Origin...

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Tyvek Chemical Industries, Brisbane, Hanseatic Commonwealth

Sarah's head nodded forward and then backward as the power point presentation ran in front of her. A bunch of boring math equations and a few chemical reactions about the new chemical that was being produced deep within the walls of Hanseatic chemical factories all over the Commonwealth. It was part of a massive defense plan that Sarah had wanted to enact since the biological attack on Brisbane by the Germans, but with the recent rogue attacks on Somal by Promised Land the entire country lived in absolute fear from being targeted by an attack of the same magnitude. Tyvek Technologies had come to the rescue. Their scientists had been at the front to develop a new antibiotic that would be able to repel the effects of biological attacks if another incident was to effect the Hansa. At the moment, it was still in the developmental stages, however hopes were high that an injection would be available for the general population within a year for war time operations only, and there were hopes that in ten years Tyvek would have the resources to produce enough of the antibiotic to make as common as a smallpox injection.

This was all nice of course, but Sarah was not a scientist and the only reason that she had to come, besides her Minister of Research and Development was for the publicity. An operation such as this required vast sums of money and having the direct approval from the Lady Protector was just what the company needed. Sarah just wanted to go the tour over with and go back hope to bed, she had had a rough week and an even rougher night. Sitting through science class was that last thing that she had on her mind.

"And so if no one has any questions about the effects of the antibiotic, I think it would be about the time that we could start the tour of what has gone into the making of AVX-I." Said the scientist speaking from the podium, his dazzling white coat advertising his intelligence. No hands were raised, and Sarah almost couldn't help but chuckle. Apparently a lot of other people had the same feeling that she did. As they rose from their seats, Sarah was joined by legions of journalists, scientists, a few politicians, and one Lillian Guard. Oh yes, it was a huge deal that she was there and she hated it.

The tour took the entourage deep into the laboratory, passing through dismal white walls with Plexiglas windows leading into dark rooms with blue lights flashing from within. She couldn't help but feel a little off set and spooked out. It was the reason that Sarah never liked science, it was never as cut and dry as history. There were no twists and turns, but she almost felt like a slime covered monster was going to walk out of one of the metal white doors and eat them all. Sarah shook her head. "Don't freak yourself out." She said quietly to herself. "In an hour, you'll be back home. One more hour."

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Lady Tintagyl!" Said the scientist from the entrance room. "If I may turn your attention here." He opened one of the white doors and beckoned the entourage into circular room, thick windows on all sides and a glass tube in the middle. Test tubes and pipes lined the room in a dry manner. Maybe that's what this place needed...a home decorator. Sarah chuckled to herself, until the scientist closed the door behind them and secured it with a heavy lock. The laugh was gone and followed by a gulp in her throat and claustrophobia set in.

"Locked?" She asked. Sarah looked around the room and no one seemed to share her distraught look.

"Why yes, Lady Sarah. We are experimenting with volatile chemicals, nothing lethal though. We just want to take precautions. Plus, the experiment will be taking place in that glass tube right there. I promise, you won't be breathing in any scary chemicals." He said in a mocking voice. "Of course, if you feel uncomfortable, you can watch from the outside, but the view won't be anything close to what you can see here. Along with the computerized graphs that will be available during the experiment."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, he was going to mock her? Definitely not, but she didn't want to be trapped in a room like this. However, considering that half the people here were reporters and a half of them probably hated her guts, showing fear was definitely not an option. "Not at all. Please, doctor, when ever you're ready."

He smiled and walked over to a microphone. "Mr. Briggs if you could please send in Samuel." Moments later a young man walked into the room, dressed only in a pair of gym shorts. He seemed sickly as if he had been part of these kinds of experiments before and it only made Sarah more uncomfortable, especially with what could be going on in the country right underneath her eyes. "Samuel, has not be given any diseases if that is what you're thinking. We will only be exposing him to the antibiotic and record his body's reactions on these graphs. You will simply see Samuel's immune system strengthen and his ability to fight pathogens increase and what we hope to give to the entire Hanseatic population in the future." At the scientist's direction Samuel stepped into the tube and it was shut behind him, air tight it seemed. "Now, ladies and gentlemen. Lady Tintagyl. I bring you the future of modern medicine."

The scientist pressed a green button on the control panel and a green gas began to fill the glass tub, the entourage watched curiously as the gas slowly descended on Samuel. The scientist walked over to the graphs and smiled at the crowd. "As you can see by the numbers increasing, he is experiencing a spike in the amount of white blood cells, in addition to other positions of his immune system strengthening. Eventually when the gas infiltrates his body h-" Suddenly there was a mad beeping sound that filled the room. The crowd immediately backed off away from the tube as Samuel began descending into a coughing spasm.

"Help me! Help me!" Sarah could read his words from the glass. "Its eating me alive!"

Sarah's eyes widened as she watched reports run for the door, but in their frenzy were unable to unlock the door. Samuel continued to slam his hands against the glass and then in his rage and madness began to beat his head against the tube. The room was in chaos and as the glass began to crack, Sarah could hear the blood-curdling screams coming from inside the tube and slowly, the gas, which had not been shut off began to filter into the room. The scientist pounded against the control panel. Jamming his hands against the green button, but to no avail. Samuel broke the tube and fell, bloody and dead against the broken glass as the gas only continued to filter into the room.

Sarah backed away from the crowd, into a corner all by herself and watched as the gas, no bellowing out of the grating began to rain down onto the entourage and the scientist. Immediately Sarah could see the effect it had on them. They began to slow their movements, then in one massive rage attempted to escape the room, tearing up anyone who was in front of them. They were animals and she was next.

The room fell into silence and Sarah watched as the gas hovered above her, into her hair, onto her skin. She held her breath and closed her eyes for as long as she could. Saying a prayer in silence. Finally when there was no more, Sarah gasped for air, in a room coated in green. Then there was darkness...

OOC: PM if you want in. I need a villain.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Sarah Tintagyl

[Michael McBride]

OOC: You need a HAZMAT-SWAT team... you know where to find me.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

A faint beeping sound fluttered into Sarah's ears as her eyes peeled open slowly. She was alive? Instantly she sat up in the bed and tore off the hospital covers. Sarah expected to see her body missing, or rashes covering her skin, or some kind of decay, but there was nothing, nothing obviously wrong with her. She felt over her body, again nothing. Her heart rate was fine, she didn't feel sick, in fact she felt rested, which considering her schedule was a feeling that she missed dearly. Smiling gently Sarah fell back against the pillows of the bed and looked up at the white lights.

"This view is getting way too recognizable." She said to herself. Turning her eyes to look as the door to the ward opened up. A doctor followed by his nurse walked in carrying a board of charts. He was a tall lanky man, but wore the face of a man who had been in medicine all his life.

"Ah Lady Sarah, you're awake good." He walked to the side of the bed. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sarah nodded. "Never been better. What happened in there?"

His demeanor changed instantly to a look of solemness. "You were the only survivor. Really it is a miracle, God really must want you to continue to rule the Hansa because for all logical purposes, you should have went crazy like the others. But somehow, there must be a chemical imbalance in your body that kept the gas from reacting with your nervous system. Like I said, it was a miracle. When the hazmat crews broke into the room, we found bloody bodies everywhere. Broken glass, mauled faces, cannibalism almost. Then we found you, sleeping on the side of the room like a baby. I should tell you that many of us shed tears knowing that you were still alive and well." He shook his head from the day dream, especially that when he looked down at Sarah he could see giving him an extremely quizzical look. He coughed and reached back for her charts. "I would say though that you are more than ready to go back home, after all, I would hate to see you waste a Saturday at the hospital."

She smiled and pulled herself up from the bed. "So I'm free to go home then?"

"Of course. Just let us know if anything comes up. Any slight sickness at all, anything. We don't want to be wrong that it didn't have an effect on you."

