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Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 6:52 pm
by griffon8
Chrono180 wrote:
griffon8 wrote:Are you a fan of Schlock Mercenary by any chance?
Major fan. How did you guess?
Because the latest printed book's backup story was the first reference I ever saw about Yellowstone's caldera. Seemed to fit.

As for my last reply, I put what I did because, while concerned, I couldn't tell how serious you were about your statement. So I am concerned.

As a friend on another forum has put it, "It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:01 pm
by Mirage_GSM
The Yellowstone Caldera is quite well known. Both Cracked and Damninteresting had stories about it.
Also Exit Mundi - a site I don't recommend reading when you already have problems sleeping...

I don't remember when Schlock Mercenary referred to this, but it has to be several years worth of comics ago...

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:24 pm
by griffon8
No, it was in the collection-only story in the latest printed book. Not on the web.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:14 am
by Chrono180
griffon8 wrote:
Chrono180 wrote:
griffon8 wrote:Are you a fan of Schlock Mercenary by any chance?
Major fan. How did you guess?
Because the latest printed book's backup story was the first reference I ever saw about Yellowstone's caldera. Seemed to fit.

As for my last reply, I put what I did because, while concerned, I couldn't tell how serious you were about your statement. So I am concerned.

As a friend on another forum has put it, "It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
I attempted suicide a couple weeks ago, yes. However, I've learned my lesson and swear to god am NEVER doing that again. I thought it'd be an easy solution, but it isn't a solution and sure as hell isn't easy. I can't belive I could have been so stupid, or so selfish. And i first heard about the caldera in a documentary about supervolcanoes several years back. Warehouse 13 also had it as a plot point, which is how hisao found out. Last couple chapters should hopefully be up soon though.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 11:50 am
by griffon8
Warehouse 13 is yet another show that if I watched television, I'd watch it.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:58 pm
by Chrono180
Sorry for the delay on this chapter. It took a bit for oddball to get back to me, and as of late its seemed my life as been a series of crises related to my friends. Here's chapter 15. I'll have the last chapter and epiloge up in a few days, and then we can start on my next fic, "The Man in the Mirror"

Chapter 15: Last Chance to Save the World

“There's a volcano under Yellowstone?” X-23 asked, sounding slightly surprised.

“That's an understatement.” Hisao made a sweeping motion with his hands, “It's the largest supervolcano on the planet. The dominant features are something like fifty kilometers by seventy or so. It's huge.”

“What happens if it erupts?” Armor asked.

“Well, for starters the explosion alone would make Hiroshima look like a wet firecracker. When Mount Saint Helens erupted back in 1980, it had a force of roughly six and a half megatons, roughly...” Hisao did some quick figuring “five hundred times the blast of “Little Boy”. If Yellowstone blows, it would be three orders of magnitude greater than that, far greater than any other explosion in human history. And that's just the beginning.”

“Seriously?” Hanako asked

“Unfortunately, yes. The ash released would cover everything within a thousand miles to a depth of about ten feet, burying several states in much the matter of Pompeii. The toxic air emitted would likely make most of North America uninhabitable for years to come, but the worst is that the ash and the air combined would probably destroy any sort of weather patterns the world might have.” Hisao sighed, “Best case, we'd be looking at another ice age. Worst case, the extinction of all life on the planet.”

“You seem to know a lot about this.” Armor remarked.

“It was used as a plot point in “Warehouse 13.” Hisao replied, “I was surprised by the concept and did some research afterwards.”

“In any case, we leave immediately.” Psylocke stated. “Once we're in the air, I'll radio the Institute and attempt to summon as much backup as possible. Now move it, people!”

The eight of them hurried out to the blackbird, as Hisao fell in line he glanced through the schematic.

“When did you say Angel took the device?” he asked

“Roughly three hours ago.” Psylocke stated.

Hisao sat down in the Blackbird's seat and flipped through the device's specifications. “The good news is, we might have time to stop it.”

“Yeah?” Misha asked.

“This device would require a substantial amount of power to trigger a quake large enough to breach the volcano. And to gather that power it would have to charge for several hours. If we hurry, we can probably shatter the device before it reached that level.” Hisao gave a grim smile.

