. You monkeys beginning to get the idea?”

“We are a combination of US Secret Service and military Special Forces. We are going to review every action we take in the field and looks for ways to do it better. I'll bet you are all thinking about firepower, ways to take down some of those Super fucking Villains you keep hearing about right?”

“Our symbol will be a scorpion, a link back to the Praetorian Guard of the past. Our weapons will reflect that symbol.”

“Now I got some good and I got some bad. First we do not have any fucking lasers. No super science or any of that kind of crap. We do have some stuff working with armor and blades though, I will get back to that in a minute.”

“But the good news, when I raised the subject of funding with the Council, I was told, by Pulsar himself, and I quote, 'Buy the very best weapons, electronics, explosives, anything you need that will make your force more effective, period. If they do not make it, build it.' ”

“We are working on the gear, and you are going to be fucking pleased.”

“We are going to organize ourselves based on our mission, protection. The basic unit will be three troopers. Our basic doctrine will be that two warriors stay with our principle at all times. This means the third person in the unit can roam to take a more proactive defensive role if needed.”

“With 100 of you that means 33 squads and a Commander once I get my butt out of here. We run a 24 hour business here monkeys, that means 3 shifts a day, 8 hours on duty, 8 hours off, 8 hours rack time. If you are not in the field or otherwise assigned, you will be training.”

“Aside from our President here, and a handful of others, most of our assignments will be part of the Olympus Intelligence service, PsiInt. Hey, I heard that. Listen up! Forget every joke you know about intelligence. When you have Telepaths, Mind Scanners, and Invisible Men as your spooks, they know their stuff. Let me put it this way, every other intelligence service in the world spends most of it's time guessing. Then they bet people's lives on those guesses, right?”

“PsiInt knows, they know where people are, what they are fucking thinking. Never has any military outfit had the kind of intelligence we have. Get used to trusting what they give you, I have yet to see them get one wrong, and I am talking some messy hairy shit.”

“Body armor and blades. Our primary weapons are going to be what you would expect, the best automatic weapons money can buy. But considering the freaks we may have to deal with I think we are all going to be thankful for the armor that Geo is working on. Geo is a Meta, he can alter matter, any matter into almost anything. He can turn your ass into gas, he can turn your gas into perfume. He likes to say that.”

“The armor is tough as nails, light as can be, awesome stuff. “

“Blades. Again, dealing with some of the people we might face we just might find that the best weapon for the job is a good long piece of steel. Geo is creating swords right now. Strongest stuff I have ever seen, bash it full edge on to another piece of steel and it cuts and comes away unmarked. “

“Alright I think that about wraps it up.”

“You all have your orders in those envelopes. Room assignments, training schedules, and for those of you who know which end of a gun goes bang, duty rosters.”

“I cannot believe the rank they have forced upon me, but I will do my best despite that. I expect nothing less from each and every one of you.”

“As of this moment I am Centurion Paul Adams, and you are the Praetorian Guard.”

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 18



To live at Olympus is to accept the extraordinary. Our lives are never what you call normal, but within our own frame of reference we do have normal days.

This had started out as one of those, a day that was supposed to offer only a small mystery and the usual dangers.

We had reports of a pair of MetaHumans operating in Houston. Nothing big and flashy but a lot of individual crimes. The business that were hit all handled large sums of cash, and as a result the total losses were in the hundreds of millions.

As the Mayor of Houston was quick to point out, losses of that magnitude fell under my 'no disruption of human society' rule. The pair had not killed anyone as far as we knew so they were just not a priority.

The mystery is what eventually drew us to Houston. There were two parts to this little problem. The first were those reports, they conflicted.

Two MetaHumans was a constant but the powers of the male seemed to vary in a way that made little sense. He was reported growing to 20', flying, and changing into some kind of monster. Shape Shifters cannot change their mass, they cannot grow. And neither that, or Growth, gives you the power to fly.

The female half of the team had used at least 3 different types of energy, that put her in my category, Energy Master. We had never met a female with that power but that was at least possible.

The other part of the mystery, none of the Scanners could get even a trace on the two. Even people like Telepaths who can shield themselves leave little traces. The Scanners know they are around, just not where exactly.