"Very well, thank you doctor." She crawled out of the bed and looked to find a pair of clothes having already been brought for her trip home. "Oh, by the way. Do you know what is happening to Tyvek?"

"They're being closed down as we speak. Human experimentation is a big offense in this day and age."

"Yes, I was going to bring that up after leaving. But apparently the curse already has befallen them." She frowned. "Those innocent people as well."

Sarah quickly changed out of her hospital gown and into her dress, shirt, and jacket and walked out of the hospital with a bounce in her step. From the windows, she could see nothing but sunny skies to the west and it was only after getting out into the fresh air that she saw the black clouds to the east that she thought that maybe the hospital would be better than this. Not seconds after getting into the limousine, it began to pour. She closed her eyes and pounded down on the seat. "Saturday." She scowled. "Yeah, I'll have a great Saturday." As the limousine pulled out onto the highway, driving back towards Solidor Manor.

The day passed like all rainy Saturday's did. Boring and slow and when the sun was finally beginning to set, Sarah found herself alone in the library, trying her hardest to enjoy a good book and lightly sipping on a glass of red wine. She leaned back in the leather chair and flipped another page of the book, and then another, and then another. But when she looked back at the page number, it appeared as though she hadn't flipped it at all.

Sarah's eyes narrowed as she closed the book and reached for the wine glass. But as she picked it up off the table, all the energy of her hand disappeared, or rather, exploded that she lifted the glass so quickly that it slipped from her hand and crashed onto the floor. "What the hell?" She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. "Sarah, get a hold of yourself. You're just imagining things." She took a deep breath and then looked at the book, but as she reached for it, she was suddenly over taken with a heat wave. Sarah could feel the sweat beginning to drip down from her hair. "Maybe, maybe I should call the doctor then." But first she had to open a window, she had to get a breeze blowing again. Sarah walked towards the doors and pushed the window open and fell out onto the balcony...then the pain started.

"AAAUUGGGHHH!" She groaned as she fell against the stone banister and gritted her teeth. It was one of the worst feelings she had ever felt in her life and it was covering her entire body. "This must have been what those people felt before they died." She groaned. "I have to get to a phone. I have to get to a phone." She threw her body back inside the library, but she fell to the floor, her hands holding her weight up and her entire body twitching. She shivered and sweat at the same time as her hand slowly formed into a fist. "What...What's happening to...ME!"

She let out a yell as her eyes spread wide open and an aqua blue light formed in place of her regular sapphire blue irises. Sarah watched as her arms slowly began to lengthen and the fabric of her clothes were her biceps were began to stretch and rip slightly. Equally at the same time, her feet began to grow out of her shoes. "What's happening to me!" She screamed again and could feel her body exploding with a power and a strength that she had never felt before in her life. Sarah stood up and breathed deeply as the lights finally faded from her eyes, but as she took in the sight at the mirror, she nearly fell back in surprise.

Her blonde hair hung down half way down her back, throwing off her jacket, her arms were toned and defined and her legs the same. Her eyes literally shown like aquatic rocks, and inside she could still feel an enormous strength and energy. "Oh...my...god..." Sarah said, nearly speechless. "This...was...not...how I wanted to spend my Saturday..."

[Subtleknifewielder]

When Carl woke from the procedure, he could hardly believe how light he felt. In fact, it felt like he--was--floating?

Well, that wasn't quite right. Actually, he was cushioned on a layer of air he seemed almost uncosciously to be putting out. Slowly, he concentrated on releasing his hold, and he lowered back to the bed, then sat up normally, shaking his head. Whoah, what a rush! he almost got up, but then he noticed several tubes, originating from pieces of medical equipment he never could remember the names of, which he promptly removed, over the protests of the scientists and researchers uin charge of the Project.

But when he reached up to scratch an itch on his head, he found a wire attached to his temple. Curiously, he followed the line...which led to his mother.

What? They hadn't told him that she would be a part of this! But it actually made him kind of glad, and he called her name, but she didn't respond.

Getting out of the bed, he walked over to her side. "Mom?" He reached out and shook her, gently at first, but harder when she did not respond. He finally thought to touch her neck where he'd been taught in his CPR classes to look for a pulse...and found none.

It didn't take him long to draw the obvious conclusion. The scientists had ruthlessly used her to accomplish their own ends. This was what came of those who messed with genetics, fooling around with the sacred secrets of life God had created, and he turned to them in a sudden fury. They stepped back, rightfully fearing his wrath, as they were unsure of just what kind of power he now held. They got their answer, for all the good it did them in their last seconds of life, as they faced his fury.

That was the last day Carl Standish ever expressed emotion of any kind...

He blinked awake, shaking off the nightmare as he considered the work his holy mission was sending him on tonight. He'd felt drawn to Promised Land, after hearing of the biological attack on Somal...

Edited July 21, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Generalissimo]

July X 200X, X:45 XM Monitoring Facility, Location Classified

Procinctia Armed Forces Military Command

Agent Delphi has delivered Pythia to the priestess, Operation Dawn’s Light was a success.

Excellent, report to them and prepare to initiate the second phase.

Delphi has become a liability, liquidate him immediately.

What did we do to Sarah?

What was necessary.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Generalissimo

[Comrade]

Brotherhood of Mol Temple Prime

Kotka, Molakia

"Prophet, the experiment is ready. All we need is a subject."

"Excellent. Find this woman. Reports say she is....odd. Sensors indicate something else in her mind. We can use it to finish our plan." Kane says, signing off on something.

(OOC: Muhahahaha....)

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Oh...my...god." Her eyes were large looking back at her from the mirror, still trying to process what had just happened. Everything had happened so fast, one minute she had been enjoying a book and a glass of wine, the next she was writhing in pain on the floor, after that she was literally growing out of her clothes and exploding with power and now she had become a whole different woman. Sarah still looked the same, minus her muscles had become a bit larger, she had grown a few inches, and her hair seemed to have grown a bit longer, but she didn't feel the same. There was so much energy just pulsing through her, she wanted to explode, she wanted to get rid of it. She felt too energetic, too strong and she feel back down to her knees as she held her head. "AAAUUUGGGHHH!" She groaned. "What happened to me? What the hell is this!" She screamed, anger mixed with confusion as she jumped off the ground and over to a marble statue of Napoleon in the center of the room. Sarah leaned against it and closed her eyes. "Sarah, this is a dream, this is all a dream. Just calm down, calm down, calm..."

She felt her body falling backwards, she didn't realize that she had been pushing all her weight against the statue that was already a bit off balance. "Oh no!" She shouted and reached her hands out to grab it, hopefully at least to stop its fall a little bit. But instead of just trying to break the fall, she felt her fingers dig into the marble and it stop completely. Not only that, but it felt like she was holding a cardboard box. Sarah's eyes widened. "Oh no...oh no...no not this. I can't lift this...I can't lift this." She hesitated and closed her eyes before yanking the statue back and lifted it above her head. "AAAUUUGGHHH!" She yelled as she set the statue back on the ground and walked back towards the window. "No! Sarah! You can't do that! You're not that strong! You're not that strong!" She looked at her hands and at her arms and her muscles. "No! I'm not that strong!" But there was no denying that she had lifted that statue without breaking a sweat, she had super strength some how and the world wasn't suppose to work like that.

Standing there, nearly shaking, she started to feel the energy from before seeping back into her body. Another sweat broke over her again and the thought of the pain returning to her body was enough to make Sarah sick. Her stomach churned and the room began to spin again, she felt a nausea sensation coming up to her throat and she needed to vomit. Holding her mouth, Sarah ran towards the balcony to throw up over the side into the garden below. But as she reached for the banister, she underestimated her strength and blew right through the marble banister and slipped off the stone veranda falling two-stories towards the ground below.

She screamed again as the ground seemed to flash before her eyes, Sarah put her hands out to stop her fall, but all she could think about is not hitting the ground of getting back up to the veranda above. She didn't want to hit the ground...she didn't want to die like this...she didn't...