After a few minutes, Psylocke turned back to the others, “The other teams are going to be a bit. The Red team is handling some lunatic hijacking nuclear weapons in Britain, The Gold team is dealing with some holes in reality in Russia, and the Blue team doesn't have a long range teleporter. They said they'd be here as fast as they can from their last mission in Iceland, but I'm not optimistic.

“What about the Avengers?” Hisao asked, “Or the Fantastic Four?”

“In the Kree Galaxy and Negative Zone, respectively.” Betsy sighed. “Some of the other X-corps branches are on their way, but we're going to be the first to arrive.”

“Could Trevor have teleported us?” Misha suddenly asked Hanako.

Hanako shook her head, “Too many people over too great a distance..”

“Pity Rin's range is only a half dozen miles...” Hisao muttered, then sighed. “Let's see... if he stole the device at one, and he reached Yellowstone an hour after... assuming energy flow of a thousand petwatts...” he did some figuring, “It's going to be close.”

As the Blackbird tore through the sky. Hisao was startled by Nate Grey's voice inside his mind.

“I need to ask you something.” The teenager stated mentally, “And don't tell the others.”

“This is kind of a bad time, don't you think?” Hisao thought back.

“It's important, at least, to me. And there's not much else we can do for the next forty minutes, is there?” Nate's mental tone was rather urgent.

“Very well, Go ahead.” Hisao replied

“You had a terminal illness at one point, correct?” Nate thought.

Hisao gave him a funny look, “I wouldn't go that far. I always figured I'd have a lifespan significantly shorter than most peoples, but it's not like I was going to die in six months or anything.”

“Ah.” Nate stated.

“What brought this on, Nate? That's not the kind of thing you usually ask the second time you meet with someone” Hisao asked.

Nate shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “Don't tell anyone ok?”

“Alright.” Hisao responded.

“My powers are killing me. Burning me out. I have just a few years to live.” Nate sighed.

Hisao was a tad taken aback, “I'm... sorry to hear that.”

“I don't want 'sorry' Hisao.” Nate thought firmly, “I don't want to be an object of pity.”

“Oh.” Hisao thought back.

“But to the point, I want to know. How did you deal with whatever you had?”

“My arrhythmia?” Hisao thought, and then hesitated, “I suppose my trick was to find something, or someone, to live for. Lilly and Hanako, mainly, but also my other friends. If you enjoy the time you have, and avoid having any major regrets about the past, the length of time you life doesn't really matter. At least, that’s what I learned.”

Nate nodded and sighed, “I suppose that's a good way to live.”

“Keep in mind to that a cure might pop up where you least expect it.” Hisao added, “I mean, the absolute last thing I would have expected four years ago was that I'd wind up with a healing factor that makes my issue moot. Who knows, maybe you'll get a genetic brand or what have you that fixes your problem.”

“Perhaps...” Nate thought back and then stared out the window.



Shortly...

“We're getting close.” Psylocke stated, “Get ready everyone. Mentat, disarm the device. The rest of you take on Holocaust. I'll handle Angel.”

“Can't you help us against Holocaust? Isn't he the bigger danger?” Misha asked

Psylocke shook her head, “My powers are psionic. Holocaust's armor has psychic shielding. And I have to...finish this. It's personal, you understand.”


“You're going to face Angel alone?” Hisao asked.

“With this, I won't need help.” Psylocke reached down to the floor and lifted a long katana with one hand. It had a blood red hilt and was encased in a similarly colored sheath.

“A sword.” Nate stated flatly.

[That's not just a sword] Shizune thought and signed [That's the Muramasa blade. Am I the only one who reads the files?]

“Muramasa?” Hisao asked, “As in, the Muromachi period swordsmith whose blades are said to instill bloodlust in those who wield them?

“That was its maker yes.” X-23 stated. “Make for Wolverine, and actually fashioned out of a piece of his soul. In addition to it having a virtually monomolecular edge, it also shorts out the healing factor of anyone who is struck by it.”

Hisao visibly flinched at the thought.

“It was left in my care by Wolverine in case he ever went truly berserk” Psylocke stated bluntly, “But it will be extremely useful here. Angel's healing factor is otherwise extraordinary, stronger than yours.”

“I just thought of something.” Hanako stated “If the caldera is fifty km by seventy, how are we going to find them? That's an awful lot of ground to cover.”

“We'll have to do overland scans of the area.” Psyclocke stated.

“No, no need.” Nate stated. “I can tell you where they are.”

