FSE

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Chapter One: Married, White, Blond, and Vain

It was a different time for New York, gone were the days of the Outsiders. They no longer handled Supervillians; it was too much for a single group to handle. The moral and ethical reasoning of having young teenagers, barely out of high school handle such problems was finally brought up.

And it was decided only thirty years ago to switch funding to superheroes, the Superbeasts and the Environmental Bunch; fighting for control of New York. Either way as it was mutants appeared, mutated DNA swarming the body and taking over the brain getting confused and the body taking over and attacking everything.

Today the Outsiders still exist, protecting those who need it and are willing to pay, barely surviving and scrapping their funding from those who believe they are slowly dying off. Unlike good shampoo only a few people though they were worth it and some kept them alive and floating.

As it would be the neuroseekers, a group formed by the acquisition of the Deathseekers and it would be with that their enigmatic leader they would establish dominance in the New York Underground, in both terms of the word.

…

“Hello welcome to the three o'clock news; I'm Tom Eccleston and this is Sally Sparrow unfortunately everything happened at two forty six and we don't have a story until quarter after, so we will now be running our fifteen minute piece on the Outsiders." The Newscaster said as he adjusted his tie and shuffled his papers with certain nervousness on his face.

“Of course, professionalism folks, now we move on to our piece on the Outsiders. Are they heroes? Are they villains? Mutant hunters and protectors of the piece, Outsiders: Masters of the Unknown." Sally Sparrow said as she looked into the camera rolling her eyes.

…

“It is said that the first supers appeared three thousand years ago, a modified pineal gland fueling their powers, they were generically they were pure and had the ability to repair themselves. And two hundred years the first Outsiders appeared, their bodies unpure and their baseline superpowers weaker, yet they were unrivaled in their power." Sally Sparrow said as the screen in front of her showed a few images.

“As such the Outsiders, while more powerful then Supers but they use their energy less efficiently. As such they don't even know their own power sometime and unlike supers whose powers develop at the height of adulthood but theirs develop at the most clichéd age of puberty." She said as the screen suddenly flickered again.

“Oh sorry again, more interesting news has finally developed; we will now go to the." Sparrow paused as she looked at the teleprompter and sighed a bit. “Oh god, we will now go the Monthly Parade of the Superbeasts, I'm sorry."

…

Once again the camera cut out and it switched out to a non-alpha definition camera and instead a feed set up from above the streets of New York, a few large builds were visible in the background and it was blatantly obvious that it was from a balcony. Yet it severed its purpose, below them the parade moved on.

People gathered for the parade, a large crowd lined up from block to block waiting for the superheroes to arrive. They squished themselves standing behind multiple barriers, lined from parking meter to genetically modified tree to parking meter again.

The microphone on the balcony camera picked up the crowd cheering for the superheroes. They were probably worse than groupies for a good band; they bought merchandise, some of the children dressed like them. The population of New York tried the emulate what they were not.

The camera was pointed down on Sixty-First Street and for those without a map of New York; it was the first up from the Queensboro Bridge. While the authorities had no power over a multitude of fans, they wouldn't let New York be bisected by the parade and thus only bequeathed to them the bridge and the few streets near the 9A area.

Yet in the crowd of blind idiots were two, who covered by a perception filter managed to get trapped within the madness.

…

“I can't believe you forgot about the ego-showing, Riptide." A young wolf, wearing a black jacket; no older than seventeen said to his friend, the perception filter working on both them and the crowd, placing a random word in the crowd and preventing them from seeing the Outsiders.

The other a blue shark, he wearing a black hoodie and white cargo shorts, walked forward holding a large bag in his hands trying to pass through the crowd of idiots. To them a wolf and a shark, the smell of the Chinese food in the bag was near torture that they couldn't dig in.

“Well I'm sorry, it's not like we exactly keep track of these for reference, if it was one Helen to launch an armada of a thousand ships, what is the idioiticness needed to launch a hundred parade floats?" Riptide said as he pushed through the crowd, shifting them out of place and trying to squeeze along the building.

