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Of Light And Shadows: The Saviors of Requiem

Episode 1: The Initiates' Job

Story -

It was shaping up to be a quiet night for the citizens of Requiem City. A good deal of the residents of the city have gone home for the night while others were out and about for whatever reasons, be it for work reasons or enjoying the night life that inhabits most metropolises. A select few however were living it up at some gala in a more ritzy district. The celebration was being broadcast over most of the television networks so the general population could ogle the high class and celebrities that had special invites to the gala. In a blacked out van some distance away, two wolves were sitting in the front compartment with the passenger watching the spectacle live on a personal tablet.

"By the makers..." The passenger moaned out loud. "How long are we supposed to watch this drivel?"

"Until the time is right." The driver said, keeping an eye out on the empty street that they were parked at. "You should know this by now Hood."

"But it's already been over an hour, Radolf and nothing has happened yet. How are we supposed to know when it's time?"

"Patients." Radolf said in a calming voice, Hood just let out another whine as his attention went back to the broadcast.

It was another ten minutes of dull partying as the announcer went off on a few random facts about those at the party when the sound of a large commotion happened off screen. The camera rapidly panned to where the new action was going on as several poorly dressed thugs were pouring into the gala, waving various weapons from bats, pipes, and guns. A large, oversize, ugly gray bull-dog that was carrying a long length of chain as a weapon waltzed in behind the rest of the motley crew of dogs that had just piled into the gala.

"SHUT IT!" The dog in charge barked, snapping the chain whip on the ground. The scared and panic crowd fell into silence as they whimpered and looked at the leader with fear. "This is a hold up! Your money, jewelry, valuables, or anything worth money now belongs to us. So hand them over before my crew decides to work you lot over!"

Radolf turned in his seat and hit the wall that separated the driver's compartment and the cargo space with a sequence of five knocks. When there were two more knocks from the other side, he turned back and started the van and pulled out of the parking space they had been occupying.

The cameras at the gala continued to roll as everyone watched the street thugs peruse through the crowd and take anything of value from those gathered. More than a few that tried to either refuse to cooperate or even attempt to put up a token resistance were taken out by a well placed punch or a strike to the head by one of the variable weapons. When one got close to the camera crew, there was another noise that happened off screen. The camera shifted up to where the sound of shattering glass originated and showed small fragments raining down onto the floor, along with a large black figure that landed stylishly on the floor.

This new figure was wearing some black outfit with three gray belts, one along his waist and the other two in an X across their chest. They were wearing a full face helmet with a closed and tinted visor, also with a tilted X painted on the helmet.

"It's Chris-Cross!" One of the gala patrons shouted.

"Really Alpha?" Chris-Cross said with a tired droll as he stood up. "Resorting to party crashing to smash and grab now? I thought even an oversize street thug like you would at least have a little more class. Or at the very least, dress for the occasion. For crying out loud."

The two in the front of the van didn't listen to Alpha Dog's retort as they had reached their destination. The driver pulled off the street and onto the sidewalk next to the building, the third branch of the Requiem City's Bank. The both of them opened their doors but the passenger stopped to look at the tablet when a shriek came over the speakers.

"Damn." Hood gasped. "The Voiceless Eagle just showed up!"

"Good!" Radolf said as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. "The more heroes there are at the gala, the less likely we will be noticed." He went to the back of the van and opened up the double doors to let six others out onto the street. "Alright people." He said, getting everyone's attention "As our Intel told us, the Street Mutts are making a mockery of themselves at the gala. Therefore, everything is going to plan. Cypher, you ready?"

A small rodent timidly nodded. "Ye... Yes..." He squeaked nervously.

Radolf walked up to the one called Cypher and gave his shoulder a pat before speaking up again. "Last chance for anyone wanting to back out of this job, now is the time. No grieving nor retaliation will be made against you. We'll just pack up and head home." When none of the assembled group responded, the wolf nodded in acknowledgment. "Alright, we got at max fifteen minutes. Wildfire, Arkist, Merlin, Void. Main vault. Hood, Rewind. Main Office. Cypher, with me. I want us in and out in ten like we've planned. Understood?" The group nodded. "Let's move." Radolf said as he pulled a ski mask over his muzzle.

The group, all dressed similarly in dark clothing, hustled over to the door of the bank. Radolf made a quick look before finding a keypad partly hidden off to the side, he then turned back to those with him. "Cypher, go!" He whispered loudly before backing away from the pad.