The two we were hunting, zip. No contacts at all.

The possibility of a rogue Energy Master brought me to Houston, and I brought most of Justice along with me. Psyche was elsewhere and we were just planning on finding the two and attempting to convince them to stop. Since they were not out killing I did not even expect to fight.

From Justice I had Thor, Nova and our newbie Valkyrie. Val can fly, supersonic when she wishes. She has a low level forcefield that protects her against friction. She and Nova became instant friends. One of the first to graduate from Paul's full 6 week training course, The Valkyrie is good.

Since we were mostly going to try and convince our two wayward Metas to play nice I thought a little more size might help. To that end I assigned one of the new superwomen to the team, Sif. Yes I knew all about her crush on Thor, not my problem folks. If it impacted a mission I would notice, and people would wish I had not, otherwise, not my problem.

She is damn near as strong as Thor, and she is quite skilled. She was the best of the new group of superstrong people and that is why I picked her. Not too long after this little event she proved her worth by earning a permanent spot with Justice.

Kid Flash was also attached to us, I requested Speed but he got tied up in a massive rescue mission overseas. I wanted a speedster to help with the search, and again, to impress the two criminal Metas of the folly of their ways.

We took one of our jets to Houston. We went to our hotel in civilian clothes, snacked, and got ready to do some work. It was just about noon when we headed out.

I had a simple plan, since we had no idea where our two targets might be, we would be very public about our presence and see what happened. My back-up plan was Kid Flash's search of the entire city and surrounding regions. But even for a speedster that was a hit or miss proposition.

We walked out of the hotel, in costume, and put the plan into effect.

Nova, Valkyrie and I zoomed up into the sky, while Thor and Sif headed generally north. They would draw a lot of attention but they enjoyed it. I do not think anything we did hurt us, but looking back I wish I had been more serious about what we were doing.

We flew, or wandered, for a couple of hours. Kid Flash reported every 10 minutes for the first hour and then said he would call if he found anything. I made a mental note to tell Speed that the Kid needed to learn to only call me when he finds something, regular updates from speeders are guaranteed to drive you crazy very, very quickly.

Clouds started to roll in, looking friendly and fluffy. The girls and I chased each other through them.

About the time I was ready to call it quits for the day the clouds began to turn dark. I could fly around in a lightening storm, but Nova and Val try to avoid them. We headed down towards Thor and Sif.

They were sitting at an outdoor cafe, drinking from these huge mugs.

I was not pleased, first they were drinking 'on-duty' and second they had their masks rolled up to be able to do so. Both are against the rules. My rules.

When I pointed this out to my buddy he replied, “Who is going to see?”

I looked around, nobody.

No people in the cafe, nobody on the sidewalks. It was raining, but not very hard, no wind at all. The clouds were black though, thick and nasty looking. That would explain the darkness cause it was only... 8pm?

No, that could not be right, 5 something, 6 maybe, but 8, no way.

I had enjoyed flying with my girl and the talented and sexy Valkyrie, but to lose that much time? That was not like me, I was relaxed but the possibility of sudden attack was real and I knew that. I did not forget it when we were cavorting 5,000 feet up either. Nova had even chided me that I was being too serious again.

8 pm. I checked, everyone else had the same info, Central confirmed it verbally. They also said sure I had been flying for that long.

Ok, fine, lost some time, no big deal.

Whoosh

“boss we got big trouble lots of big trouble on the way”

Kid Flash had arrived.

“Specifics kid!” I snapped a little harder than I intended.

“well i boss really you are not going to believe me but 4 dinosaurs are headed this way”

“Dinosaurs? Robots, monster trucks, leggoes, what?”

“no real ones clones Jurassic park I don't know they are alive no machine has breath like that”

Dinosaurs, I had no idea what was happening, who could create monsters? But it was a threat and I knew how to respond to those. First thing, get the police to block traffic.

Traffic, cars, I did not see any, anywhere.

Not on the street next to us, or anywhere up and down it's length.

“Kid, 10 block radius, run every street, count the number of cars you see, go”

whoosh
whoosh

“none”

Son of a Bitch.