“I'm not sure but let's call it one Wildebeast for now; the real question is how many Helens does Wildebeast rank?" Nightshifter, the team's stealth expert said as he tried to make a path, parting the few people in front of him and trying to give Riptide some room. “I think the real question is how screwed are we when Viewfinder figures out we're going to be late?"

“No idea, but let's see how many aquatic based supers are there in the Superbeasts, I'd say about five for the hundred or so members they have right now." Riptide said as he discussed with Nightshifter, their food was slowly becoming cools and eventually it would reach the point when it was uneatable.

“I'd say that's right." Nightshifter replied back.

“Well then say Wildebeast is stuck on an island in the middle of the ocean and needs saving, his ego probably won't be satisfied unless all one hundred members come out on a boat and personally rescue him." Riptide extrapolated as he laughed a bit on the inside.

“So, he'd be a centi-helen, or since he likes bigger numbers 10 milli-helens." Nightshifter said joking as he finally seemed to find a straight path out of the crowd and making his way towards the main street. It was at that point that the main parade started.

The floats started to drive down the street at the wonderfully safe speed of four miles per hour and as such the beasts were on display. The supers all displayed their transformative forms, large muscles, tight clothing and small brains. Riptide looked away as the man-fest to his side began.

“God they are strangely beautiful things, shame I couldn't be one of them. I'd probably fit right in." Nightshifter said in a cocky tone, he wanted to play with the big boys but he was in the wrong league.

“Please, display your Outsider heritage proudly, we and by that I mean me could take one of them on in a fight. How would you be able to punch me into the wall, multiple times, if your arm is frozen?" Riptide said stroking his ego a bit.

“And if this takes place in the desert?" Nightshifter said as he jokingly questioned Riptides ability, water wasn't everywhere and surely someone would eventually exploit his weakness when he wasn't around water.

“I should hope it would take place in Gobi desert, snow to water back to ice. And if not I can take water from my body, or preferably from a canteen on my body or even from the cacti around me." Riptide said knowing so long as life was around; water couldn't be that far off.

“Oh please don't get started on life will find a way, the second you do so the second I start whistling out the theme song to Jurassic Park." Nightshifter said as he pushed through the last of the crowd and found himself on the street corner; quickly he and Riptide crossed the road before the parade turned to stay within their boundaries.

“Ok good, we're out of that hell hole." Riptide said as he mentally groaned, inside his jeans his phone vibrated and as he pulled it out it was apparent that a secure connection line had been established. If he picked up the phone he and Nightshifter would be switched out from patrols and instead given a personalized mission.

“Should I?" Riptide asked showing him the phone and knowing the connection would last long enough for him to decide.

“I have nothing going on, sure let's do this." Nightshifter said confirming as Riptide answered and brought the phone up to his head. A personalized mission would be a chance to make more money and surely as cash-savvy teenagers they could use all the money they could get with.

“Now then I would like to speak a few words on behalf of the Superbeasts." Riptide froze, the biggest idiot of them all was about to speak. Turning around he looked as Wildebeast, the leader of the Superbeasts and probably the strongest stopped his float and spoke to the crowd.

“We don't ask for much, we look over you we take care of you and we wish to protect you, so today I would like to speak my option on this damnable war that the Environmental Bunch wants to rage on our city, we are good guys here and I hope you know that." Wildebeast said his brown shaggy fur waving in the wind as he spoke to the crowds.

“Yeah no, we are not listening to this. Let's get back to the base, drop off the Chinese and grab our equipment." Riptide said dragging his friend away from the freak show.

…

And thus the day passed. The sun set on the city of New York and her lights turned on. The city that never slept stood true to itself and people crowded out at night, eating hot dogs filled with nitrates and preservatives. Crowds rushed out into the night lights and the scene began, quickly by ten o'clock those around forty or fifty disappeared back into their buildings and by twelve only the young twenty year olds stayed out.