“Your telepathy is that advanced?” Hisao asked.

Nate nodded, “More than. They're three kilometers north of us and two west. Right by a bend in the river.”

“Good.” Psylocke stated “Approaching in ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

“I see them.” Misha motioned out the window.

Hisao turned to look. Angel could be seen on the ground, his silver wings glinting in the sunlight. Next to him stood an imposing figure over ten feet tall. It appeared as a suit of armor fashioned out of clear crystal, the inside filled with a orange flame. The skeleton of a man could be barely seen within and the left arm terminated into a massive plasma cannon. A few yards away, a large grey box with a massive silver diamond protruding from the top was emitting flashes of light.

“Alright everyone. The moment we land, hit them hard and fast.” Psylocke stated.

The blackbird screeched as it slammed into the ground and drove itself to a stop.

“GO!” Psylocke shouted and they ran out of the plane.

The eight of them stormed out. As they did, Holocaust took notice and barreled toward the team, making large strides with his crystalline legs. He raised his cannon and emitted a blast of atomic flame. Hanako, on reflex, raised a force field between the team and the hulking figure.

...it broke under the blast. Hanako yelped in pain as psionic feedback surged through her mind.



Psylocke broke off from the group and made a beeline toward Angel, who whirled around and emitted a swarm of darts from his wings. Psylocke dodged them with practiced ease.

“Greetings Elizabeth.” The winged man said, “I must say, your choice of companions has certainly worsened over the years.”

“Warren...” Psylocke stated angrily, “I will never forgive myself for failing you.”

“Failing me?” Angel laughed and fired another rain of projectiles, 'My dear Betsy, I have grown far beyond anything you could ever imagine. Meanwhile you run around with the most worthless of subjects.”

Psylocke glared at her former ally, who chuckled.

“Take the man in the green, for example. His heart would kill him in moments if he took a substantial impact to the chest. Such a liability you know? It would be better for everyone if he simply died.”

“Not going to happen.” Psylocke replied, “Mentat's an ally. Despite what he has done, he's still an X-man. His determination has earned him that title”

“Or how about that girl with the glasses?” Angel fired another wave of darts, “Her ears have long since been broken and she has forgotten how to speak. Such a waste. There is no place for her in the new world to come Or her friend? With the mediocre intellect? A stupider cow I have never seen. Or the burned one. She could have been the heir to Apocalypse’s empire, yet rejected it. Pitiful, all of them.” His mouth twisted into a maniacal grin, his voice crackling with glee.

“Shut up.” Psylocke stated, anger rising in her voice.

“Do you know why my master healed her scars?” Angel laughed, “Apocalypse wanted her to rule with him. She would be a perfect prelate for the new order to come. And yet she spurned him,Such a fool.”

Psylocke paused briefly, then drew the Muramasa blade.

“Warren.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I'm sorry.”



Holocaust quickly reached the seven other X-men and fired a blast of fire. Hanako threw up another shield, trying desperately to ignore the pounding in her head. This one held, but only barely.

Misha pulled out her railgun and dialed it to the maximum setting, then fired it at the figure. A massive cloud of dust and debris exploded as a bullet slammed into the armor at a significant fraction of lightspeed. For a moment, dust hung in the air thickly, but it quickly cleared and holocaust came back into view.

Shizune fired a massive energy discharge, only for it to be quickly absorbed, while at the same time X-23 unsheathed her claws and lunged at the figure, with Armor forming her shielding and doing the same. Holocaust grabbed Armor with one hand and threw her to the ground, while at the same time blasting X-23 with fire. She fell to the ground, most of the skin burned of her face, though it was quickly repairing itself.

“WEAKLINGS.” Holocause stated, his voice like gravel, “I SHALL TEAR YOU APART.”

“Mentat, get to the device.” Nate stated, “I'll cover you.” He levitated above the ground for a moment, and then slammed into Holocaust with astounding force. The hulking figure was knocked back several feet from the impact.

Hisao winced, but ignoring his instinct to help, ran past the battle to the grey box that was standing.




Psylocke dodged a hail of projectiles and lunged at Angel with the blade, only for the man to fly into the air several meters above her reach. Psylocke growled and resheathed the blade, then leapt on the a nearby tree and climbed as fast as she could.

Angel laughed, “Do you really think you can stop me? I am evolution itself.”