The shortest member quickly darted over to the keypad before pulling off his glove temporarily as he gripped the pad itself. Glowing, pulsating red lines appeared in angler shapes on the rodent's hand and seemed to crawl towards the tips of his fingers before spreading to the keypad. Radolf checked his watch, observing the time tick away as the rodent did his thing. After what seemed like a minute, which was actually only about twenty seconds, the red lines changed to blue then to green before a soft click was heard by the group of eight.

"We're in." The rodent said as he put his glove back on. "We have maybe fifteen minutes, perhaps twelve."

"Alright, stick with the plan. Ten minutes, Go!"

Silently the group entered the bank and swiftly made their way through the building. In the lobby, Two of them veered off to head up the stairs to the offices while the rest continued further into the building. Radolf and Cypher then veered off to start descending down another set of stairs that were hidden from the lobby while the rest continued on to where the main vault was located. Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, the two found a short hallway and as they made their way to the end, Radolf pulled out a pistol with a silencer attached to it. The wolf signaled the rodent to go flush with the wall as they neared the only door at the end of the hall and he got ready to breach the room. Peeking inside, Radolf could see that the night guards sitting around, not realizing that there was trouble afoot. They were caught unaware when the door suddenly slammed open and each of them were systematically hit by something, they remained conscious long enough to pull a dart out of their body before they each unceremoniously collapsed to the floor.

"Clear." Radolf said in a low voice. "Move."

Cypher nodded as he entered the room, doing his best to try and ignore the unconscious guards as he made his way past. It was nerve-wracking to the smaller rodent to see how the wolf just shot the guards as if it was another day in an office, even if he was using tranquilizers. He shook his head and made his way into the next room. Cypher's ears were assaulted as soon as the doors opened to reveal rows of server towers inside.

"You remember what to do, right?" Radolf asked.

"Y-y-yeah..."

"Relax, and focus on your task." The wolf said as he patted the rodent's shoulders. "Ignore any other distractions. You were picked because the boss believed you could do it and I've rarely seen him make a mistake since I've started running with him."

Cypher nodded as he took a breath and went into the server room. Compared to the others, his task was both simple and the most important part of this heist. He made his way to the main terminal in the room and pulled out a USB flash drive from his pocket. He didn't know the specifics of what was on the portable drive, just that there was some virus that was on the flash drive. His job was to make sure that the viral program made its way past the firewall and the anti-virus software that this particular bank used. As soon as the drive was plugged into the port, the digital lines appeared on his hands and spread to the drive itself. Meanwhile, Cypher also took his free hand and placed it on the keyboard and did the same thing.

Cypher had always loved being around computers, in fact he was more comfortable being around the digital space and electronics than around other people. Much to the cringe of his parents. When he was younger, he was actually known as Joel Fields, a member of one of multiple large families of rodents that prides themselves in their respective fields. In his family's case, agriculture. When Joel showed no interest in his family work, his parents did everything they could to influence and force him to come to their way of thinking. Then when his META ability came out...

Well, there was a reason he was now in Requiem City under the name of Cypher.

Like the outside security system, the bank's server fell prey to his meta ability. To the outside observer, the only clue that Cypher was using his ability were the glowing digital lines that appeared on his hands, but to Cypher, a completely different world materialized before him. It was breathtaking for the rodent to see the digital world unfold before him and there was no way he could ever properly describe what unique visions of the digital landscape that appeared when he used his meta ability. Hacking through the firewall and antivirus software that was on the servers seemed overly simplified with two points of entry, plus it seemed like the program on the drive was also working to his advantage. Once he released the data on the flash drive, he watched the virus burst out of its entry point and took on the form of multiple worms that flung themselves into the digital landscape that was in the servers.

Cypher gasped as he returned to his body and shook his head to lift the haze he felt as he left the digital space. The mental dive always left him with a surreal feeling where it took him a moment for his mind to realize where it was. He felt a genial hand on his shoulder and looked up at the masked face of his cohort.

"You okay?" Radolf asked, a bit of worry in his voice.

"Yeah..." Cypher said after a deep breath. "Just... it's just that it gets surreal when I come back to my body. Just give me a moment." He felt the wolf give him a reassuring squeeze.

"And... The virus?" He asked in a whisper.

"It's in."

The wolf nodded and gave Cypher another squeeze.

"Good work. Let's go."