And thus we come to some place overlooking a busy street, maybe an avenue maybe a street, in the end it doesn't matter and instead we look over a hotel. A fancy hotel and perhaps it's the Grand Marriot or the Warrick, a fancy four or five star hotel overlooking the street.

From the other end, on top of the apartment building located parallel to the hotel Riptide and Nightshifter looked down on the hotel viewing into a few windows. With a pair of binoculars, Nightshifter looked down into the hotel viewing their target.

“Let's see, symmetrical face, blond hair, pale human skin, major extravagance and general vanity. Yep someone is getting kidnapped tonight." Nightshifter zoomed into the room, looking down through and making sure everyone was in place and he could keep track of her.

They were looking down at Kimber Garfaicon, being a celebrity for no reason someone was targeting her. However, she was in the upmost care of the Outsiders. They looked down on her and made sure she was safe as they viewed her.

“Oh and her husband left with a kiss on her cheek, nothing good happens with a cheek kiss." Nightshifter said as he watched her husband Yanday Kest, named by most likely celebrity parents, leave the apartment leaving her alone and thus raising the Outcon.

“Outcon level 2, she is alone, I repeat she is alone." Nightshifter said as Riptide put together a high-level rifle, the shark would go in and protect her with water from a sink she left running, while Nightshifter disappeared and would snipe remaining members.

“Still not a system, sir. What's the plan?" Riptide said his hand shook wondering what the wolf would say back to him. He wanted to figure out what was going to happen, what he was going to do and when he was going to move. He was a solider and Nightshifter was his commander.

“Ok first things first, we wait for them to attack. They know we're here and if we surround her, they will only have another method to get the upper hand, but here at least we have the higher ground, quite literally." Nightshifter said as he point at the window below him, trying to show the height advantage they gained.

“Yeah, ok. How am I supposed to get there in time?" Riptide said as he thought he figured a way though Nightshifter's plan, how was he supposed to run down the stairs and get into the hotel before she would be adequately kidnapped.

“Oh its simple, you'll figure it out." Nightshifter cryptically said as he adjusted his scope and his rifle.

“No really how am I supposed to get over there?" Riptide said thinking that Nightshifter had finally lost it and he was crazy. He started at Nightshifter, the perception field acting on his mind giving him a headache as he tried to see though and see the wolf's real face.

“Ok, water tower behind me, window, ice form, put it together." Nightshifter said almost if he was disappointed at Riptide. The shark turned around and suddenly he felt the water, he connected with it. He felt its trapped nature. He wanted to free it and soon it would be.

“Come on half of the time I feel like you're waiting for me to command you, one day I won't be there to lead you." Nightshifter said as he adjusted the gun raising it up and swinging it along the edge in order to check its range. “And now we wait."

“So how's been your week?" Riptide said as he stood around peering into the windows and making sure nobody was going into the building. He tried to figure out the best way to get into the window, holding his thumb up and trying to figure the distance.

“Oh, pretty good. I have a new crush, not that you could even tell anyone who that is. You don't even know who I am, much less where I work, go to school, but he's nice, I just don't know how to tell him." Nightshifter said, the two didn't know much about each other, the heads of the organization would have preferred it that way. Less you know about someone, the less damage you could do to their life if you defect.

Then movement, the curtains of the hotel room shook. Nightshifter looked apprehensive as he prepared for someone to reveal themselves. Keeping his finger away from the trigger, he waited a second, waiting for someone to reveal themselves.

A man in black walked forward, he was dressed in armor. He stuck out like a sour thumb against the fur rug, red decals stuck out. A helmet covered his head and green googled were placed over his eyes. Staying still Nightshifter wondered whether the rumors could be true.

“Riptide move." Nightshifter said as he signaled to the shark. Breathing, Riptide raised his hands and twisted them. He pushed forward and behind them the water tower creaked as its contents were forced out. A layer of water splashed out and raising his hand it gathered around his hand.

