Mercidia could not decide which was worse, the haunting quiet from the temple or the looming dread that her life would amount to nothing.
How could all four of her catalysts fail? She had never heard of something like that happening before. Mercidia knew an immature Origin would lead to a failed ritual. Neglecting the bond with a catalyst also led to failure. There were stories of parents unknowingly rushing their children to inevitable failure, but Mercidia had been prepa...
2024-07-22 10:03:16 +0000 UTC
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I grappled to a nearby roof, enabling night vision. I tracked two individuals blitzing down a darkened street, eager to flee from their pursuer. They wouldn’t get very far, and it was only by sheer luck that they managed to evade me for as long as they had. Regardless, the chase would shortly end, and I would get what I came for.
Eight objects were highlighted on my visor, closing in on the fleeing Supers. One shot a multicolored blast of light at one of the outlines, but it zipped ou...
2024-07-10 07:46:11 +0000 UTC
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The Temple of the Twelve had never looked so imposing.
The white structure was the largest in the city, standing at the very center as if to suggest it was the heart. In some ways, it was the lifeblood of their culture, the place all youth entered to take their first steps into adulthood. Its grandeur had her transfixed, for it was today that she’d take those first steps.
Today, Mercidia would begin her path.
“Take heart,” a gruff voice sounded to her side. “Banish a...
2024-06-29 00:03:15 +0000 UTC
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Big announcement time!
It was around this time last year that I started posting String, and the amount of support and feedback I’ve received is stunning. Seriously, I can’t thank you guys enough for reading. I look forward to posting every week and I will continue to do so until String’s conclusion.
That being said, I’ve had ideas swimming around my head for quite some time now, and one in particular has stuck. I’ve been slowly ironing out the details about the world and...
2024-06-25 13:43:04 +0000 UTC
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“What in the— where the fuck did that come from?”
Mia Coleman sat in a small cafe on the corner of a street several blocks from where those words were spoken, yet she heard them as though they were right next to her. Mia felt a sense of unease looking out the window at a shoe shop across the street. Her focus, however, wasn’t on the shop but on where the statue was.
“I don’t remember stealing from an art gallery.”
“That’s not from a fu...
2024-06-25 12:52:22 +0000 UTC
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Han Kim loathed this task, not because he didn’t enjoy it, but because it was required.
In this world, Han found the generous gifts humanity received bequeathed to the unworthy, those who would abuse their position for personal gain. The unfortunate reality was Pandora tended to pick up these particular individuals frequently. As Wildfire, Han’s job was to ensure they stayed in line and to discipline those who dared to bite the hand that fed them. Some sought to take advant...
2024-06-19 05:26:14 +0000 UTC
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Abby claimed the soundproofing installed inside the Citadel was the best money could buy. Whoever designed the materials didn’t consider a Transfiguration Case like Amelia.
All night, her vulpine ears twitched incessantly, picking up the sounds of fighting and destruction. Naturally, Amelia and the rest of the Rookies found themselves confined to the Citadel for their safety. Abby was the only exception to that rule because she had the most experience. Amelia knew her experience didn...
2024-06-11 11:38:05 +0000 UTC
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“Are you sure you want to do this?”
My eyes glazed over as I stared out the passenger window. A hazy fog plagued my thoughts, and I tried to organize them. I needed a clear head if my plan was going to see any sort of success. My gaze was fixated on the house across the street – my home – where my mother would undoubtedly be. I had put this off long enough, and she deserved to know what I was getting myself involved in.
“Most people like to claim that lying is the easy w...
2024-06-04 10:52:19 +0000 UTC
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EVOHUMAN CRISIS UNIT RESTRICTED DATABASE
ACCESSING . . .
USERNAME: ******
PASSWORD: ***********************
.
. .
. . .
LOGGING IN . . .
SEARCHING . . .
CONTENT: EVENTS - AURORA, SECOND MOON
ARCHIVED: July 21st, 1970
UPDATED/EDITED: March 7th, 2003
NOTES:
Information collected and compiled by Agent Br...
2024-05-29 10:53:30 +0000 UTC
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The moment I laid eyes on our new hideout, my heart sunk into the pit of my stomach.
As I stared distantly, dread pooled in my stomach. I had been here before, briefly over the last few years. Chris’ family owned this business, and my new employer had just bought them out. Did they do this to send a message to me? If so, what kind of message was Cyberspace trying to send?
For their sake, I could only hope that Cyberspace’s people paid them generously.
The bui...
2024-05-27 10:54:10 +0000 UTC
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I glared at the object pinched between my fingers like it was the most vile thing I had ever seen.