“Pulsar to Central”

“Pulsar to Central”

None of us could raise them. By now we could feel the vibrations of the massive paws of the monsters headed our way. Thor and Sif had taken positions in the street. She uses one of the swords that Geo and I make. Hers is blood red.

I was trying to find the people of Houston. I reached out with my senses and felt them, all around me in fact. The feeling was so strong my eyes snapped open expecting to suddenly see some of them standing in front of me. Nobody was there except my team.

Again I reached out. The people were there but my sense of them was fuzzy. This was not normal, were they cloaked somehow? Invisibility would not affect me like this, and if there were cars running up and down the street they were not hitting my overly large friends.

A hissing roar brought my eyes open again, the Tyrannosaurus Rexes had arrived.

Right out of a movie, 20' tall and hostile. The sound was not exactly what I was expecting though, more hiss and less roar. Creepy though, like a really huge snake with too much attitude.

Thor let the lead reptile take a snap at him and responded with a blow from his hammer that spun the beast 180 degrees into a slide. Not dead but down for the moment.

Sif did not wait, with a cry of “Olympus!” she charged straight at beast number two. The beast snapped, she rolled and came up just in front of the mighty chest. Her sword came up two handed and cut deeply. Wrenching it out and down gutted the monster lizard. Gore gushed down onto the street, at least it was not red, more yellow.

I was not worried about my companions for the moment, I was worried about what was going on.

Ok, examine the pieces, look for a connection.

Odd MetaHuman pair. Weird reports. Time weird.

Whoosh

“boss”

“Yes?”

“more weird stuff is happening around town”

“See any normal people, anywhere?”

“nope goblins zombies and Nazis though”

“How many and where on each”

“south 2 miles zombies about 50 west 6 miles goblins about 5000 east about a 3 and a half are the guys with guns there are about 20 of them”

Enemies to all four points of the compass.

We are being played with, and the game sucks.

“Kid go home, I need Psyche, Talon and Pathfinder, get help and get them here.

Whoosh

Whoosh

He was back, too fast even for him.

“boss there is a wall 10 miles outside of town forcefield or something I cannot get through”

Wonderful.

“Nobody can project a field that big, not even me on a good day!” again I snapped, I had to watch that. But as I said it my senses confirmed it. We were in the center of a huge forcefield, above and below us as well as extending down into the earth.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 19



“Everybody over here.” I called since our local communications were now out as well.

I explained the situation. Kid Flash found more Dinosaurs north, big surprise.

“This is a game, keep your eyes peeled for Loki.” was my first order.

“But how could he be doing this sir, how could anyone?” came from Valkyrie, she knew what we all knew, these events were beyond any Meta, or combination of Metas, that we had ever seen.

“I do not know Val, but somebody is doing this and we are going to find them. These wide spread targets, each so different, they temp me to split us up. The Kid could handle the goblins, Nova and Val could take the zombies, Thor and Sif of course want to go after the dinos, and you all know how I personally feel about Nazi scum.”

I paused, time to change the rules.

“So what we are going to do is stay together. The zombies are closest so that is where we are headed. We will walk, Kid, stay close, lets move out people.”

“Ummm love, don't we need to deal with these threats quickly?” was Nova at her most diplomatic.

“No, they are here for us, they will wait.”

“Wait? I am confused. What do you know that you are not telling us?”

“Not a damn thing, except that impossible things are happening because someone, somewhere is fucking with us and it is pissing me off.”

“Oh.”

We walked on. I expected to have to reinforce my order with the Kid but he stayed almost visible and right with us the whole way.

Zombies, that was them. Shambling, gross, smelly.

Nova ashed them in 60 seconds.

“East.”

Off we went. We took a break about half-way, it was getting to be a long day. Our wrist units said Midnight.

We saw the barricades first, piles of wood, barrels, carts and other miscellaneous junk. I could not sense the men we could see behind the makeshift wall.

“Kid, disarm them.” I ordered.

Nothing happened. I looked around, where was he?

“Nova, Val, stay here. Thor, Sif, follow me.”

We moved forward, they opened fire. Light machine guns mixed with some heavier stuff.