Radolf led Cypher back upstairs, walking through the building as if it was just another day at the office. However, unlike on their way in, no one joined them as they walked through the lobby to the main entrance. The wolf seemed unfazed by the lack of others making their way to the exit with them, yet Cypher couldn't help but feel some apprehension as they approached the doors. Cypher felt some relief when he saw the others outside, standing by the van.

However the relief wasn't mutual.

"Where's Wildfire and Merlin?" Radolf asked, a bit irritated.

"Back at the vault."

"Then they're greedy fools." Radolf growled as he went to the van and opened the driver's door. "Get in. We're leaving." His companion wolf took the hint and made his way to the passenger side to get in too.

"We're not going to leave them behind are we?" One of the others asked, standing there in a dumbfounded state.

"They knew the plan just like the rest of us." Radolf deadpan as he got in the seat and looked back at the rest of the gathered people. "It's time for us to leave. Get in the van or be left behind."

The remaining four quickly looked at each other, silently asking each other what to do. When they heard the engine start, they quickly made up their minds and entered the vehicle before the wolf had a chance to drive away. As soon as the back doors slammed shut, the driver put the van in gear and pulled away from the bank. It was silent in the vehicle as they went down the deserted street. Finally, the driver broke the silence.

"Hood, what the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry Radolf...." His companion said as he sank in the passenger seat. "We tried to convince Wildfire and Merlin, but they refused to listen and thought that they were close to breaking into the vault."

"Tsk..." Radolf shook his head. "The fools."

As if on cue, Radolf noticed the flashing lights of police vehicles and pulled off to the curb. A multitude of vehicles went flying by, ignoring the inconspicuous work van. Perhaps if one of the officers would have taken a few moments to inspect the vehicle, they might of noticed a plethora of red flags that would have given away the occupants. However, the law enforcers were too preoccupied with trying to reach their destination, more than likely the bank that the six were just at. There were at least ten police cruisers that went flying by, followed closely by a large black box truck with S.T.A.R. Division painted on its side. The last one caught both their attention and Radolf could only snort.

"Well, they wanted to listen to their greed." Radolf huffed to himself. "Now they can deal with the consequences."

The two waited until the streets were quiet again after the enforcement vehicles went around the block before Radolf pulled away from where they were stopped. They weren't even five feet from where they were when a loud thunk hit the roof. Radolf instinctively stopped and the two looked up at the ceiling like there would be some clue there.

"What was that?" Hood asked. Before Radolf could respond, there was a tapping on the windshield. Both wolves turned and looked forward. Perched on the hood of the cargo van much like a feral cat sitting on its haunches was a masked figure, dressed in black and white with two turquoise eyes staring back at them. After a moment of the three sitting in an awkward staring contest, a distinctly feminine voice spoke up.

"Isn't it a bit after hours to do business at the bank?"

Hood let out a surprised scream while Radolf cursed and slammed the van in reverse. The sudden acceleration caused the tires to lose traction and squeal before finding purchase, causing the vehicle to jerk back and throw off their uninvited guest. After a short distance, Radolf slammed the van back into drive and left several feet of rubber as he peeled out with the tires squealing and smoking.

"Who the hell was that?" Radolf barked as they made their getaway.

"How the Fuck should I know?"

"You're the one who's supposed to be up to date with the current meta heroes!"

"She must be new." Hood whined, much to his companion's annoyance. "I've never seen someone like that in my life."

"Great." Radolf growled, watching the speedometer climb as he kept his foot down on the accelerator. "A new god Damn hero! Just what we need."

"Think we lost her?" Hood asked, looking back in the mirror. Radolf gave the other wolf a death glare that he didn't see, only for another loud thunk from something landing on the roof of the speeding van.

"You had to tempt fate, didn't you!"

"Sorry."

More thumping and the ceiling flexing under the weight of their unwanted passenger brought the duo back to where they were. Trying to think, Radolf started to jerk the wheel back and forth to cause the van to jerk and weave wildly in an attempt to throw off the would-be costumed hero. The hero held on as the van continued its violent maneuvers, trying desperately not to be thrown off. It was after a few more maneuvers that Radolf came to a realization that in his bid to rid themselves of their pursuer, he made a critical error. The type of van that he was driving was not designed to make the sharp and reckless maneuvers he was doing, especially at speeds of over sixty miles an hour.

A realization that came too late.