Sarah opened her eyes again after a delay of contact with the Earth below her. Slowly she opened them, scared to see if she was already dead, or if she was stuck in a tree, or something else. But she had either felt no pain when she died or...or..."OH MY GOD!" She wasn't hurting because she had never hit the ground. Instead, her feet were levitating just above the row of bushes next to the mansion. Sarah was levitating! She was flying! "OH MY GO-" She screamed again, half in horror, half in absolute glee, but stopped when she realized that she was looking into the parlor where one elderly butler was staring back at her with wide eyes and his mouth hanging down near his feet. Sarah froze, this was the last thing she needed, to be honest, she still thought she was dreaming, but she couldn't take the risk. The tabloids would have a field day if they found this out. 'The Lady Protector with super strength and flight?' She shuddered just thinking about it.

The butler took of his glasses to clean them and called out for another maid nearby. Sarah instantly took the opportunity and pushed herself off of the air. It was a new feeling and just thinking about flying up, sent her a little too high in the air for her own good. As well as nearly hitting into the underside of the marble veranda and the branches of a nearby tree.

"Margarette! Margarette!" Yelled the butler as he placed his glasses back on his head, but Lady Sarah had disappeared from sight.

"What is it William? What's wrong?" She looked at his blank stare out the window. "Did you see something?"

"I...I don't know. I could have sworn I saw Lady Sarah outside the window."

"Standing there?"

"No." He shook his head. "Like flying in the air. Like she fell from the balcony and just stopped herself and flew back up stairs."

Margarette stared blankly back at him. "I think you need to stop watching those science fiction movies William. I don't think Lady Sarah can fly."

Moments later, Sarah landed back on the stone balcony and took a deep breath. She walked back into the room slowly and sat back down on her chair. Looking at her ripped clothes and the damage that had been done by her own hand all around the room. She sighed and closed her eyes. "What the $%&@ happened to me. That gas, everyone died from it, but I get super strength and can fly. What the hell. I'm sure the doctor didn't expect this." Then her eyes flashed open as she thought about what she had just said. "I have super strength and I can fly?" She couldn't help but grin slightly. "Hell yeah!"

But it was still a lot to take all at once and she still felt sick. She needed to get out of the house, get some fresh air and try to tackle something like this one step at a time. Sarah looked at the window and smiled, she thought about flying over into Brisbane. But that was immediately followed by a harsh shaking of her head. "No. You're still dreaming and even if you're not dreaming, you're nothing going to start flying to work. And I have to put on decent clothes again."

Leaping up from her chair, Sarah slowly crept into the hallway and avoiding the patrols of the servants, ran to her room and go changed into a pair of jeans and a button down blouse. She smiled, brushed her hair for a few minutes and walked back out into the hallway. Getting to the bottom of the stairs, William, one of her butlers looked up at her and instantly drew back.

"Milady. Good evening." He bowed, but looked at her with strange eyes.

"Good evening." Her eyes narrowed. "William. Is everything okay. It looks like you just saw a ghost."

"Oh no. I'm fine Milady, just...oh...its nothing. Just my eyes getting old."

"Oh, well. All right." She said nervously. "Well have a good night." Sarah jumped down the rest of the stairs and briskly walked out onto the damp night air.

[King Kevz]

It had worked perfectly he had managed to sneak into the chemical factory, avoided detection by any guards and personal and managed to replace the test chemical with one that would instantly kill them without any sign of struggle. Yep it had gone perfectly with the blue vial put in the place of the antibiotic all he had left with him was the blue vial in his hand. Wait a moment, a blue vial? "No no no" mumbled John as he tore open his bag and looked inside for the super power serum item thing that he had been told to collect and of course it was gone wasn't it. he realised he had switched the antibiotic from the wrong vial. Of course he still had time to change his mistake if he ran back and found it before....

It wasn't John's lucky day though as at that very moment whilst he was standing inside one of Brisbane's many alleys he heard an arguement start above him and as he looked upwards he immediatly saw the descending plant pot coming straight at him. "You got to be kiddin...".

*Smash*

Edited July 21, 2009 by King Kevz

[Subtleknifewielder]

Of course, it never was as easy as it looked. Carl thought the people with him would have learned that by now. But the fact that he was helping them made them take risks they otherwise would not have dared, openly stepping out in front of the facility's guards, daring those men and women to shoot at them.

When they began actively taunting the guards, he decided he'd had enough of the distraction they were setting for him. In an attack that did not distiguish enemy from ally, he sent a gust of wind that knocked everyone off their feet. Then, before anyone could properly react, the ground itself seemed to attack them, engulfing one guard after another in a rocky priosn before they had a chance to call for help, or even get to their knees. Some might even survive the experience if anyone was quick enough to dig them out later.

Moments later, more guards poured out of the facility, but he let his 'allies' take care of that with the weapons the previous guards had dropped, and strode calmly through the firefight. Bullets seemed to bounce right off of him, but if a camera had been close enough to see, it would have recorded the projectiles slowed as they got within a foot of him, stopping in the middle of the air about half an inch from his body, then 'recoiled,' as if they were rubber balls bouncing on a hard surface.

If a guard got too close to him physically, he simply waved a hand in their directiona and blew them off their feet, to be quickly finished off by the attackers.

Once inside the facility, he encountered more resistance, though it still proved innefectual. Many were actually cut down by their own fire before they learned to use less lethal ammunition--electricity.

When the first guard with a taser appeared, he put on a burst of wind-boosted speed and was on them before they could raise their weapon to fire. His tall frame gave him a height advantage as he twisted their arm, forcing them to drop the weapon from now-nerveless fingers.

"Where is Doctor Quinn?" he asked, his voice betraying no more hint of emotion than his expression.

The guard, trying to be brave even as Carl held him up between himself and the approaching reinforcements, feigned confusion. "Who?" Carl's only response was to twist harder, and despite himself, the guard howled, finally caving and indicating a nearby security door with his head. His hope of rescue died when his comrades were blown back with sickening crunches against another wall behind them.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Sarah Tintagyl]

She could have driven downtown, but with everything that had happened in the last few days, Sarah decided that it would be best just to walk. It had really been an incredible twist of events. One moment she was normal, the next she was barely herself, super strength, flight. She wasn't human at all it seemed, but the word 'superhuman' just sounded so corny when it came out of her mouth. Definitely something to work on in the future, but then again, she wasn't going to be telling anyone about her changes. Sarah rolled her eyes at the images that she could see in the magazines, it was almost enough to make her want to throw up. Really, she was thankful. She could have been dead, but from a stroke of luck she had gained superpowers from the accident at the chemical factor, which she would have to personally investigate in the future. Whether as the Lady Protector, or her new self.

It was just a lot to come all at once, superpowers, chemical, in addition to her normal hectic life of running a country and trying to run a family with her adopted daughter. The powers actually could come in handy somewhere, she could at least sneak out of the house easier.

Reaching the culturally district around eleven o'clock at night, the city was still extremely vibrant with people coming in and our of the salons, symphony halls, and restaurants. Pulling her blouse tightly and fixing her hair, Sarah walked into a dimly lit conservatory. The bar at the center was illuminated by a few candles on the chandeliers above, while a piano accompanied the light conversation in the background. Sarah found an empty seat and leaned back on the stool. The bartender immediately recognizing her as the Lady Protector ran from the side of the bar to wait on her.

"Milady. Its a pleasure to see you, even so late at night. What can I get for you?"

Sarah ran her hands across her face, trying to rid the confusion from her eyes. "Scotch on the rocks. Please. Its been a rough two days."

He smiled. "I could see it. Your eyes even look different than before. But much more dazzling Your Ladyship." He left going to pour her drink as Sarah rolled her eyes. It was like she couldn't go anywhere without getting the same old complements. Hence why she would need to keep this whole superpower thing, under wraps.