My forcefield dropped.

I pushed it back up, nothing. Bullets were flying around me and my shield was down.

“Get them!” I called to my two companions as I ran past them looking for cover. Nova and Val were waiting just past the corner when I charged around it.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know, my shield will not come up.”

“What can I do?”

“I DONT KNOW!” I screamed, at Nova, goddammit. “I am sorry babe, I am freaked and we are in trouble.”

“I know honey, I know.”

A scream came around the corner. A sound I had never heard before, so unexpected that it took seconds for my brain to put a name on it. Thor. Thor hurt?

“Nova, go, help them.”

“They have guns, I will have to...”

“I know, this is the job honey, this is what we do, go.”

A quick kiss and she flew around the corner.

“Ok you Nazi motherfuckers! Nova is ready to party!”

That's my girl.

Val was still looking at me, scared, I should have noticed before.

“Hang in there Valkyrie, we are not out, just down.” was not exactly inspiring but it was something.

“I know sir, I just feel helpless.”

“Go help Nova.”

“No sir, you need me.”

“Not your call rookie, go.”

Off she flew. I could hear the sounds of battle nearby but I felt blind.

My senses were gone, my power was gone.

Was I human again?

Why just me?

No, this was not happening. This was not real. Something inside me said no.

“You really are annoying you know” said a voice some distance away.

I opened eyes that I did not know I had closed to look. He was standing in a door way about 30' away, back lit. A little blinding in the gloom. I idly wondered how long it had been since anything had blinded me.

“I am told I am very good at that, so yes I do know”

“I spent a lot of time constructing the perfect puzzle for you. Each part was a clue. If you had let the muscle-brained ones go after the dinosaurs they would have found the nest. If you had let your little slut go after the Zombies should would have found this address. You were supposed to come here together, after you had beaten all my pawns. Very annoying, so I accelerated my schedule. How does it feel to be human again?”

I was up and walking towards him by the time he wound down. The guy could dress I would have to give him that. An impeccable suit that would do James Bond proud. Complete in every detail right down to the cigarette in his left hand.

“Feels wrong actually, fake.”

“Oh it is quite real, reality is my power, and you are caught in it. Fine, come on in, wrong door, but oh well.”

“Are you Loki?”

“Who, no. What a silly name, I am Mysterio”

I swear I heard thunder outside outside right when he said his name.

What looked like some sort of industrial structure seemed rather different once we were inside. Rich paneling along a wide corridor lead deeper into a huge room.

The place was rather spectacular. Vaulted ceilings, works of art on the marble walls.

And a raised dais at the end, with a big chair. A throne room, how nice.

“You friends are coming, I left the door open.”

“Nice of you. Any point in me asking you why you are doing this?”

“You people, and you in particular, are the only things standing in the way of our ruling the earth, asshole. What did you think was going to happen?. By now we should just be squabbing over who got the best piece. We do not all want the whole planet, you know. A lot of us just want a little piece. This city, this city is mine. It is all I want.”

He continued, the ranting aspect of his speech grew more pronounced. “Some people want whole countries of course, and then there are those other guys. Bet you do not know about them do you Mr. High and Mighty Pulsar? Five powerful men who all want the planet. Know what they decided? Of course you do not, you were not there, but I was. They decided they would destroy you first, all of Olympus really, and then divvy up the rest.”

“But when I kill you, kill all of the mighty Justice. No one will ever contest my claim to Houston. I suppose I should claim the whole state, just to have some room for later.”

I would love to say that at this point I had figured it all out and was just waiting for the others to make my move. Sorry, all I had was a nagging doubt. I was waiting for the others, but just because I wanted to know they were alright. It turns out that going from being a god to being mortal is just as mind-bending as the reverse.

“Here come your people, bet they are covered in blood.” jeered Mysterio.

The team arrived. Everyone was covered in blood, everyone.

Something is wrong with this picture. One rule too many violated. It finally clicked.

Nova could not be covered in blood, her flames prevented it. Because of her I know what blood steam looks like.

“We came here to find two MetaHumans, they don't exist do they?” I asked.