We returned to our hideout later that night to move our things to a location Cyberspace helped us acquire. Just like Mia had reported, a few notable things were missing. To Sam’s dismay, her room looked like it had been tipped upside down and ransacked. She lamented a few missing items, but it seemed she didn’t appear upset about what had happened. Since Mia and Liam kept nothing of no...
2024-05-13 11:32:06 +0000 UTC
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You would think out of the five people in the room, the four that had superpowers would hold all the leverage. That, unfortunately, was not the case.
“Business?” Mia murmured, stealing a few gazes at us. “I get the feeling I’m not going to like this.”
“You may not,” the old man admitted monotonously. “But you are fortunate that I volunteered to deliver the message and initiate a discussion.” His gaze shifted to Sam, his expression expectant. “I would have thoug...
2024-05-05 12:50:51 +0000 UTC
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I awoke to excruciating pain in my head and sunlight streaming into my eyes.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had woken up feeling this awful, but last night’s activities were explanation enough. There were scarce details to what I remembered after defeating Grim; I knew we had ended up at a hotel.
It was a private suite on the other end of the city. I had blacked out the moment my head hit the couch. The last thing I recalled was Sam and Mia claiming the beds while Liam sn...
2024-05-05 12:46:57 +0000 UTC
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Red stained the sink as several used gauze pads lay scattered around. First aid wasn’t Carmen’s specialty, but she had to make do with what she had.
Turning the faucet on, Carmen allowed the sound of rushing water to calm her mind as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to make sure she didn’t put any weight on her wounded leg for the next few days, not after that fucking kid had managed to land the luckiest shot of his life.
“Tricky lit...
2024-04-21 13:17:23 +0000 UTC
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I counted the minutes that passed, watching the action through my scope.
This whole section of the city had lost power, and the ocean water had spread far enough that I couldn’t see where it ended. It had taken a couple of minutes for the water to stop, and now every building for at least a kilometer around would have to be rebuilt. I didn’t even want to think about how many homes were affected by our backup plan.
Regardless, it was a sacrifice worth paying to take down one of...
2024-04-16 12:19:39 +0000 UTC
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I expected Grim’s shadow to lurch away from the geyser like a frightened cat. To my surprise, he didn’t.
For a split second, I believed we were mistaken and that I had just thrown myself in front of him without any way to fight back. The water erupted from the fire hydrant shot up, disappearing into the shadow, just like everything he consumed.
Grim’s speed suddenly increased, but his movement was different than before. While a good portion of his smoke-like body surged towa...
2024-04-07 12:56:55 +0000 UTC
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EVOHUMAN CRISIS UNIT RESTRICTED DATABASE
ACCESSING . . .
USERNAME: ******
PASSWORD: ***********************
.
. .
. . .
LOGGING IN . . .
SEARCHING . . .
CONTENT: P.O.I #84 – Doctor Nicole Keefe “NANOFORGE”
ARCHIVED: January 7th, 2006
UPDATED/EDITED: April 21st, 2008
NOTES:
Profile compiled...
2024-04-07 12:51:41 +0000 UTC
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While Alice and Anomaly left to set up, I walked through rooms and hallways until we reached a door.
We were still a few floors below ground level, so I didn’t expect it when the door opened into a garage. My surprise only grew when I saw what it held. It was like a sea of mechanical parts – an underground car park retrofitted to be some kind of workshop for a Mechakinetic.
There were cars, bikes, vans, buses, and much more. There were even a couple of the armored transports I...
2024-03-31 13:03:13 +0000 UTC
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EVOHUMAN CRISIS UNIT RESTRICTED DATABASE
ACCESSING . . .
USERNAME: ******
PASSWORD: ***********************
.
. .
. . .
LOGGING IN . . .
SEARCHING . . .
CONTENT: COUNTRIES - NEW ELPIS
ARCHIVED: January 12th, 1989
UPDATED/EDITED: November 8th, 2004
NOTES:
Information collected and compiled by Agent Bri...
2024-03-21 09:19:09 +0000 UTC
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When Anomaly put himself back together, I felt convinced we were finally getting somewhere.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The moment he had managed to get his bearings and identify The Old Man, animosity crept into the room. Where Liam was usually relaxed and casual, he was wound up and ready to snap. I didn’t need to be a Mentalist to recognize there was something to their relationship. I wasn’t sure what their history was, but the recognition in his eyes was unmistakabl...
2024-03-17 11:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I placed Anomaly’s container down on the table with a heavy clunk. It was only a slight difference, but the dark goo was starting to become more active. As much as I was looking forward to seeing him up and about again, my attention fixated on Alice.