Bringing back the scotch the bartender set it down in front of her and stared back. But Sarah just took the glass and walked away from the bar to a shadowy corner of the conservatory, away from the music away from the people. The bartender shot her a quick glare before returning to his customers, but she didn't pay any attention to it. She just wanted some time to think for herself, away from the pressures of real life and away from her new developed pressures. Leaning back against the booth, Sarah brought the drink and chugged it down. One half in the first attempt and the rest of the scotch on the second. Putting her head down against the table, she tried to clear her mind, but to no avail. "Did I really pick up that statue? Christ Almighty...did I fly? $%&@ this, its not even a dream anymore." She looked up at the ceiling. "No, why would you ever think of giving me a normal life."

Reaching back down for the cup, Sarah brought it up to her mouth again to begin working on the ice cubes before a loud booming noise echoed through the conservatory. It definitely came from outside. The entire room was in a frenzy as they ran towards the door and windows to look out at what had happened. Sarah only had to move her head a little bit to peer out a side window of the conservatory and across the street. The building across from them, one of the branches of the Hanseatic Economic Union banks was bellowing out smoke as people burst from the doors. Women screaming and men holding their mouths, trying to overcome a fit of coughing.

"A bomb went off! The bank was robbed! We've been robbed!" The shouts filled the streets and then accompanied by sirens only added to the chaos. Police arrived with firefighters and ambulances, but if the criminal had undertaken such a daunting operation as the HEU's banks, he was definitely going to be able to avoid the police. As the conservatory emptied out, Sarah toyed with her head. She could probably catch him, would it really be that hard? This entire section of the city was too busy worrying about the bank and treating the people, so they wouldn't notice much and if the police had just begun the search, the trail that the criminal had left was no doubt going to be hard to follow.

Getting to her feet, Sarah sighed. "What the hell do you think you're going to do?" She said to herself as she walked out the back exit of the conservatory. "This is by far the stupidest thing you've ever done." She thought for a minute, sighed again, realizing that her heart had beaten her mind, took a running start and blasted off into the air, while almost hitting the fire escape that was directly above her. "Note to self." She said. "Learn how to !@#$@#$ fly."

Reaching the sky, Sarah could see the entire city of Brisbane stretched out below her and she couldn't help but pause for a moment. It was beautiful. The tall skyscrapers, illuminated under the moonlight, while the distant far off sounds of the ocean tickled her ears. It wasn't like being in a plane, or seeing it from a roof top, no it was beautiful up here. She almost forgot why she had even flown into the sky in the first place before the sirens from down below pierced her ears again. Then she turned her attention back to the present and flew towards the bank, but high enough to remain out of sight. She was looking for something out of place, something that shouldn't belong, a person, an action, a dot, anything. But after five minutes of scanning the streets of Brisbane, she couldn't see anything. Until the sight of a mad dot hit her eyes. Someone was climbing up a fire escape in a mad dash on a building a kilometer or so away from where the bank was at. It might not be the dot that Sarah was searching for, but at least she could entertain her curiosity. Streaming down towards the building, she landed gently on the other side of a small water tower and waited for the man to reach the roof. At least then she could have the element of surprise.

The criminal dashed onto the roof, the back pack he was holding weighing him down, but this seemed like his safe point as he walked causally towards the water tower. A smile on his face, that he had escaped successfully. That is, until Sarah stepped out from behind the water tower, her piercing stare making him take back a few steps in utter surprise.

"Lady Tintagyl? What the $%&@ are you doing here?"

"I would say a citizen's arrest, but I think I qualify as a little bit more than a regular citizen."

His eyes boggled. "I don't get it. Why the $%&@ are you even on the roof? This makes no sense whatsoever."

"Most things don't. But I like the view from up here. Not that it matters, now. If you please hand me the back pack and walk with me back to the bank, we can make this as painless as possible." She closed her eyes. Sarah wanted one of those awesome defiant sayings. But she was coming out with the same !@#$ that she said at conferences. Damn diplomacy.

"Uh. How about no." He pulled out a knife. "See, I can kill you and you can't kill me. Unless you're armed. But I'm pretty sure that you're not and that I can still kill you. So how about you step out of the way before I have to hurt you.

"Last chance." She said, walking towards him. But the criminal only bust out laughing and pulled his knife.

"You know, I never really liked you as a leader either." He said, lunging forwards, slicing towards her stomach. Sarah immediately jumped back and landed on the ground, trying to remember the karate stuff she had learned when Anthony at the dojo downtown. Putting herself in a defensive stance, she waited for the criminal to attack again and this time she was ready. He lunged again and at the same time she charged forward, trying to knock him back to the ground. It worked partially, but he was a quick enemy and thrust the knife forward as he fell back, catching the side of Sarah's arm. She let out a yell and stumbled back, holding the cut as the blood began to pour from her skin.

"Ah !@#$! Dammit!" She grimaced and then watched as the criminal came back down to finish her off, but this time Sarah was more than prepared for his move and as he pushed the knife down. She slid under his thrust and caught him by the hand. Immediately squeezing down as hard as she could, hearing the bones beginning to crack inside his wrist.

He screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to free himself from Sarah's grasp. "What the hell! Who the $%&@ are you?!" With his left hand he reached inside his jacket for his gun, bringing it out, he pointed it at Sarah for a millisecond as he squeezed the trigger. But her hand was too quick. With her right hand she grabbed the gun and slowly began to bend the nozzle of the firearm down towards the ground. The criminal's eyes bugged out as he tried to step back in fear at the monster in front of him. "You're...you're...you're not human. Sarah Tintagyl can't do that kind of stuff. She can't crush people's hands and bend metal."

Sarah smiled as she pushed him towards the ground. "Well then you'll love my next trick." She walked over and grabbed a lead pipe that had been laying near the water tower. At first thought she had considered hitting him across the head with it. But killing someone was against her beliefs, even with Mykep, she still regretted what she had done. But taking the pipe, she walked back over to the criminal still trying to escape, but slamming her foot down onto his back she smiled and grabbed his hands. "Number one rule. Don't mess with people in my city. Or you're going to get hurt." Sarah took the pipe and twisted it around the man's hands creating a set of mismatched bonds for him before lifting him up over her head and jumping off the building, while floating gently down to a nearby alley where the police were heading towards.

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "So what are you like some kind of superhero now? If your day job wasn't enough."

Sarah chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that." She leaned down to his face. "But making sure my idols like you get put away, is almost better than putting nut-ball world leaders in their places." The sounds of voices from around the corner entered her ear as she patted the criminal once more on the head. "Have fun." She said, before taking off towards the sky again.

---

"Hey Captain! Look what we got over here! Its the bomber!" Said the officer rounding the corner, then he saw the lead pipe tied around his hands and he drew back a bit. "Uh...Captain..."

The Captain, a large portly man, couldn't believe his eyes either as he took off his glasses and looked down at the man writhing in pain against the wall. "So, happen to you here, that you got trapped by a pipe."

"It was Sarah Tintagyl! The Lady Protector! I don't know how, but she has super strength now and she can fly. She caught be on the roof and broke my left hand!"

The Captain and the other officers looked down at him and slowly the chuckles began to leave their mouths. "Oh yeah, he's definitely mental ward." The Captain bent down and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, where you're going, Lady Sarah won't be able to hurt you anymore, with her super strength and flight." He laughed. "That's a new one, I kind of like that one."

---

Sarah smiled down looking from above the rooftops as they hauled the bomber out of the alley towards the waiting police cars. "Well maybe this isn't all that bad. You can bend metal and fly, so its not like you don't have stuff going for you." She looked at the moon, shining brightly down on her. "Yeah, this won't be bad at all."

[Subtleknifewielder]

He calmly strode in the door to the labs, then almost as an afterthought, threw the guard he'd been carrying into a scientist carefully cradling a vial of some kind of liquid. They both went down in a startled heap, but when the scientist managed to look down, his eyes widened in horror...the vial had broken, and the contents began evaporating quickly. Whatever it was, it must be deadly, so Carl quickly surrounded himself with air he knew was pure, and strode on, leaving the choking scientist and guard behind.