Psylocke lept of the tree and grappled Angel by his legs. The added weight startled the winged man, and with one smooth motion, Psylocke pulled out the blade and swung it. It sliced into Angel's left wing, cutting it off near the arm. Angel screamed and started falling, only for Psylocke to lose her grip and plunge as well.




Holocaust emitted a blast of fire, only for it to be stopped by a telekinetic force. Nate then punched Holocaust, who staggered back. Nate them summoned a hail of psionic spikes that swarmed out of his hands and flew into the armored figure.

“IMPRESSIVE” Holocaust spoke. His voice was thick and gravelly. “EVEN FOR A MUTANT.”

“Yeah?” Nate replied, “You haven't seen anything yet.” He telekinetic grappled Holocaust and slammed him into the ground.

“I don't mean to sound hopeful, but it looks like he's holding his own” Armor remarked, getting up from the ground.

“Useless...I'm useless...” Hanako mumbled.

“For Christs sake get a hold of yourself.” Armor snapped, “We don't have time to fall to pieces.” she glanced back at Nate, “Fingers crossed he can stop that thing...”

“So we're fine as long as Mindblast doesn't get tired?” Misha translated, then paused, “what do you mean it doesn't inspire confidence?” She looked at Shizune. “Oh. This is bad.”

“What's bad?” X-23 asked as she got up from the ground.

“Voidstar says that when he collapsed in the danger room...” Misha winced, then shook her head “She says that if he uses too much power, his body will short-circuit and knock him out.”

“Then we better think of a new plan, fast.” Armor stated.




Hisao reached the DESTINI device and fumbled around on it.

“Dammit, its almost reached the end of the countdown.” he muttered, then his fingers found a small latch on the bottom. He flipped it up and stared inside. Numerous wires and gears and crystals were perched in such a way that looked extremely complicated.

“How the hell am I supposed to turn this off?” Hisao asked helplessly, “I don't know the first thing about disarming bombs. Or seismic trigger devices, for that matter.”

He winced as pins and needles felt like they stabbing him in the chest. “Of all the fucking times....” he mumbled, trying to force the feeling down.

Nate threw another punch, then doubled over in pain.

“GETTING TIRED?” Holocaust asked, a note of enjoyment in his voice.

Nate let a out a choked sound

“Damnit, Mindblast's down.” Armor stated. “Hit Holocaust with everything you've got. Something is bound to get through.”

As one, five X-men lunged at the figure. But nothing could stop him. Not adamantium claws, nor energy blasts, nor railgun bullets.

Holocaust let out another blast, and Hanako formed a shield right in front of his gun's barrel. The shield shattered, and Hanako collapsed, clutching her head.

“I know!” Misha cried out. “Voidstar, Armor, X-23, hold him off for just a few minutes. I've got an idea!”

'Hardhead, what-” Armor began, but the pink-haired girl had bolted off.




“Now that you can't fly, we're on even footing.” Psylocke stated, brandishing the sword.

“Even?” My dear Betsy, you have no idea what I'm capable of, do you? I am going to wipe this planet clean of the filth that infects it.” Angel blasted darts from his one remaining wing, then lept back. Psylocke charged, only for Angel to continue to leap back faster than she could sprint.

Betsy glared and threw the sword. It pinned Angel in his other wing and he collapsed in pain. Betsy quickly approached.





The pain in his chest was substiding, but Hisao could do little except look at the rows of wires and gears. “So if the green wire connects to the red button and the white wire to the blue button...” he looked at the gemstone, which was flickering rapidly. “I've got less than a minute to figure this out... Come on...”

He stared at the console for a long moment.

“Oh FUCK IT!” he finally snapped, then grabbed every wire at once and yanked as hard as he could. There was a popping noise and the gemstone on top of the device shattered.

“Simple enough.” he stated, than ran back to the battle.




Psylocke approached the prone Angel and tore the Muramasa blade out of his wing, leaving a long gash in the metal as she did so.

Angel stared up at her, hate glistening in his eyes. “Do you think this will stop us? You cannot stop the future.”

Psylocke didn't respond, instead simply holding the sword at Angel's eye level. She prepared to drive the blade deep into his skull...

And then hesitated.

“Warren-” she stated, only for Angel to give her a sharp kick to the stomach. The blade flew out of her hands and landed several yards distant. She attempted to right herself, only for a pair of extremely strong hands to grasp her by the throat and begin choking her.