She paced the room, her eyes blazing Gold and a look of frustration on her face. If it bothered me that every Mentalist on the planet had missed such a simple weakness, I’m sure she’s downright furious.
“Alice.”
...
2024-03-10 11:40:04 +0000 UTC
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EVOHUMAN CRISIS UNIT RESTRICTED DATABASE
ACCESSING . . .
USERNAME: ******
PASSWORD: ***********************
.
. .
. . .
LOGGING IN . . .
SEARCHING . . .
CONTENT: P.O.I #6 - Melody Ella-Rose “GAEA”
ARCHIVED: December 22nd, 1988
NOTES:
Profile compiled by Agent Joseph Parker
Power Analysis:
2024-03-07 11:19:49 +0000 UTC
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The caffeine hit me like a truck.
Coupled with the ham and cheese toasted sandwiches Alice and I shared, we followed the Old Man feeling like new people. No longer were my eyelids heavy, threatening to shut at a moment's notice. I was wide awake and ready for anything. Breathing through my nose was still a problem, but at least the pain was gone. I could deal with the broken nose properly when I was sure Bayside would survive the night.
“The wonders of coffee,” Alice’s sigh ...
2024-03-04 11:08:16 +0000 UTC
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“Awfully convenient timing you have.”
Gold didn’t even hesitate to jump down the Old Man’s throat.
“You say convenient. I say effective,” the old man shrugged. “We had hoped to get here before anyone got hurt but… well, I guess effective doesn’t mean perfect.”
“You’ve been tracking us – no, you’ve been tracking everyone. Watching the whole city as it descends into chaos. Who are you?”
The Old Man stared at her as the rest of the conv...
2024-02-25 12:24:32 +0000 UTC
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When Mia hit the ground hard, I wasn’t far behind her.
She let out a cry of pain when I tumbled over her. My body crumpled on solid concrete with aches and pains flaring across my body. Exhaustion hit me like a freight train, and I could feel my eyes threatening to close. It would have been so easy to close my eyes and welcome sleep, but I forced myself to sit up and look around. We were shrouded in darkness, and if it weren’t for the glowing green lights on my suit, it would be imp...
2024-02-18 10:08:17 +0000 UTC
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Once we got close, we began to hear the sound of gunfire.
I wasn’t sure I was ready for another fight so soon after the last one, but I was preparing myself nonetheless. With my suit so damaged, I would need to play support and let Alice and Anomaly do more heavy lifting. Hopefully, the enemy had tech I could hack so I wouldn’t be completely useless.
To our surprise, the echoing sounds of gunfire dissipated as we got closer. The noise faded away until it was eerily silent, so ...
2024-02-06 04:52:52 +0000 UTC
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When I arrived, what I found wasn’t quite the warzone I expected. Unlike the rest of The Cain’s territory, Browning Street only had minor activity – and by minor I meant an active shootout between non-powered grunts from both The Cains and Pandora. The chances it would stay that way were slim, Pandora was on a warpath and one of their supers would find their way here eventually.
All the roofhopping had left me winded so I decided to take a moment to catch my breath. The arm that h...
2024-01-29 11:17:50 +0000 UTC
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This was the perfect opportunity to test out my grappling hook and other movement-related systems.
Getting to Browning Street would have only taken me fifteen to twenty minutes if I maintained a consistent jog. My new and improved armor managed to cut this time down significantly. The grapple gave me the ability to safely ascend to rooftops and one of my mobility modules boosted my jumps so I could cross large gaps. As I got closer to my destination, it became clear I’d made the right...
2024-01-23 10:36:18 +0000 UTC
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“Why have you sought me out?”
The voice was like blistering molten coals against his skin. Powerful, unstoppable, unrelenting.
“Hmm,” he sat up and relaxed his shoulders, meeting the gaze of the man across from him. “‘Sought out’ feels desperate, ya know? I would describe it as being more… drawn to you.”
“Drawn to death.”
he chuckled. “Aren’t we all in the end?”
The older man didn’t move. He was so still that it rem...
2024-01-15 10:43:53 +0000 UTC
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It didn’t take long for the adrenaline to fade and for the pain to hit me in full force.
There was swelling around the bridge of my nose and a dull throb from where it broke. I couldn’t diagnose it any further other than the fact it wasn’t shattered. There was still an intact ridge there with a solid foundation. Just… not straight.
“We’re not being followed,” Mia said as we turned into another street. “A few people just found the house and they look pretty...
2024-01-07 11:45:06 +0000 UTC
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