Other, nearby scientists didn't know anything was wrong until the first one began trembling, to collapse a moment later and shaking as if in the middle of an epileptic seizure. His neighbor reached for a button by his side, and just mabnaged to hit it before he too, collapsed in the same manner.

Carl strode calmly through the growing chaos, knowing exactly where his target would be.

And sure enough, he found Quinn in a sealed lab, and it only took him a moment to burn though the lock with a controlled burst of fire. Another handy gift--he never needed a blowtorch, and he calmly stepped through the glowing-hot remains of the security door.

Quinn, a short, slender woman, turned to face him from inside a tube, where she had been about to perform a test on herself. At least she didn't perform on others, though that was hardly enough to redeem her sins in his eyes.

The sirens continued to sound, for all the good it did anyone now.

They stared at each other calmly through the glass, and he absently picked up another vial of liquid that was nearby. "If you don't tell me what this does, I'll break the glass and expose you to whatever is killing your researchers."

She shook her head. "You have no idea. It is too dangerous, scheduled to be destroyed."

He moved closer, threateningly bringing a fireball into existenc in the same hand holding the vial and threatening to release it, and for the first time, she showed fear. "All right, it's a more highly contagious version of the Somal Virus. But it was scheduled to be destroyed! It's too dangerous to remain in existence!" she repeated, at a somewhat higher volume than before.

"Is that so?" he said, dividing his impassive stare between her and the object he held in his hand, an object which, if she was correct, had the potential to destroy countless lives.

He considered destroying himself, right then and there, but then a better idea struck him. he retrieved an armored case, made for carrying these fragile vials, from a nearby cupboard, and placed the object inside. The Virus could be used to destroy the very people created it, along with the ones who ordered its use, and the irony was not lost on him.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked, calmly once again, though she eyed the case warily as he closed it. Her eyes widened as he approached, fire once again surrounding his hand as he placed it against the tube containing the scientist.

"Performing my job," he intoned.

She frowned. "And what might that be?" she asked, a tremble of fear in her voice.

"To destroy that which is impure, he answered cryptically, as even that supposedly unbreakable glass began melting, began cracking underneath the intense heat.

"But you said if I told you what it was, you'd spare me."

The fire went out for a moment. "Did I?" he asked, almost conversationally. "No, I believe I said I'd break it if you didn't tell me. I never said what I'd do if you did." He then added one last burst of heat, and the thing finally gave way beneath his touch. She gasped in horror, then drew a deep breath--not that he cared...she would be dead before she could do anything.

He strode out of the building once more, leaving no one but the dead inside. He and his allies were long gone before government forces could respond to the disaster.

Edited July 22, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Comrade]

A Brotherhood Sniper puts down his Rifle from the Helicopter (painted in Civilian Colors of course) with awe.

"Did she...and did he....and.....I need a drink!!!"

The Helo flies across the city, amazed at what they just witnessed.

------

Kotka University

Kotka, Molakia

Classical Music Studies Class

Prof. Norris

"Well Done! Very nice people. But Katrina...please stop the wild solos. There isnt a place for that in Classical Music." Norris says, moving to the next set.

Katrina puts her combat boot clad foot down.

"Maybe we need something more modern, no?" She says, giving the professor a look like she was about to kill him.

"Ms. Katrina, please leave. Im tired of your horse crap."

"Fine. Later old man."

Katrina steps out and lights a Cigarette. The next thing she notices is the Dart sticking from her arm, then black....

A Brotherhood of Mol Agent gives the OK from a rooftop to his brother on the ground. They grab her and throw her into a nearby Truck.

"Next Stop: Temple Prime's Tiberium Labs."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Elizabeth Andrews, chief maid of Solidor Manor walked down the dim hallways of the upstairs corridors. Mostly everyone was in bed except for her at this point. But it had always been her job, to essentially close down the mansion and security, since Archon Mykep's subsequent break in, was of the utmost importance. So after making sure that the guards were at their posts and that the house was made spotless for when Her Ladyship woke up the next day, Elizabeth finally began to retire for bed. Thinking about Lady Sarah she frowned, she actually had not seen much of her Ladyship since the incident at the Chemical Laboratory a few days ago. Sarah had normally kept to herself, rushing in and out of the house, but even though that was normal behavior from her. She hadn't talked to any of the servants really, took her meal in her room, and pretty much just kept to herself. It saddened Elizabeth in a way, Sarah was always there to keep everyone happy, even after the attack, she tried her hardest to keep a bounce in her step. This absence wasn't doing well for anyone.

As she walked down the corridor passing next to Sarah's room, she stopped for a moment and listened closer. The sounds of quick shuffling and the whistling of wind came through the crack underneath the door. She moved closer to the door and listened in, only to be met by the sound of the door unlatching and a hand grabbing her by the arm and pulling her inside, much more forcefully that she ever would have liked. Elizabeth nearly fell into Sarah, standing facing her with a puzzled smile on her face. Her hair was down and she was already in her nightgown, but she looked like she had just been outside.

"Something wrong Milady that you pulled me in here?" She asked confused.

Sarah's hands shook as she moved to the door, peered out to check to make sure no one was around and then shutting it dragged Elizabeth to her bedside. "Okay, Liz. I trust you, I trust you almost more than anyone else I know and I need help with a few things."

Elizabeth smiled. "Of course Your Ladyship, anything, anything at all."

Sarah took a deep breath and sat down next to her. "Okay, look. You know how I was in Tyvek when that incident happened." She nodded her head. "Well, okay, everyone in the room died except for me. Well the chemicals had a different reaction to my body than the doctors believe that I wasn't effected. I was effected."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Lady Sarah, we can get help. The finest medical treatments, I'm sure, countries would be happy to trea-" Sarah held up her hand to silence the maid.

"I don't want this to be cured." She sighed. "Liz, you're going to think I'm crazy. But those chemicals gave me superpowers."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "Milady, please, if there's something wrong with you. This isn't the time for jokes."

"I figured you would say that." Sarah jumped off the bed and walked over to her bookshelf in the corner of the room. "I'll prove it to you then." She reached down to the floor and grabbed the bottom of the bookcase, almost without flinching, Sarah lifted, while Elizabeth watched with wide eyes. The woman that had been always so frail and thin, people believing that she could barely lift dumbbells was now holding a some four-hundred pound bookshelf over her head without even breaking a sweat. Sarah put the shelf back down and look over at Elizabeth. "Now do you believe me." The maid just stood there, gawking.

"Well, I mean..."

"Fine." Sarah scowled. "If strength won't make you believe." She closed her eyes as her feet slowly left the ground and within seconds she was hovering over Elizabeth. "Flight and super strength, that's what those gases did to me."

Elizabeth held her hand over her mouth, fear was painted on her eyes as she watched the Lady Protector, the most recognizable face on Earth. Fly up to the ceiling and then land on the carpet at her feet. "You...you really do have superpowers. Oh my God."

"Yeah." Sarah sighed. "That's sort of what I said too." She took Elizabeth by the shoulders. "Look, Liz, you can't tell anyone about this. But I need your help. I need you to sort of help me get some stuff around for this. Like help me monitor this side of my life. Like I already helped arrest someone, so I figure I'm fitting into the role nicely. But like if someone would see me, God the tabloids." Sarah walked over and collapsed on the bed. "This is the last thing I need Liz. Really, I don't want to be cured, but this wasn't something that I wanted to happen to me."

The maid nodded and touched her lip. "You know, I could probably fix that for you Lady Sarah."

Her head turned. "How?"

"I know a salesman downtown that specializes in spandex wear, cause I'm sure you don't want to be flying around in your normal outfits. Plus, people can spot you a mile away like you said. If you're going to be playing the role of this heroine, you might as well have the costume to fit."