“War-ren..” she choked out.

“This is the end, Elizabeth.” Angel stated, his voice like ice.





Armor dodged another blast of atomic fire and glanced over at her friends lying unconscious on the ground. X-23 was down, Nate Grey was down, Shizune was down, Hanako was down... She was the last one left standing. For a moment, she tried to catch her breath, only to feel her head grabbed by an inhumanly strong hand. She punched it with all her strength, to no use. The hand gripped tighter and tighter and tighter. She felt her force field weaken, then bend inwards. She attempted to reinforce it, but it was no use. It bent further and further inwards.

“Not like this.” she whispered, “Please, not like this...”

And then she saw the fingers of the hand bend backward.
“WHAT. IS. THIS?” Holocaust grunted.

“You're not hurting anyone else.” a voice spoke. “I swear to god, I will not let you or Apocalypse hurt anyone else. Ever again.”

Hanako got up and ran towards the lurking figure a horde of force spikes flying out of her body to slam against Apocolypse's son. Holocaust turned and emitted a blast of fire at her.

It struck her square in the chest, but Hanako barely seemed to notice, her healing factor quickly repairing the scars that has formed.

“In the past couple months,“ Hanako stated angrily “I have been experienced a school shooing, kidnapped, brainwashed, set against my friends, had my home invaded twice, been forced to kill a psycho nutjob from the future, nearly lost multiple friends, and almost had my mind erased. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!”

The fingers of Holocaust's hands were torn apart as if forced by some unnatural force. Armor dropped to the ground and glanced back.

“Survivor?” Armor asked.

Holocaust fired another blast of fire, only to be stopped by a forcefield that just barely held under the strain.

“What?” Hanako asked.

“I'm just surprised you'd help me after-”

“You think I'd let you die, just because of some mean comments?” Hanako asked, shaking her head.

Armor paused.

There was a roaring sound in the distance. The sound of twin hundred thousand horsepower engines being revved into life.

“You have got to be kidding me...” Armor mumbled, then jerked to Hanako, “Help me get Mindblast out of the way, he can't heal.”

Armor grabbed the legs of the unconscious teenager and Hanako grabbed his arms. They began carrying him off to the side.

“COME BACK HERE.” Holocaust intoned, “WE AREN'T FINISH-”

Apocalypse’s son never got to finish his statement, as a brilliant black plane slammed into him point first at several thousand miles per hour.

There was a cracking sound as the containment suit reaching its stress limit, and then a sound like a thousand glass pains breaking as it shattered. Nuclear fire filled the area.

As the flame cleared, Armor looked down at Nate, who was beginning to stir, then back at where holocaust had stood. Several large pieces of crystal were scattered around the battlefield, all that remained of the monstrosity.

The door to the Blackbird opened, Misha walked out, grinning heavily

“How'd ya like that?” She asked.

“Not bad.” Armor stated, “Not bad at all.”






As the ground shook Psylocke reached her hands to her throat in a vain attempt to break free of Angel's grip, then reached out to touch his mind.

“Angel, don't do this. Don't you remember who you used to be?” she thought to him

The remnants of Angel's wing slashed Psylocke across the face in a brutal response to her question, leaving a nasty cut on her cheek

“You die here Elizabeth.” Angel stated, “Right here, right now. A failure, just like everyone you work with.”

And at that moment, Angel jerked back as a bolt of blue energy struck him in the back.

“Sorry to burst your bubble.” Hisao stated, holding out his neural disruptor, “But I've come to like her. Now, I've broken your device and it looks like the others have taken out your companion, so why don't you just jerk around for a while while we contact SHIELD and have them get you a nice straightjacket to wear. Capisce?

Angel rolled around on the ground, spasming heavily. On reflex , a torrent of darks flew out of the remnents of his wing and began tearing into Hisao's body. He let out a choking sound as dozens of large cuts slices open.

Psylocke quickly got up and sprinted over to the Muramasu blade and picked it up. Returning to Angel, she held it right above his head.

“Betsy-” Hisao begin.

Psylocke swung the blade down, decapitating Angel with one fell swoop. As his head rolled off, Hisao attmped to right himself, looking down at the cuts that were beginning to repair themselves.

“Was there really no other way?” Hisao asked.