Running forward Riptide jumped off the edge and towards the crowd below, he engulfed himself with water, his jacket and jeans waterproof. Controlling the water while it froze and by extension himself he flew forward. Riptide braced and covered his head in ice as he crashed into the window.

Still prepared he quickly liquefied the water again and strung it forward. It splashed on the armored man face, and the three behind him. They were dressed in the same armor but had different decals. They stood at attention and quickly fired their weapons at Riptide.

Luckily the shark was dragged into the next room by the momentum and crashed into the bedroom. Standing still he looked as Kimber, looked at him and knew his presence meant something was wrong or in the process of doing so. Backing up she prepared to be rescued.

“Don't worry Mrs. Garofalo, I'll rescue you." Riptide said as he stood up, his body waving around as he adjusted back onto soild ground. Walking forward he summoned the water to his hands, well more like a mixture of ice shards and water. Smiling Riptide knew they would help.

Running forward, quickly the shark thrusted the water forward with his powers. He could feel the water running free and wild, propelling the ice shards along too. Concentrating he felt them go through the fleshly body of the first but didn't make it through the second's layer of armor.

Running forward before a blaze of gunfire could enter his body, he looked for the bathroom. There he could find water; he listened for a dripping drip. Yet he could find none, so running he knew a sink had to be nearby. Though perhaps he was lucky when he managed to get into the kitchen.

Not wasting any time he turned on the sinks, letting the water flow downwards. Latching onto the water stream, he pulled it with him as he quickly ran back out into the living room. Throwing the water stream at the other two, their bullets were quickly stopped.

The first one froze, his body stuck in midair as the water that surrounded him turned into a soild. The one after that wasn't so lucky. Running forward, Riptide passed the icicle man and focused on the last one. The man punched at him and thinking quickly, Riptide reached forward. He moved the man's punch over, it hit into the ice.

Riptide smiled as the man screamed in pain, his own wrong doing bringing him down. Relaxing Riptide quickly moved out of the way of another punch, and melted a bit of the ice that the frozen man didn't need. The trooper slipped his gun falling on the ground.

Reaching down before he could recover, Riptide pulled the gun and placed its straps around his neck. The man stood up and saw his gun pointed at him. He shivered in place as he realized what Riptide was going to do.

“Now then this is a high-powered semi-automatic SR-126, made for 10mm anti-armor bullets. Don't answer, now then this could fly right through your little piece of armor their and then maybe burst your heart." Riptide said as he grabbed it firmly and pushed it against the trooper's chest. Riptide started to walk forward and the trooper backward.

“Or maybe I sent two shots into your knee, you bleed out or maybe you survive and never walk or perhaps I fire one right into your month see how big the hole through your brain is. Speaking of your mouth." Using only his mind, Riptide pulled the cyanide tooth out of the trooper. “Sorry no easy way out this time."

Riptide walked forward, stepping over the remains of a glass vase and slowly but surely bring him closer to the window. Riptide smiled as he moved the gun and pointed it at all the locations he could shoot, and at that moment he placed his finger on the trigger, he could feel the man shake in front of his gun.

“Now maybe, I fire into your diaphragm, slowly but surely you try to breathe, you can feel the fresh oxygen right in front of you. You can taste it on your tongue, its right there so close yet so far and all you need to do is exhale the dioxide in your lungs and take it but you can't and you die of carbon dioxide poisoning." Riptide said as he pushed the guy up against the window, the man was shivering and tried to find ways to escape but none were viable.

“So then it's your choice, where do you want this bullet?" Riptide said smiling and offering and easy choice, he could go for the feet or the hands, and somewhere where it could be fixed by today's medicine. He smiled and pulled the gun away.

“JK, just screwing with you." Riptide ducked and suddenly to the trooper at least, a bullet passed through his skull, ripping his brain to pieces and shattering his skull. The man fell to the ground instantly dying. He looked out the window and at Nightshifter, the smoke slowly climbing out of his gun barrel.