Sarah sat up on the bed, her frown and distressed disposition replaced by a smile. "You'd do that for me?"

"Naturally. I can go downtown tomorrow and get it for you. Anything you had in mind?"

Sarah smiled and whispered into her ear...

---

"So. What do you think?"

The sounds of groaning and stretching fabric could be heard from behind the curtains, as a shadowy silhouette fell over herself trying to put herself into a costume that perhaps, was made from clothes that did more than hug your body. They suffocated it. "Well its a bit tight!" Sarah said from behind the shades.

"Well it is spandex. Its supposed to be tight." Elizabeth sighed. "I told him that it was for a costume ball over in Prussia. He said that you're taking this center of attention thing a little too far."

Sarah grunted. "When I want his opinion. I'll ask for it, okay Elizabeth."

The maid rolled her eyes as she heard Sarah trip again over herself and land on the floor. "Do you need help?"

"No...I've...almost...almost...GOT IT!" A sigh of relief came from behind the curtain. "God dammit that was hard."

"Eh, you'll get used to it I'm sure. Come out here, lets see how you look."

Sarah sighed as she slowly walked out from the curtains. Red boots ran up her legs, while a red skirt and tight blue top covered the rest of her body and a red cape on her back. She looked down and smiled at everything except for the "S". "I think he could have put something else."

"Well I sort of told him to put that on. I figured it had a lot of double meanings."

"It doesn't look lame?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Of course not. And really Your Ladyship, who cares if you can pick them up and through them off a building."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there." She looked out the window at the city, beautified by the setting sun and a mischievous smile crossed her face. "Well I guess, I should, you know. Try it out." Elizabeth nodded as Sarah walked back from the window and then turned and running full speed jumped out the window and off into the air, a gust of wind was the only thing left behind. Sarah flew as quick as she could towards the city and stopped as she hovered high above Brisbane looking down at the people and the movement. Her city, her country. She laughed. "Well this really gives a new meaning to the term 'Lady Protector'."

OOC: Mind the smoke...its the only picture I really thought was good.

[Comrade]

Temple Prime

Kotka, Molakia

Katrina smacks one of her guard's heads into the wall as several Agents attempt to subdue the wild child. She is grabbed by the arm, but that arm soon becomes broken as Katrina snaps it at the wrist. Finally, one agent gives her a dose of mild sedative, bringing the whole fiasco to an end. Katrina slumps into a nearby wheelchair as one of the doctors takes her into a room.

"Ah.....My child, you need to really calm down. Anger is so....tacky."

Katrina attempts to stand, but just falls into Kane's Arms.

"Ah, I know you well. Family killed by Nordlanders. Foster Family was abusive. But not all is bad....Hyper Intelligent, Athletic, fought your way thru school. You are what Nod Needs...you are the Next Savior!" Kane exclaims, opening a small canister.

"Wh....what is that?" She ask, closing her eyes to the green glow.

"This, My Child...is the Future.."

Edited July 22, 2009 by Comrade

[Sargun II]

"Activate Program N-17."

"Yes, sir."

"My name is N-17. My mission: kill. Target: humanity."

[Comrade]

Temple Prime

Kotka, Molakia

Tiberium Infusion Lab

Subject Name: Katrina Zykova
Patient DOB: CLASSIFIED
Patient Treatment: Tiberium Gas Infusion

Patient Katrina is being tested for reactions to Tiberium Gas. Previous studies have killed patients or driven them insane. Brother Kane seems to think this harlot will survive and thrive. We shall see. Even the Prophet Makes mistakes.

A bloodcurdling scream is heard throughout the Tiberium Labs under Temple Prime. Surrounded by special Sonic Emitters (To contain growth), A small field of the green crystal is seen. Various Techs are harvesting and testing the qualities of the crystals.

In one room, Katrina Zykova is thrashing around her restraints. Tiberium Gas is being pumped in, as is some Liquid Tiberium into her body. The scientist around her are almost shocked to see her get this far. Kane sits behind glass, a sick smile on his face.

"Brother Kane...Why are we doing this?"

"Simple: Create the new Generation. A New World is dawning. The Tiberium Age is approaching. Think of it: The day Tiberium can be controlled! All the good that can be done. She will be the harbinger of the Age. Her will is strong. He mind...broken. But not for long. The Tiberium will bring her body and mind into synch. And if my ideas are correct.....She will become more powerful than anyone in the world....Even that harlot Sarah Tintagyl."

A sickening smash is heard as a Scientist skull is smashed into the window infront of them. Katrina throws another scientist into the door, breaking it down.

"Brother! How is....She is nothing but a tiny girl...how can...!"

"Simple. Tiberium."

She steps out into the hallway. Several guards take positions.

"STOP!"

She takes a step foward. The men open fire with several Assualt Rifles. She cries in fear and holds her hand in a vain attempt to stop the bullets....or so she thought. The bullets stop. She pushes them away, into the troops, who are all killed. One soldier charges and slashes with his knife, wounding Katrina. She yells, her anger increasing. Her anger scares the soldier, who then attempts to run. He doesnt get far before she screams...and causes his armor to engulf in flames.

Kane approachs the girl, who has slumped to the floor.

"What am I?" she cries, looking at her hands and the now healing slash.

"You are the Prophet of a new age my child. Come, let me help you..."

(OOC: To any CNC buffs out there, i know i butchered Tiberium. Normally it would crystalize and kill most people. However, for the sake of this RP ive modified it slightly. Dont worry, In CNRP Canon Tiberium isnt used by the Brotherhood. However, they do have some sort of super soldier program going on.)

Edited July 22, 2009 by Comrade

[Generalissimo]

July X 200X, X:33 XM Monitoring Facility, Location Classified

Procinctia Armed Forces Military Command

The Tyvek Chemical Industries facility has been completely destroyed, no survivors.

Our surveillance has identified Carl Standish as the individual most responsible, we have his dossier on file.

This saves us the effort of doing it ourselves. . . let this Carl continue his actions, he’s unwittingly more of an asset than a threat.

Someone tried to steal the compound.

They failed didn’t they? With the facility destroyed there’s now no way to identify the circumstances, much less reproduce them.

Those fools have no clue, it’s much more than a mere power formula – they could have gotten that from Martens.

Even if they had it they couldn’t do anything with it.

It’s only effective on the female line of Sarah’s immediate lineage, anyone less would retain less than 8% of the full potential.

Program N-17 has been activated.

. . .

Casualties will be necessary to create a new world, Sarah’s new world.

Edited July 22, 2009 by Generalissimo

[Generalissimo]

July X 200X, X:33 XM Monitoring Facility, Location Classified

Procinctia Armed Forces Military Command

Nod is also monitoring Sarah, Kane knows-

The Brotherhood of Mol might be watching Sarah, but Kane knows nothing.

Right now he’s working on a project, ironically not dissimilar to ours.

Mol is going to take a young woman, likely a university student, a fuse her with liquid Tiberium. . .

Fuse her with liquid Tiberium. . . that’s ridiculous.

It's impossible to do with Tiberium or anything else because radiation doesn’t work like that.

Assuming she didn’t melt, the Tiberium poisoning would destroy her.

It’s not the procedure but the person that is important here, they’ve found someone special.

Her name is Katrina Zykova, and she will develop abilities comparable to Sarah’s.

Comparable to Sarah’s? We need to deploy –

We’re not deploying anything, I have informed them of this development.

A second-rate balding immortal with a messiah complex, taste for world domination, and fetish for green rocks is no match for Generalissimo.

I have anticipated this relatively minor interference.

Edited July 22, 2009 by Generalissimo

[Sargun II]

Matthew was well aware that he was being monitored. In fact, he welcomed it. He was only a man of sixty-four years old who loved tinkering with his robots. Whoever was monitoring was either on his side or at least not against him - and when the time came, he needed someone to watch him. He wasn't out for world domination, glory, fame..