Psyclocke shook her head, “Warren wouldn't want to live like that. He'd rather die than hurt his friends...Much like...you know...” she resheathed the blade, then paused. Hisao noticed that a single tear was trickling down her face. “Deep down... I knew it would come to this. He never was the same after Apocalypse got a hold of him. Saving him would've required a miracle. But we're fresh out of miracles aren't we?”

Hisao looked down at his feet, “I'm sorry.” he stated.

Psylocke shook her head, “Don't be... You protected the person you care about. That's all I would’ve done, that all...anyone... would have done....” Psylocke finally lost her composure at that point and began sobbing heavily. Hisao reached over and put his arms around her, comforting her the best he could.

“Holocaust is down.” Armor stated, the six other x-men walking up “Dead in fact, Misha did something pretty impressive... Psylocke?”

“Betsy?” Nate asked

“I-I'm fine.” Psylocke stated, wiping tears from her eyes. “Help me gather Warren's body. I'd like to have all the parts for when I... cremate...it.” She shook her head and swallowed.

The trip back home was spent in silence.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 15 up

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:39 am
by Mirage_GSM
...as a bullet slammed into the armor at a significant fraction of lightspeed.
Just for the record... What do you think of as "significant"?
as a brilliant black plane slammed into him point first at several thousand miles per hour.
What's the rate of acceleration for that thing?

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 15 up

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:42 pm
by Chrono180
Mirage_GSM wrote:
...as a bullet slammed into the armor at a significant fraction of lightspeed.
Just for the record... What do you think of as "significant"?
as a brilliant black plane slammed into him point first at several thousand miles per hour.
What's the rate of acceleration for that thing?
Lets go with "Whatever the plot demands."

Anyway, here's the last chapter and epilogue:



Chapter 16: The Price That Was Paid

A few days later.

Hisao stared at the blank page of chemistry homework he had been assigned, then glanced at his watch.

“Two hours I've been working on this and I still haven't done a single problem...” he mumbled and set his pen down. He had a 107% in the class, so one assignment wouldn't be too much of an issue, but his work ethic meant it still bugged him.

He reached over and picked up a framed photograph off the side of the desk. In it, he was posing with Hanako and Lilly under a Christmas Tree during their first holiday together. He sighed and put it down, then rubbed his eyes.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Lilly asked, walking up to him.

“I....” Hisao begin, then paused. He picked up the photo again. “Lilly...”

“Yes?” Lilly asked.

Hisao paused again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he wanted to say, what he could say.

“Did I do the right thing?” He finally asked.

“Well, what do you think?” Lilly asked.

Hisao placed the photo back down, then scratched his head. “I don't know. I thought I did, but I'm not sure now.” He gave a guilty look, “I never thought I would see the day when Betsy cried...”

Lilly nodded.

Hisao sighed, “What kind of person am I, to decide who lives and who dies like I did? I'm not God, I'm not fate, I'm not even an X-man, really... Hanako's better, yes, but her survival came at the cost of a very good man. I left Armor pissed, Psylocke broken hearted and Angel dead. None of them deserved that.”

“Have you asked Emi?” Lilly asked.

Hisao shrugged, “During my run yesterday, yeah. Angel's soul has already moved on. She can't bring him back like she did Magnus or Yuuko...” He fiddled with his pen some. “I just don't know. I keep thinking there might have been something else I could do, but I don't know what....”

Lilly thought for a moment. “Let me give you a situation we discussed in my biomedical ethics class.” she stated.

Hisao nodded.

“Let's say you have three people.” Lilly stated, “A surgeon, roughly sixty years of age who is skilled in his field and well respected in the community. A writer, thirty years of age, who is still working on getting his first book published, and a teenage girl who is in high school who enjoys watching anime and playing the violin. All three of them need a liver transplant and will die in a few weeks if they don't get one. But you only have one organ. Which do you choose to save and why?”

“I... I don't know.” Hisao admitted, “Is this hypothetical?”

Lilly shook her head, “Not in the least. There are so many people who need organs in this day and age, and so few organs available, that this situation occurs literally every day. It is exactly like what you had to decide. Who deserved to be saved the most. There is not really a “right” or “wrong” in this sort of scenario. But, speaking for myself, I am very grateful you chose the way you did. Very grateful.”

Hisao nodded weakly, “Which would you choose? In that scenario you described?”