“Of course not, they were just the bait to get you here.” taunted Mysterio.

“Thanks, I always like to tie up loose ends.”

I did not enjoy what I did next, necessary or not it was going to cost me. I turned to Nova.

“Well this just sucks!” I started. “Why the fuck did I bring you along anyway? You just get in the way, and you burn more than you save. Do you still visit the little girl from Chicago? Yeah, thought not. I mean look at you, what made me think you were a fit consort for a god? Short, flat-chested, what did I ever see in you?”

Nova was confused, it was so sudden and harsh. I could tell she wanted to say 'What the fuck is wrong with you' but I did not give her time.

“At least you have not bored me to death today. Every time you go off about those insipid old languages I want to kill myself. Don't you realize how much I DON'T want to know that crap?”

That did it, she was confused but I had pushed too many buttons. She was pissed, holding it in because there were people close, too close. The intensity of her shield started to climb.

I had her right at the limit of her control. Hopefully.

Mysterio had crept up to the edge of his little dais.

I pitched my voice for him alone, “I know this place is not real. I know none of this is happening. I think you are doing all of this in our heads. And there is one more thing I know. Energy is energy and everyone has their limits.”

With that I turned and slapped Nova as hard as I could. My hand burned on impact but that was lost in the

E X P L O S I O N.

Blackness.

Light.

Pain. Oh, my head hurt. Where the hell am I?

Lying on the floor with my friends, inside some sort of warehouse. Empty warehouse.

Not alone. Off in a corner lay our attacker. His eyes were open, he was singed, and dead. I raised my right hand and squeezed, power flowed into it. The blue glow of electricity crackled.

He was not dressed all that well anymore.

Nova stirred and I moved over to her. When her eyes opened she pushed me away, tears were visible. I stood up, I knew what I needed to say but I was in no rush. She looked around.

“What was he?” she asked.

“I am guessing this is what they meant by Mental Illusions. Psyche did not think it could really be done, guess she was wrong.”

“Oh. Thanks for saving our lives, and you are a dickhead.”

Probably shouldn't have, but I laughed.

“Yeah, and a sorry one at that.”

She grinned at me, but there was still a shadow. Some things, no matter why they are done, leave a mark. I hoped this one would fade with time.

“Do you really hate my languages so much?”

“No, none of what I said was true, I. Hated. Every. Single. Word. Domina Novus, Amor omnia vincit.”

“Lady Nova, Love conquers all.” she translated.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 19a



Central had been going nuts. We had been missing for hours and they had everyone looking for us. Houston had more MetaHumans in residence than Olympus that day. Home sounded like a great idea and we headed there as quickly as we could.

Later I had time to ponder the feeling of being human again. It still felt real although there was a touch of dream about it now. I had not liked it. My team was in trouble and I could not help, that was part of it. Nova was in danger, that was part too.

But it was more than that. I resented being human, I felt cheated. Did I now feel I deserved my powers? Was this a step down the road to godhood?

I did not like that thought.

And yet.

What was I doing if not fighting a god war? I was Zeus of Mount Olympus as much as I complained about that title. I could throw thunderbolts, sound and fury signifying what?

If I was going to win did I not have to step up, all the way up?

A thought came to me that you might not be able to understand. If your life becomes too hard, if you see no hope of getting through, perhaps you might consider ending your own life. Don't, there is always a better way.

When I feel that way, I consider ending all life.

I could never do it, it is not within me to do such a thing. But I think about, I could, probably.

That night I thought about it. A part of me always believed we were going to lose. A tiny part, I considered it my realistic side and it helped to keep me from growing too cocky. But if I did lose, if the Earth did fall to chaos, I could stop the suffering.

Was that to be my final role, to end existence?

And if that was what fate had in store, then why not do it now, get it over with quickly?

Think of all the pain I could spare so many people, billions of people.

Oh hell, I was tired, my brain felt like Thor had worked it over with his hammer. I needed sleep.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 20



Day 357

One year since the opening of Olympus.

So much has happened it seems like a decade not just a year.

We lost Webs and Brawler. I will let someone else tell the tale of how they died but they went out as heroes should, in battle doing what is right.