“A bit of a flare for the dramatic, but I'll accept it." Riptide said as he turned around, something felt strange like he was forgetting something on his mind. Turning around suddenly the door was slammed shut; he realized there was one solider left. Quickly he ran at the door, signaling to Nightshifter.

Suddenly he felt knocked down as two bullets were fired through the door, he could see Kimber through the door being dragged away by the trooper. He tried to stand up but the bullet knocked him to the floor, he must have broken a rib. He let his head hit the floor, his eyes closing and his mind freeing itself.

…

Riptide when not a part of the Outsiders was known as Dustin Smith, he was seventeen years old and he went to West Side High School in Manhattan. He lived his life normally, going for day to day; putting his pants on one leg at a time. His day started with math class and he wished it ended before that.

“So then class, to teach you real skills we're going to go over mental math, simply tell me what is resultant of multiplying 127 by 428 and then adding the result by 127?" Mr. Ash said as he wrote down the problem on the board and showed it to the class. Quickly Dustin calculated the answer in his head, he figured it was 54,833.

“Now then, a few seconds should be enough for you all to figure it out, so we'll go around the classroom and share our answers." Mr. Ash said as he explained the rules to the class, he could have sworn he saw the teacher wink as he did so. He was going to be last something smelt a bit fishy.

“54,834." Nearly everyone in the twelve person class said as they went around the room and spoke to each other sharing their idea of the answer. They were all one digit off, why was that he saw this somewhere before. He saw that before and it burned in his mind.

“Well then teach, I've got 54,832." His deskmate, Ronan said. He was completely screwing with him, he knew the answer. He could feel it they were messing with him and he was an easy target to hit, he could show his powers he held himself back and preventing anyone from looking in. He kept his true self hidden.

The call then turned towards Dustin, he could feel the pressure on him. Everyone was waiting for his answer, either to mock him or proudly congratulate him on seeing past peer pressure and answering the question correctly.

“The answer… to the problem is fifty-four thousand eight hundred, thirty …" Ronan froze up and tried to think of what to do, he needed to answer he couldn't let it go. He started to breathe in and out, taking his time as he waited for something to come, “four."

“And once again, peer pressure succeeds. I'm sorry, I set you up to fail and I should have used multiple choice questions to help you, but I needed to apply this to a mathematical situation. Still the point is don't be afraid to be yourselves and grow on your own. Your childhood crushes won't stay forever and no will you all." Mr. Ash said as he explained, and mostly the rest of the class was going to another unrelated subject.

…

“So is the little shark having a bit of trouble with school?" Dustin winced as he exited the classroom, he knew almost from the shit-eating grin on his face. He hated that he needed to be around Ronan, walking forward he tried to escape the wrath of the wolf before he got to him.

“Come on have you been facing a bit of peer pressure, are you just going to sit there and let them bully you like that come on stand up for yourself, or will you sit there like the beta you are. Maybe you should act like the beta, you'd love to be dominated by a massive omega like me." Ronan said as he placed his arms on Dustin, the shark tried to move away from the dick's advances.

“Shut up, just leave me alone." Dustin said trying to push him away and made him leave him alone. Walking forward he tried to make his towards a water fountain, he figured that at least getting away would make him go away.

“I can sense it, every second I'm around you, you to bend down and accept you position." Ronan said as he continued to chase and follow Dustin tormenting him.

“Shut up, this is horrible; you can't say that to me." Dustin said as he turned around and looked at Ronan. He tried to be intense perhaps scare off his bully and for a second barely a second he considered using his powers. All he needed to do was flick his hand and Ronan would be knocked away into a window by a blast of water.

“What are you going to do you are nothing, you are little shark, maybe you should act like one." Ronan said as he mocked him and at that he walked away, knowing that he tormented him enough. People left the area, not interested in the depressed ramblings of the shark.