Radolf was bringing the wheels back to recover from the latest swerve he made when he felt the driver's side lift up and the whole vehicle started to tip over. All the occupants let out a scream as the van rolled onto its side and slammed into the pavement, continuing to slide sideways further down the road till it came to a screeching halt.

-

The hero groaned as she slowly picked herself off the cement sidewalk. When the van started to lose control, she had abandoned her perch atop the roof and tried to grapple to safety. However, her attempt failed and she ended up roughly landing on the hard pavement before rolling to a stop on the sidewalk. Her body ached all over and she knew that she was going to be sore for a while but she was also grateful for the reinforced body suit that she was wearing. The suit took the brunt of the impacts and potentially saved her from a few broken bones, as well as the road rash that she was sure she would have gotten if not for the suit covering her body. She wasn't completely unscathed though. Not only did she ache all over and gain new scuff marks and scratches, but one of her eye lenses in her mask had cracked. The damage was disorienting as the fracture caused multiple after images in her vision.

The sound of glass shattering brought her back to where she was and she spotted the cargo van not too far away. The two occupants had just finished forcing the windshield out of its mounting and the noise was the glass pushed out and hitting the street. With the two now free of the confines of the van, she reached for a hidden compartment in her bracer and pulled out a syringe with a red liquid in it. The concoction was some mix of painkillers and stimulants that would allow the user to ignore some injuries while remaining at full alert. She was warned that the mixture could and would become addictive if it was used too much. She had promised to not use it unless the circumstances became necessary. With the robbers on their feet and with unknown abilities, this was one of those times she reasoned as she jammed the thin needle in her arm.

-

After kicking the windshield out, Hood and Radolf climbed their way out of the van. Both of them were disoriented from the accident but walked away from it with only a few cuts and bruises. Shaking his head clear, he took stock of the immediate area. The cargo van had fallen on its passenger side and had skidded a good distance in the middle of the street. The surrounding buildings told him that they were in an older part of the city with the buildings, sidewalks, and other decor in various states of decay and impairment with refuge scattered all around.

"Get the others out of the back." Radolf said in a low voice. "There's no way that we lost that costume lunatic." Hood nodded and made his way around the vehicle as Radolf discreetly pulled the pistol out of its holster and did his best to keep the weapon hidden from view. Once he was done preparing himself, he pulled a cell phone out and quick-dial a number. It took but a moment before someone picked up on the other end.

"Trouble?"

"Yes."

"Bank?"

"No."

"Where?"

Radolf looked around for street signs. "I think Forthac Cross District, around 106 and Serret. "

"... Be there soon."

Radolf closed the burner flip phone and pocketed it. He turned once again to survey their surroundings only to receive what felt like a punch to the face. He staggered back from the hit and looked up to see the costume vigilante standing there in a fighting pose.

"You know, it's usually etiquette to introduce yourself first before getting to any type of business." Radolf said as he rubbed his sore cheek. "Especially if you're the new kid on the block."

"The name's Ghost Prism." Came the short reply.

"Ghost Prism, eh?" Radolf straightened out the shirt he was wearing before making a polite bow to her, much like a butler would do. "The name's The Debonair Mr. Radolf. At your service." He said as he returned upright, giving her a once over. Noticing how her costume looked upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but wonder if she was as amateur as he first thought. While her hood, mask, long vest, and cape could be easily made by someone with some sewing experience, her body suit and bracers had the look of being made by a professional with quite a bit of skill. "What's a sweet sounding lass doing in parts like these? Surely there are other things you could be doing than dealing with the likes of me."

"What I'm doing is putting scum like you behind bars. Anything else is none of your business."

"Aww, don't be like that." He said with a slight pout. "I'm sure that there are other things we could do. Perhaps we could go to this lil' dinner that I know of and have a nice little conversation. Just you and me. I promise that it will be enjoyable."

"I make it a point not to go out with criminals."

Radolf frowned. He was doing his best to lay on the charm and keep eye contact with her, however his meta effects didn't seem like it was having any effects on her. At this point, he'd have a good deal of people eating out of his hand.

"Are you sure I can't convince you?" Radolf playfully pouted, doing his best to focus his ability on the female hero in front of him. "I know how to give a girl a good time."

After what was several moments of a tense standoff of wills, it seemed that one of them finally faltered. He smiled as Ghost Prism relaxed her stance and sauntered over to him, keeping a watchful eye out for any complications. He couldn't read her facial expressions through that black mask she was wearing, it was like looking into a void between the black material and the darkness cast by the night surrounding them. The only clues were how her hips swayed seductively as she walked over to him and the feline tale that playfully swished behind her.