Geo quit Apollo's team, it was just not for him.

Philadelphia.

And I met Sif.

She was 19, I was 29. Problem #1

She was super strong with no combat knowledge, and I was her teacher. Problem #2

Within one week of meeting me, she announced that we were going to be together,
MetaBabies were mentioned! Damn Big Problem #3

Don't get me wrong, I love kids. I am not a bad guy so someday sure. But now? In case you had not noticed we were in the middle of a war.

About every other week someone tried really hard to kill me. So far they had all failed but who knows? Did you know I have a special solvent that I use to clean dried blood and gore off of my hammer?

I am on my third jug.

My plan was just to avoid the whole thing. I trained her, spent time with her as part of a group, and figured she would get over it.

Like that was going to work.

She is a natural, ever since the first day she picked up a sword people have said that. As far as the science boys and girls can tell we have the same basic strength. Since I have 4 inches of height, and about 50 pounds on her, I am stronger, but not by much.

It came time for her to take a name, or for us to give her one. Heimdall, Balder & Freya had been using their new names for some time.

She announced she was going to be Lady Sif.

Sif, the Norse Goddess who was the wife of Thor.

No fucking way!

I ranted at her, I feel bad about it now, but I did it. I told her she would have that name over my dead damn body. I said I was sick of this stupid crush. It was a big scary Meta-filled world out there so deal with it. I was not her daddy, and I was never going to be.

Now you would think that would have made her cry right? Wrong.

She laughed.

Grabbing her sword she headed out of the gym. She was cinching it over her shoulder when I asked her where she was going.

“To find Pulsar.”

Damn. I followed.

Pulsar was in his office off of Central, Psyche was with him.

Sif did not waste much time, “Sir, I have requested the codename of 'Lady Sif', short form 'Sif'. Thor has refused. I contest his refusal and request approval of my choice by you. Sir this is no whim, this name matters to me. It has mattered since I was 10 years old and I first read her stories. Somehow I knew that name, that example, would matter. And here the fuck I find myself with a sword on my back and arms that can juggle cars.”

“Sif is my name, and if Thor really objects then I have a suggestion. We go outside, he draws his hammer and I draw my sword. If he wins, he can pick my name. If I win, I am Sif. But I must warn you my God of Thunder, I will kill you to be her.”

Damn.

“Psyche, would she really do it, kill him?” asked the bossman.

“Are you kidding me?” replied Psyche with a hint of surprise.

“Ok, she wins. Sorry Thor old buddy. Log the name Lady Sif.”

So she won that battle, and stopped talking to me for a while.

I refuse to live my life in confusion, and I had no idea what was going on with her. So I put it out of my mind and focused on the job. I saw her, we trained, all neutral, even mildly friendly at times.

Pulsar was running a small mission and I had something I had to do. He asked me to suggest one of my new superstrong companions to fill in for me. Without thinking I suggested Sif. She was the best, and this was the job after all.

Mistake. Big big mistake.

She did well, of course. So well that the next time Pulsar felt the need for some extra strength, he assigned her without asking me. Sitting on the plane and she plops down next to me with a big smile on her face.

I was glad she was next to me with the Dinosaurs were charging down at us, I cannot lie about that.

Then came the big day. Pulsar was expanding the ranks of Justice and all the strong boys and girls were going to compete for a slot. Gloves, pads, yeah, but real fights, trust me. Everybody wanted that job, and we watched very closely from the sidelines to prevent, well death.

It was a hell of a day, a good day for people like us. Sif won her early fights easily, and it came down to her and one other.

Eventually you would come to know him as Orion.

He is not nearly as strong as Sif, but he had mastered Jeet Kune Do before he became a Meta. For those non-martially inclined people reading this, that style of martial arts was created by Bruce Lee.That power combined with that skill was simply amazing to see. Everyone always assumed he was an Acrobat but he was not. He was like me, a superman.

Sif and Orion faced off.

They engaged in three rapid exchanges. She hit him once, he hit her five times.

They circled, at that moment I thought she was going to lose.

My fears seemed to materialize as Orion drove his next attack home. A hard spinning kick sent Sif down to the ground.