"Cyanide.." He smiled at the little capsule in his hand, sat back in his chair and waited. It might be a long time. But Matthew Cunningham could wait. After all - it was N-17 doing the work now. And work it would do.

------

The Pyramids of Giza. Oh, how sweet.

Today was a day for celebration. It was apparently an anniversary of some strange pyramid-related holiday, so a large amount of scientists, archeologists and tourists were crowded around the largest pyramid. When the ground started shaking, it was just time for more pictures. When the metallic groan should have worried them all, instead it was recording time. Damn tourists. I guess I get to start off with a bang!

The first of the stones fell at 11:03:49. It hit the ground and shattered into three large pieces. Soon, it was a dozen stones. They each hit the ground with tremendous impact, shattering them into hundreds of pieces. The first scream went out. Scream! The left hand was free first. This was the 'Optimus Prime' hand - it had a superheated blade on the inside ready to release. His other hand? The 'Mega-Man' hand. As soon as he had enough free space... oh, wait. There it is!

The sound of steel on steel screeched over the screams of the tourists as the radiation cannon formed inside of the pyramid. As soon as it was finished, he loaded the pellets needed to charge it and jumped. His large body crashed against the bottom of the pyramids, splitting it in three. The massive structure rose up as he did, his body slowly straightening out for the first time in ten thousand years. Stone and sand rained off him like a waterfall as his body groaned with the effort of powering itself.

"N-17 activated."

He swung his arm cannon around, green energy swirling around it and sucking itself into the vortex that is his arm, slowly building up power for the first activation. He took a step over a fractured pyramid and aimed it at the one closest. As the cannon pulsed with power and hummed furiously, the majority of the tourists and scientists stopped running. Cameras flashed like a Super Bowl stadium, but N-17 didn't want that.

EMP activated.

A small spark ran up his leg, and suddenly every device within a mile wouldn't work. A metallic chuckling, slow and steady, filled the air. The pulsing arm cannon finally aimed true at the pyramid, then - boom. The top half of the pyramid faded into green dust, swirling in the wind generated by the blast and flying into the air.

Destination: Jerusalem.

[Subtleknifewielder]

When he arrived back in the apartment, he held up the vial to the light, the liquid inside almost clear.

Inside, he marvelled at the idea that so little could destroy so many lives. Well, if he had anything to say about it, the right lives would be destroyed, its creators and users would die by its power.

Unaware of the world-shaking events going on around the planet, he went to sleed, the vial once more tucked firmly in its case, and the case tucked under his pillow for safekeeping...

[Sarah Tintagyl]

For the next week, Sarah thoroughly enjoyed using and discovering the full extent of her new powers. She traveled the world without using a plane, explored caverns, waterfalls, and other natural wonders far too dangerous for just a normal human to go it alone without an immense amount of training and equipment and even when the dangers did arise on her, it was always a decently easy escape. Though she was still getting used to understanding flight and she was definitely still getting used to understanding her own strength. In one week she had got through a case an a half of wine glasses, smashed to bits whenever she got a little excited and squeezed just a bit harder than normal. In addition to the traveling, she had also taken the immediate liking to screwing up people's days who were screwing up her country. Sure, it was cliche, it was very cliche, but technically that was part of her job description now. Crime-fighter. And in truth, she was quite good at it. Though it was also kind of nerve racking because the number of stories that the Lady Protector herself had apprehended various heinous criminal was beginning to make the news. It was blown off as crazy talk, super-strength and flight, hodge-podge, but it was enough to make Sarah rethink her game plan and leave criminals up to the police for a bit. Steadily returning to her "normal" life of politics and anxiety.

---

It was morning in early August, Sarah had just arrived at the Diet to begin going over a few reports that she had let stray from the night before. For all purposes it seemed like an easy day ahead of her. She leaned back in her chair and looked out at the dawn sky just beginning to illuminate the clouds above Brisbane. Sarah couldn't help but smile, it had been one of the better weeks in a life that seemed to be constantly covered by dark clouds and rain storms. Naturally though, the calmness of the morning could never last into the afternoon and just as she had finished the first stack of papers, the inevitable knock beat against the mahogany doors. It was a hurried knock and she immediately shut her eyes, Sarah knew, almost by instinct that the more knocks and at quicker intervals the worse the situation, and judging by the sounds. This was was liable to be a nuclear disaster in the Hansa or the world ending.

She sighed. "Come." The door blasted open as Sarah's entire general staff, members from the Ministry of Defense, and scores of politicians walked into the room all with deathly looks on their faces. She stared back at him, still munching on a bagel she had brought with her from home. Silence held the room together fro a brief moment before she nodded her head. "So...What happened and how bad is it?"

"Well if its any consolation your ladyship, both situations are in foreign countries. Of course, both threaten Hanseatic security to a maximum level so we figured you should know about this."

"And it takes a legion of you to do this?"

"Perhaps not for the second problem, but definitely for the first one."

"Then start with the second, so I don't need to listen to all of you talk at once." She tossed the bagel into the garbage can next to her desk and put her feet up. Disaster talks used to have Sarah on the edge of her seat, now, it was becoming a natural part of the morning routine. "What's going on?"

One of the senators broke from the line and took out a piece of paper from his suit jacket. "Considering our close ties with the Promised Land government we should be lucky that we were able to come across this, but apparently a few days ago, a chemical plant belonging to their national government was entirely destroyed. The virus that the rogues attacked Somal with was being manufactured there. They reported that the vials containing the chemicals used to manufacture the virus are missing. The rogues apparently have hit again."

Sarah took her feet off the desk and planted her face in her hands. "And what's the other report?" She said with groan.

This time Luis De Luit, one of her most trusted friends and able officers stepped forward. "Milady, this might seem juvenile, and absolutely unbelievable, but as far as we're concerned we got access to these tapes just before other authorities took them offline." Sarah watched curiously as Luis took a CD out of his coat and placed it into the DVD player. The screen came to live, an Egyptian setting, someone taping the Pyramids of Giza as a home movie or perhaps as a tourist attraction, then chaos erupted. A great mechanical monstrosity rose from the sand, people began screaming in horror as Sarah watched as the Pyramid of Cheops was destroyed in a wave of light and laser beams before the beast took off in a direction unclear from the video.

"This has to be a joke." She said as the screen went black. "I think you guys are taking a UFO hoax home movie and treating it like a broadcast on HBC." She scowled. "Which is almost just as bad."

"Not with the information we've gathered Milady. We've been cross referencing as many videos as we could pull up before Rebel Army authorities were able to shut them down. In addition, information travels extremely fast. We've already made contact with a Hanseatic tourist in the region that confirmed the story. If this is true..."

"Then what?" She yelled back. "Tell the world that we have to repel a giant robot invasion?" Sarah nearly laughed at the statement, but her anger overrided that. "If your asking me what I'm going to do with these reports, I will talk to General Davies about the chemical plants. Mind you, Promised Land is already under scrutiny by the Dragon Empire, which I'm sure they can handle it. But if it will make you all feel better I will propose that the Hansa said help to them. As to your robot, unless I see this thing with my own eyes there is no way in hell that I'll be seeing this as truth." The congregation moved back as a mass. They bowed their heads and began shuffling out the door as Sarah turned her seat back to the window and sighed, only turning at a slight tap on her shoulder by De Luit.

"Sarah, I'm sorry if we disturbed you at a bad time. But the information is out there. We think that Rebel Army command has already confirmed it. You don't have to believe it, just I guess be ready for the worst."

She looked back and smiled. "Luis. I always am." He smiled and kissed her lightly on the cheek before leaving her quarters, finally giving Sarah the peace and quiet she had been longing for.