Wait... Where did that tail come from?

She continued up to him until her masked face was filling his vision and two turquoise lenses were staring back at him, though he did note that the one eye lens looked like it had been cracked. She placed a hand on each of his shoulders as she kept eye contact with him and before he realized or reacted to what she was actually doing, took her knee and firmly brought it up in between his legs. Radolf gave a painful cry as he started to double over from having his privates smashed and was subsequently shoved onto the ground.

There were a few sympathetic gasps which caused Radolf to look in that direction to see the rest of the group looking on in mild sympathy as was a typical guy reaction upon seeing another male getting hit between the legs hard.

"Get her!" Radolf barked with more soprano than he cared to hear in his own voice. Three of the five advanced on the hero with Cypher and one other staying back, probably figuring that they wouldn't do well in a melee. Ghost Prism stood her ground as the others approached her, preparing herself in a combat stance as she backed away from where Radolf was still laying on the ground.

The one named Arkist was the first one that charged her, arcs of electricity crackled around his fists as he made his first strike. Ghost Prism brought her arm up to block and Arkist grinned as he felt his fist hit her arm, sending a strong jolt of electricity into her. A moment of confusion washed over Arkist's masked face as Prism didn't react to the sudden current of energy. Instead she brought her free arm around and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. She quickly sent him backwards with a kick as another rushed in.

Hood came in swing with his batons, just trying to strike the costume hero more so than to do any damage. Growing up on the streets of Requiem City gave him years of practice with brawling others and knew that his best bet was to find out what this girl was capable of. He found the female hero rather agile and quick with her responses as she either dodge his batons or intercepted them with her metal bracers. Hood had to admit that while she was good and had some skills, she was quick and agile with deflecting and dodging his attacks. However, he could see the sloppiness, the inexperience of only being in training fights and the unintentional openings she was leaving that he was yet to capitalize on. Then he noticed the slight sluggishness on the one side, she was slower to notice and to accurately block the side where she had a cracked eye lens. Deciding to test his theory, Hood made a feint for her good side and as he planned, left herself open. He immediately capitalized on it with a swift kick to her side, knocking her off balance with a pained grunt.

Hood continued his assault by striking her with his batons but instead of striking the hero directly, they hit and bounced off some barrier of light. The appearance of a barrier stunned the smaller wolf for a moment, long enough for Ghost Prism to retaliate with a one-two kick combo of her own. The move didn't hurt Hood but he understood that it was used as a means for getting some distance between them. She made a motion with her hand and drew a straight streak of yellow neon light in the air, grabbing it out of the air and holding it much like one would hold a bo staff.

"She's a goddamn Meta." Hood growled, readying himself for another bout. Arkist came up next to him and hissed disapprovingly as small arcs of electricity danced around his closed fists and arms.

"Probably how she blocked my attack earlier." Arkist seethed. Hood's eyes darted around as Rewind joined the two.

"Where's Void?"

"He'll be back." Rewind said matter of factually as the three stood ready for another go at Ghost Prism.

Hood snorted at the answer and charged Ghost Prism, closing in with rapid strikes with his batons as she deflected them with her staff. Hood caught movement in his proverbial vision and dodge to the side as a thick electrical arc shot at the hero. She held the current back briefly, visibly straining from the force that the current was putting on her. In an act of cunning or desperation, she jammed her staff into the pavement and seemingly shorted out the energy arc as both the electric arc and the staff of light vanished. Rewind closed in next with Hood close behind.

Instead of creating another bo staff, Ghost Prism opted to instead create four balls of light the size of softballs. Ghost's first attack missed Rewind by mere inches while her follow up attack struck Hood upside the head and briefly knocked him down. Rewind tried again to get close, but Ghost Prism was using the orbs much like one would use a yo-yo as an offensive weapon so any attempt was met with an orb of light flying at them. Arkist stayed back to be a more support role as he cast electricity at the hero, while Ghost Prism kept two of the orbs between her and Arkist as much as possible to catch each current sent her way.

It got to be a stalemate with either opponent able to get the upper hand on the other. Ghost Prism was proving that she could hold her own against the three opponents, using her abilities and informal training to great effect. Unlike her opponents however, there was no one that she could switch with and take a quick respite. She quickly realizes that her opposition will gain the advantage if the fight drags on for much longer...