She did an odd thing then, she rolled and kept going until she reached the edge of the mat.

She lay there, panting, obviously hurt.

Orion waited.

The Lady Sif got to her feet. I really wish I could describe the look on her face. Not angry, but so fierce. Determined. I guess that is the best I can do.

They engaged again, he was still in command of the fight but she pulled one hell of a tricky move that changed that.

I have watched this from every angle, zoomed and slowed, so I know exactly what happened.

Sif threw a blow with her right hand, a full on attack properly balanced and executed. She had put her whole body behind it as one is taught. Orion had to, and did, block it, shifting his body to absorb the hit and not lose his own balance.

Following a split second behind the first blow she struck out low with her left fist, aiming for his body.

Now everybody will tell you that the second blow cannot do much. All your power is focused in the first and there is just nothing behind the second.

Except MetaHuman strength, and the determination of a Goddess.

The blow connected, 2 ribs cracked, Orion went down.

I pronounced her the winner, Pulsar welcomed her into Justice, and that was that.

She and I became friends again. Not really close, but we were on the same team, she was helping me to train other Metas, we saw each other quite a bit.

Day 357 arrived, the one year anniversary of the opening of Olympus.

We planned a party. Well when I say we I mean Janice, Erin and a small army of other people.

I taste-tested a bunch of stuff, they said that did help.

Beginning at 12 Noon on 357, and continuing until 6am 358. Held in a special structure that Geo created that was dubbed Valhalla upon completion. I am sure you have seen pictures of it, it is a stadium really, with the world's largest stage.

He found the largest performance stage in the world, and made his three times larger. Put it this way, Atlas, at his full height can not only stand on the stage, he has room to move around!

We were celebrities at this point, and everyone who was anyone wanted to go to this particular party.

So what Admin did was to list every performer, every traveling show, every band, everybody that offered to play the party in a database. Any resident of Olympus over the age of 15 could vote on a selection of choices. We picked the music, the handful of shows, and even the famous people who would be in the audience along with us.

It was really something. No cameras, no reporters. Just friends.

Everyone who came to the party who was not already a regular visitor to Olympus had to agree to a telepathic scan. We minimized the depth of what the PsiInt people would be seeing I must admit. It is a scary thing to have happen if you really understand it.

Oddly, most of the people who wanted to perform or attend did not seem to be all that worried about having someone poke about in their brain. Psyche told me that most of them really did not have any idea how much was being read.

Most famous people in the world, and they know less about us than a kid on a street corner.

We ate every six hours but there was plenty to munch between times. Drinking, we did a lot of drinking.

Pulsar and Psyche got together and planned a little special security. The speedsters would have one of their member running missions off of their List. We did not want to completely interrupt their rescue and other helpful efforts. One speedy boy or girl would be on Olympus patrol. Looping around our entire territory, and inside the walls. They would rotate these positions every 30 minutes.

Psyche laid down the law for the whole group. “If you are not on duty, you will be at the party, and you will be VISIBLE. Stand, sit, talk, whatever, but visible.”

They did pretty well.

Over the course of the 18 hours they collectively snuck out of the party 137 times to run a quick mission off of the List, or to join whoever was patrolling to just run.

Psyche was pleased, so I guess it was cool.

[Alexander Tau]

Chapter 20a



Sif was there of course, enjoying her still new status as a member of Justice. We danced.

You have seen us fight, but you have never seen us dance. We had a whole section of Valhalla set up for our kind of dancing. People who could fly, or jump rooftops, played for once. It was a scene from days long past. When gods lived on the real Mount Olympus, or when the rainbow bridge still lead to Asgard.

I did not make any sudden decision, it just happened.

Sif and I kissed.

The music stopped, the people stopped. I am not making this up.

Speed had been watching, and when our lips met he stopped the music.

The kiss did one of those forever things.

When we did finally realize that others still existed in our universe we both blushed.

They clapped, and cheered.

We ran.

And that is all I am going to tell you about that.

The party was great, long, and few people made it all the way, but it was without incident.

Best damn day of my life.



The End.





The tale of the MetaHumans continues in MetaWar: Changes.