“You can't let him talk to you like that." Turning around Dustin looked as behind him a friend arrived, a young human shorter than him. He looked at him and smiled, they had no classes together, the school wanted them to find new friends and push them out of their comfort zones. The only time they had together was between classes.

“Well Moe, sometimes it appears that you just have to deal with the dicks in your life and try to let them go away, one day Ronan will go too far and someone will stand up for me and he will be dealt with until that day I am fine with dealing with him." Dustin said as he remembered his own logic, this was something that would pass over and maybe one day he and Ronan could be friends.

“If you say so, I cannot make you deal with this so it's your choice, Dustin's choice." Moe said as they walked off towards their next class enjoying the time they had to spend together.

…

“Come on Riptide get up." Nightshifter said as he shook his friend, the shark was knocked out. The two bullets exploded in front of him, a shard of ice probably caused so he didn't have a gaping chest hole, but if felt like a few of his ribs were broken.

Luckily their basic baseline superpowers would heal that, while they couldn't readily rely on having stability in their powers or healing bullet holes, a broken rib would be enough to get fixed. Pulling the shark up off the floor, he heard Riptide groan as he shook him.

“Come on, get up we need to go after Kimber. One of the troopers, they took her." Nightshifter said as he placed Riptide on the ground, the shark wobbled into place and woke up with a jolt. Riptide quickly felt himself and knew his ribs were broken, he could heal later.

“Ok, come on where'd they go?" Riptide said as he walked forward, a bit of a limp to his walk but he could feel his powers working as he opened the door and walked out. By the time he was in the hallway, the deathly paleness to his ears disappeared and a smile appeared on his face.

“I think their heading into the underground, might be a second-prohibition era entrance in a hotel like this." Nightshifter explained as he hit the elevator button, while they might be able to take the stairs, being about fifteen stories up told then that taking the elevator might be able a little faster.

Looking up against the two elevators, the second one was at the basement floor while the first was around their floor. Limping over and leaning against the down button, he groaned as he managed to get the elevator active.

Limping into the elevator, he felt one of his ribs snap back into place and a few of his internal organs stopped bleeding. As he pushed on the basement button, and the metal box was slowly lowered letting gravity take it down to the bottom floor. The two stood in silence as they were lowered down into the basement.

“Stand still!" Riptide said as he exited the elevator, his hand covered in ice. Walking forward, the solider and Kimber seemed to have disappeared in the concrete encased basement. It was a bit chilly in the basement, perfect for storing a ton of soda and other drinks, and as such they were all stood up all around the room.

“Ok, if I was a prohibition era tunnel where would I be located?" Nightshifter said as he searched around the basement looking for the obvious hole in the wall. Walking forward, Riptide put out his hand and tried to feel the water around feeling where the highest concentration of water was might tell him where the tunnel entrance was.

“Behind the soda cans!" Riptide excited said as he jumped up and walked over to a large pile of 12-packs. Riptide was pulling them out of the way, enough to fit through and look behind. And he saw another indent to the wall, squashing into the area behind the soda pile.

“What, why would they hide a massive entrance, what purpose would that solve? Hang on I'm coming. " Nightshifter said as he walked forward and passed through the soda boxes, phasing through. For him it was as simple as splitting his molecular structure and going in-between the molecules of the can and the drink.

“Well I'd imagine that a massive hole in the wall leading to where your cooled product is you'd want to block it off, maybe they wanted to hide if from their employees and kept it locked for safe keeping." Riptide said as he knocked on the door and grabbed the handle, twisting the knob resisted before he used the moisture in the air to help him. “And away we go."

“Please don't worry what we are going to find." Riptide said as he walked through the door hoping that there would have been something amazing behind the door, passing through he was sourly disappointed. “Hooray, we get to explore the underground tunnel for a few hours, stay out until three in the morning and work out how we explain this to our celebrity."

“Please you're sounding like me, either way. One way or another we'll find her and when we get her we will make those who took her pay." Nightshifter said as he walked forward in the tunnel looking around. He closed his eyes and listened. “They're going this way, there base might be a mile or so ahead."