Sarah turned back at the black screen and tried to remember the images that had transpired. "If that thing was real..." She couldn't even grasp what it had done and to pile insult on top of injury, there were bio-terrorists still on the loose. She rested on her arm for a moment and tried to wrap her mind around everything that had just happened. The world was nothing but disaster after disaster. Nuclear attacks, plague, famine, death. Sarah had spent her entire life trying to fight these evils but they had continued to rise over the world and take it hostage. No matter what she attempted to do, the White Cross, the freeing of Europe, the unification of Japan, it was just never enough. She looked at the small White Cross emblem sitting on her desk and then watched the sun continuing to rise in the sky. It hit her...She had been traveling the world and helping arrest nickle and dime criminals when there was a bigger problem in the world. Sarah was never one to believe in destiny, but of all the people that could have received her gift, she did, one of the most recognized people on Earth who had dedicated her life to humanitarian work. She could do wonders with what she had been given. The maxim, "If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself." Spoke volumes to her as she jumped up from her seat and ran out into the lobby.

"Luis!" Sarah yelled down. "I'm going to talk to Anthony Harlem about what we talked about in there. He might know a few things."

De Luit nodded. "Do you want me to come with you."

"No. I'll just go alone. It'll be easier that way." She said and ran out of the Diet before he could get a chance to respond. Sarah zoomed back to Solidor Manor, breaking the speed limit nearly the entire drive and after flinging her car into the garage ran up to her room and slammed the door. She opened her wardrobe and after digging through a few outfits she came across the costume. Sarah couldn't help but smile as she took off her work clothes and slid into her suit. She had to admit, it definitely made her feel intimidating, powerful, and she smiled as she looked out the window at the afternoon sun, too a running start and blasted out of the window into the air. Sarah paused for a moment to look down at the city she called home before turning towards the west and flying as fast as she could towards Giza.

[Subtleknifewielder]

The next morning found Carl calmly sitting in the hotel's dining area, consuming a breakfast others eyed with wide eyes. Though he was tall, he was still thin, and the people were marvelling at how he could eat so much.

He continued, oblivious to their stares, as he calmly put away his fourth plate of pancakes and polished off his second glass of orange juice.

Once he was finally finished, he picked up his single suitcase (which now contained not only clothing, but the case with the vial), payed the desk clerk the remaining money he owed, and walked out the hotel's doors.

Once he was safely out of sight of the entrance, he looked around to spot any potential onlookers. Not seeing any, he nodded once, then took off at an extraordinary speed. Backed by the power of wind itself, and hindered only slightly by the suitcase held against his chest, he was merely a blur and a passing breeze to those he sped past.

His destination? The Government buildings. He had a General to find.

[Comrade]

Temple Prime

Brotherhood of Mol Agent Training Center

"Now Katrina....you have seen some of your power. I want you to see it all."

Kane hits a button as a Dummy pops up.

"Burn it....Control your rage."

Katrina nods and stares down the target. She brings to mind her abusive family stepfamily, the death of her parents....The abuse from fellow classmates. She cries out and throws her hand at the dummy.

Flames shoot out from her arm as the dummy is incinerated to a nice charred remnant. Two Agents grab fire extinguishers as they jump at the sight.

"Good my Child. Now....Take those two agents...imagine them light as a feather."

She once again nods and raises her hands. Both men start to lift off the ground, thrashing and shouting expletives. She flips them around, laughing at the sight.

"Good...now imagine the Tiberium in you is growing solid. It will come from your hands....strike them down."

She smiles, as tiberium spikes appear from her wrist. Keeping the men up with her mind alone, she swings her arm around, shooting the spike out and hitting one agent in the neck. The Tiberium instantly begins to crystalize his body, cutting off blood flow at first, then spreading to the lungs and making them solid. The man drops to the floor, convulsing before finally dieing. His face is covered in the volatile crystal. The other man screams as if to beg for his life. She laughs before sending more "darts" at him, pinning him to a wall. He too becomes a Tiberium Crystal.

"Ah child...you are beautiful. Now you can see the future. Imagine whole armies doing what you do..."

She Smiles, feeling not only powerful, but loved for the first time.

"Prophet...I cannot thank you. I know just what to do with these powers."

"Child what you do is your buisness. All I ask for is, when the time comes, you do as we ask. For now, you are free to leave. But rememeber this: The Brotherhood is your family now, this Temple your home." Kane says, walking away.

"One Vision...One Purpose." She says to herself, enjoying the whole scene. However, inside her head, he mind screams in agony over what she has done....

[Sargun II]

$%&@.

Redirecting target.

Several thousand things ran through his head at this moment. Why was he doing this willingly? How the $%&@ did he wind up here in the first place? Where the hell was he? But, most importantly, how does he know what to do? While he thought of these things he continued to do it anyway, his self-awareness slowly slipping back below the line of orders. After a moment's hesitation, he stumbled forward and slowly made his way over to the blasted pyramid. At this point, several of the tourists and scientists started taking more pictures and even cheering on N-17, thinking it some kind of awesome unveiling by the Egyptians.

Of course, they were dead wrong.

Out of his right hand came a blade, fiery red with heat and sizzling with the head of a thousand suns (or one that was trapped under a pyramid). He kneeled in front of the blown up Pyramid and slammed the blade down into the debris. The superheated blade found a pocket of trapped air, heating it up swiftly and taking the one course out - up. The other side of the pyramid exploded in a frenzy of sand and stone, sending a waterfall of sand into the vacuum now created by the air leaving.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Up she went, up high into the air, as fast as she could as the atmosphere around her began to tighten and push immediate strain on her lungs. There were few things besides the miraculous sun setting in Brisbane, but the upper atmosphere of Earth might be one thing to surpass it. Sarah glanced down at the Earth below her and nearly drew back in surprise. There drifted the clouds slowly across the blue planet, the oceans were calm and the Earth seemed literally immobile. Nothing wrong could be seen, only the luscious jungles of the South Pacific and the slowly drying steppes of the horizon. She exhaled for a moment, the freezing air of the upper atmosphere immediately turning into a cold wind and she could feel herself beginning a slight shiver. But the beauty of the upper Earth would have to wait for another time as Sarah turned her body and began to stream towards the west, as fast as whatever force was guiding her could take her. It was a truly awesome feeling, the wind blowing her hair just like if she had been riding in a sports car...but this was so much better than that!

For as draining as it was, Sarah's first high-speed flying experiment had gone extremely well as she began her descent down towards the central deserts of Egypt, the Earth and her eyes closing in, further and further until the planet came back into the focus that she was so used to. But as the pyramids, or what was left of them came back into focus, Sarah began to slow her descent and looked down at the gigantic mechanical beast. She arrived just as the robot was beginning its attack on the structure with the blade. Sarah watched, awestruck as he jammed it into the structure and seconds later a building that had defied the elements for thousands of years was blow to smithereens, even worse, along side a cheering crowd.

She couldn't believe her eyes at what she was seeing. "How can those people be that stupid?" Debris flying everywhere. Naturally they would stand and cheer." She shook her head. "Seriously, I can't stand people sometimes." Sarah drifted down lower, slowly, trying to get a better grasp on the situation and the history major in her began to come out. She couldn't just let the pyramids get destroyed because some idiot wanted to take their toy out for a test spin. Even worse, there were hundreds if not close to thousands of people gathered here and if one thing went slightly wrong, it would end up in becoming an epic disaster. But the robot was really big and she was really small, which presented a problem. However, she could fly and who knows maybe was just as strong as the machine in front of her.

"Well you didn't fly all the way to Giza to stare at it." She sighed and landed a few miles away from where the robot was trashing the pyramids. In a valley, she found a nice sized boulder that would at the very least cause a nice dent in the metal covering, or at least she assumed it would. Counting to three, Sarah pushed her body into the rock and picked it up above her head then set back off towards where N-17 was wreaking havoc.

Traveling up into the air in the skies above him, she tried to hid herself as much as possible, as much as you could from holding a gigantic boulder, but she was hoping that the confusion on the ground was of more importance to him. Balancing it one last time, she heaved the rock back and with every ounce of strength she possessed hurled the rock towards the robot and immediately charging down after it to take in the damage that she had inflicted.