“Well, I thought about it for a long time, and I finally decided on the student.” Lilly shrugged, “Because there's a chance she could become a famous musician one day.”

Hisao thought for a moment and shook his head, “I don't think I can subscribe to that train of thought. By that same logic, she could also become a serial killer or scam artist.”

Lilly nodded, “What would you do?”

Hisao looked down at the floor. “Knowing just the professions and ages... I'd choose the surgeon. Because he likely saved thousands in his career and could go on to save thousands more. And he deserves to live after giving so much back.” he then hung his head, “And that makes me a hypocrite, doesn't it? Because I chose to save Hanako over the much more experienced Angel simply because I like her better...”

“I don't think that makes you a hypocrite.” Lilly responded, “It just means you have feelings. That you care about those who are close to you.”

Hisao fiddled with his pen some more. “It's not fair, you know? I was destined to die young, but I got an unexpected reprieve. Why couldn't Angel? We've got a ton of breaks most people would considering miracles. My heart won't kill me, you can see with my telepathy, Emi finally got to say goodbye to her father... Why didn't Angel get lucky like that?”

“You could say he did.” Lilly responded, “Do you know why he had metal wings instead of feathered ones?”

Hisao shook his head, “I haven't gotten to that file yet.”

“Well, I did some reading while you were gone.” Lilly sighed, “Long time ago, he had feathered wings, as you've seen in the old photographs of the team. There was an incident at one point where a band of trained killers started slaughtering homeless mutants in the tunnels under Manhatten. Warren was cornered by two of them.”

“But he was one of the most experienced X-men there was....” Hisao responded

“Bear in mind that Warren's wings made navigation in the cramped tunnels extremely difficult. He fought the best he could, but the close quarters proved to be too limited, and they got the best of him.” Lilly sighed, “They tore his wings out by the roots.”

Hisao flinched.

Lilly shook her head, “Shortly after he went to fly his plane, but it exploded in midair. His friends he had committed suicide. He hadn't, the plane had been sabotaged, but Warren would have died there.”

“But Apocalypse came in?” Hisao asked.

“Yes, teleported him out and gave him new wings.. Lilly replied”

Hisao nodded. “I just wish there had been a way to save both of them.”

“You have superpowers, but you're not God.” Lilly replied, “You can't rescue everyone.”

“I know.” Hisao responded, “I wish I could.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” Lilly asked.

Hisao shook his head, “Not really...” he got up and walked to the door, “Laura, if this is about your writing, can we please do it some other-” he stopped dead in his tracks. It wasn't Laura.

It was Logan. Dressed in blue jeans and a black jacket, with a cowboy hat on his head.

“Evenin, 'Sao.” Wolverine stated.

“Uh, hey there. This my girlfirend Lilly, Lilly, this is Logan the leader of X-corps Toyko....” Hisao remarked, then looked down at his feet, 'Are you mad about Hanako?”

“What, that you chose her?” Logan shook his head, “Nah, I'm not mad. Pretty impressed you managed to maneuver around 'Locke like you did, actually. She hasn't been outwitted like that in ages. But that's not important.” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white envelope. “I'm here about the gun you built.”

“What gun?” Lilly asked

Hisao shrugged, “I built a neural disruptor to take down Angel.” he stated.

“Is that what you call it?” Wolverine shrugged, “Yeah, that. Pretty nice piece of work, that. Considering Flyboy's healing factor was somewhere between mine and Omega Red's, the fact you cobbled something together to take him down in the span of two weeks stood out.”

“Well, I did have help.” Hisao stated.

“From what Kenji said, you did most of the work yourself. All he did was supply materials.” Wolverine paused and added, “Yeah, he talked to me. Guy's a raving looney but after hacking into our secured line and pestered us for days on end, we decided to hear what he had to say.”

Hisao raised an eyebrow, “What did he do this time?” he asked reluctantly.

Wolverine chuckled.

“Hisao, what's this about?” Lilly asked.

“What's this about is that we want to hire your boyfriend here.” Wolverine shrugged.

“Seriously?” Hisao asked, “I don't want to be a combatant in this absurd lifestyle. I want to be a teacher, for crying out loud.”

“Not a combatant.” Wolverine responded, “We want you as tech support.”

“What.” Hisao stated.