“Well then keep on marching." Riptide said as they walked forward. “I'm just going to say it; this is stupid why they would want a celebrity, when they could steal her money. I saw inside her bed room, she had many priceless jewels inside."

“Yes but you can't recreate the personality of a celebrity, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed, they're probably going to be holding her for ransom." Nightshifter celebrated as he thought of the most likely reasoning. They walked forward, their footsteps echoing in the metal tunnel. They waded through the sludge on the bottom of the tunnel.

“This used to be a subway tunnel but as the system became inefficient they abandoned these tunnels for the bigger and quicker tunnels we use today, they say that there are many entrances and many layers throughout." Riptide said as he walked forward looking through the tunnels.

“Stop." Nightshifter quietly yelled as he pulled both of them to the side of the old tunnel and hid them between two metal girders. The sound of troops marching stopped Riptide as he heard them. They were walking forward, there had to be at least twenty of them walking.

“Now then soldiers, our patrols are finished return to base." Their leader, the one who had golden decals and a horn on his suit of armor said. “I will remain, something is near I can sense it."

Riptide held his breath in his and Nightshifter's superpowers were being detected, a super could detect a super and an Outsider, while they had no such detection. Looking around the wolf before him faded into the background, he was going to follow the returning platoon while he dealt with the leader.

Holding his breath, he tried to remain still as Nightshifter walked around him and the soldiers left. He could hear them leave from his hiding place in the girders and when they were an ample distance away he figured he might as well show himself.

Nervously he stepped out, making himself known to the gold decaled solider. The solider stood still and took off his helmet. It detached a layer of steam obscuring his head, yet even then the horn on his helmet gave his species away. With the layer of steam gone, he was grey wrinkled and a large ivory horn sticking into the air.

“So then rhino, you stayed behind you sensed me. So the real question is if you want to fight?" Riptide offered. He stood still, he could feel the water around him, is surrounded him and made him stronger, even this sludge around his feet contained it. All he needed to do was raise his hand and with that the liquid would separate and come to him.

“Sorry there mate, name's Captain Ivorphax." The rhino said, a roughed Australian accent flowing out of his mouth. Riptide groaned he hated dealing with accents; they always sounded ridiculous and made the conversation harder to follow. “Now then strange black shark man, we've been looking for you and I'll have to ask you to come with us."

“Sorry, I can't I have a celebrity I need to save. She was last seen around one of your men, so if we could have her back that would be nice." Riptide said joking; he knew what he'd need to do. First he'd need to distract him long enough that Nightshifter could get into the base, and find her. Then they need to escape, preferably to here and after beating the Rhino, leave.

“It's never that easy kid, first you need to get past me. Unfortunately you're a tiny Outsider, or else you would have known about me, but me I am a full blown super." The rhino said as he spread out his arms and a large sword appeared in his left hand and a shield in his right.

“So then we fight, if you want to get into my base mate; well you'll have to get through me." Ivorphax said as he raised his shield and charged forward, Riptide had seemed this before. Quickly he raised a shield of water around him, pushing it forward and before it could escape his control, he froze it.

The rhino grunted at this, perhaps seeing it as a challenge and attempted to ram the massive ice shield in front of Riptide. Bracing as his body was engulfed in ice, he held his hands in place and hoped it would be quick. The rhino crashed into the ice, and it stayed in place, mostly. Besides the main piece of pointed ice, the rest stayed intact.

“Now then, let's see how about three tiny kids pool worth of water?" Riptide said bringing his hands forward and melting the ice. The water flew forward and splashed down at Ivorphax, who raised his shield. He endured as the water pushed him back.

Riptide jumped up and grabbed some of the water in the air; he froze it on his fins and wrists. Looking at them he shaved away some of the ice and made them sharper. Running forward, he jumped again and looked at the rhino. Arming himself, he prepared to land down on the floor.

He slashed on the rhino and he heard the beast scream as the ice cut into his face, landing on the floor Riptide prepared to look at his work. Red gushed out of the gashes and ran down to the rhino's checks. He looked pissed, Riptide cautious laughed at the beast's anger.

“Good attempt, but try harder. Knocking me out will require a bit more than a few blades and blood loss to kill me." Ivorphax said as he made his sword and shield disappear, he smiled and the blood from his wounds stopped flowing. The gashes sealed up and disappeared. “Baseline superpowers, I have then and you probably have a little of it, but try a bit harder."

“I'll let you try to strike me now, one strike and then I'll take you down." Riptide said as he let his ego show in his fight with the beast. He huffed, most of his ribs had healed and he felt better but if he let the beast strike him than some organs that his powers couldn't heal might break.

“Well then, let's see how you handle the might stick." The Rhino said as he stretched his hand out and formed the weapon; it was covered in ivory and had patterns of red and yellow over the stick. Despite being large and confined in armor, the beast was agile. He showed it as he started to spin the large weapon.

Ivorphax picked it up into the air and approached him with it raised, preparing a confine of water in his hand. He moved out of the first slash, barely dodging it. The rhino's strike was gone, jumping up he sent the water at his legs and froze it instantly.

Backing out of the way, he grabbed more water from the ever sludge, ever increasing in toxicity. Before the beast could react, Riptide fired on at his arm and froze it and the stick in place. Putting little more water on the thin looking areas, he kept still as his body was trapped.

“One day I will melt and you will regret your continual anger of my master. You will regret allying against the Neuroseekers." Ivorphax said as he tried to reach out and grab Riptide before he left. However, the shark quickly escaped and left Ivorphax in the dust.

Continuing forward through the tunnels, he could only follow one path and as he did he expected Nightshifter to have dealt with all of the soldiers and come walking back with Kimber back in his arms and they could make some sort of daring escape but he became increasing worried as he didn't.

These Neuroseekers, their lower levels, he would call them Neurotroopers. If he did a good job with the naming maybe it would spread. Yet looking for the red and black warriors was a job easier said than done and then as he came to an area glimmered in light he found Nightshifter.

“Now then Outsider, throw yourself into sewer. You'll wash out in the east river and then, well then the current will decide your faith." One of the Neurotroopers said speaking as he pointed to the rushing water below.

“Sorry, let's freeze." Throwing water forward, even before the neuroseekers could react, it froze around their bodies. Walking forward, he knew that they would melt soon and so would Ivorphax. Looking down they were on a raised platform, perhaps fifty feet up and a bridge could be extended across the river of sewer below.

“Ok, good we need to get across. They were waiting for their captain to return and extend the bridge, we can't get across. All we need to do is get by the sewer and she will be in the cell ahead." Nightshifter said as he looked at the electronic panel. He rammed his hand against the pad and it shocked.

“Well smashing it didn't work, what else could possibly work?" Riptide asked he looked at Nightshifter wondering what he meant.

“Your wings, you can't fly but you could glide." Nightshifter said as he looked at Riptide, the shark looked frightened as he deactivated a part of perception filter. White feathers were aligned against a bone structure and they popped out, except for black burns and they ended abruptly before they could complete. “It's okay; I don't think that they're that bad. Your burns will heal one day."

“I am fine; I think I can glide over. Come here." Riptide said sourly, a lowly look on his face. Nightshifter knew that they knew they needed to save Kimber, his wings being out we're something he needed to deal with. He held Nightshifter and lifted him up, surprising the shark.

Running forward at the edge, Riptide spread his wings and flapped. He pushed himself off the ground and floated over the ground for a few seconds. As they flew towards the edge, Riptide smiled it looked like he would make it. And then his ears burnt.

Screaming out in pain, he felt Nightshifter trying to grab onto him as his balance was lost. A figure on the lowered dock was holding the gun, and with that Riptide fell back into his home, swept away.