“Tech support. Maintenance. Mission control. Whatever.” Wolerine threw up his hands, “Look, fact is, you're the most scientifically minded guy on base. I can't find my way round a schematic to save my ass, and the others aren't much better. We'd like you to build our junk. Forge and Beast can only do so much, and they live halfway round the world.”

Hisao looked Wolverine up and down.

Wolverine held out the envelope. “Here's our initial offer.”

Hisao hesitated, but took it and opened it up. Then blinked.

“There m-must be some mistake.” he stammered out. “My dad doesn't make this much in three years, and he's an aerospace engineer.”

Lilly reached over his shoulder and touched the piece of paper. “That is quite... substantial.” she remarked, a note of surprise in her voice.

“Between the three main teams of X-men, the half dozen spinoffs and the eight or so branches of X-corps that exist,” Wolverine stated, “We've got over a dozen millionaires on staff, plus two kings, three queens, two cosmic-powered women, a thief who once stole a gemstone worth more than a small country, a student whose touch turns base metals to gold, and the boyfriend of a rock star who has an entire continent made out of diamonds. Literally, an entire continent. We can afford to be generous.”

Hisao stared at the paper for a long moment. Then he glanced at Lilly.

“You don't have to quit yer studies or anything.” Wolverine added, “Just help us build our junk when ya get spare time.”

“It is a lot of zeros...” Hisao mumbled, “Lilly, what do you think?”

Lilly shrugged, “It's your decision sweetheart.”

Hisao stared at the piece of paper for a long moment, then wiped the sweat from his brow. It was a lot of money. If he took the offer, he could pay for his tuition, buy a nice house, a better car, help his friends with any problems that may arise....

And buy the best wedding he and Lilly could have.

“Alright.” he said to Wolverine, “I'll do it.”


Epilogue:

Elsewhere....

“What a disaster.” Ozymadius stated, “One dead, the other beyond our reach.”

“No.” Apocalypse intoned, “A minor setback, that's all.”

“Minor setback?” Ozymandius responded, “My lord-”

“Worthington was weak.” Apocalypse stated, “Ikezawa has rejected my blessing. There is no need for them in the new world to come. Soon, the Age of Apocalypse shall rise, and Xavier's dream shall be forgotten.”

The ancient mutant walked up to a video monitor showing images of Hisao, Hanako and Lilly.

“I believe... We shall be seeing them soon.” Apocalypse stared at the monitor and his stony face broke into a wide grin.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:01 am
by Mirage_GSM
He had a 107% in the class, so one assignment wouldn't be too much of an issue,
Uh... Maybe this is a dumb querstion, but what does that mean?
...a student whose touch turns base metals to gold, and the boyfriend of a rock star who has an entire continent made out of diamonds. Literally, an entire continent. We can afford to be generous.
Wow, that's going to be the mother of all inflations.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:12 am
by Chrono180
Mirage_GSM wrote:
He had a 107% in the class, so one assignment wouldn't be too much of an issue,
Uh... Maybe this is a dumb querstion, but what does that mean?

It means his current grade in the class is 107%, due to extra credit and great scores on tests.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:28 am
by Mirage_GSM
So you can score more than 100% in university in Japan?

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:42 am
by Chrono180
Mirage_GSM wrote:So you can score more than 100% in university in Japan?
I would have thought so. Why, do you know differently?

And just so everyone knows, "The Man in the Mirror", my next fic, will be posted once the revisions start rather than when I finish the rough draft. This means the earlier parts will be posted soon, but the updating will be significanlty slower.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:43 am
by Mirage_GSM
I would have thought so. Why, do you know differently?
No, I don't.
I would find it surprising, though, because in Japanese High Schools scores go up to 100.
Also, my inner matematician cringes at the thought of completing something to more than 100%

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete

Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:31 am
by Chrono180
Update for everyone:"The man in the mirror" is going to be somewhat delayed. Oddball has apparently been super busy with work andf likely won't get around to giving me the feedback until the holiday season is over.

Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel)

Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 3:33 pm
by Jake Zero
Oddball wrote:
Mirage_GSM wrote:
Hanako shook her head. “I'm going crazy.” she muttered to herself, “That or I'm being talked to by some ghost or something. But crazy's a lot more likely.
Actually in THIS scenario it should be obvious to everyone which is more likely :lol:
Yeah, but cut her some slack. She's new to the whole tights and capes mindset. :P
NO CAPES!