Only Human... ( or how the Morphons changed things)

Upon this obscure little planet near the edge of a rather average galaxy, there evolved a bi-pedal lifeform of which one must admit the potential for acts of horrendous, unspeakable cruelty... this same species is also capable of unbelievable acts of courage, bravery, and self-sacrifice...

This lifeform is a well of potential... potential for Evil, potential for Good.

The Morphon particles haven't changed that...

They are STILL only human... or nearly all of them are...

A few are refugees from other realms within the Multiverse... for the most part also human, with all that entails....

Good stuff, thank you! What's your ID?

10962 is my hero ID in-game.

The full origin of Acidburn would fill several volumes, which will appear in these forums later, but suffice it to say that she originated in a dimension now lost to the Nexus of the Multiverse...

She was unknowingly the child of an exiled fae of Royal blood on her father's line, a direct descendant of the wizard know to us as Merlin on her mothers' and had her abilities activated by an accident.

Some of those who will appear in this tale are no longer with us, having remained in the dimension which was lost, some moved on to other realms, but there remain a precious few who have made it to this place as well...

She's not the strongest...she's not the fastest... but she might be the smartest, and she is definitely the most determined... She might just be the hero we need.

So settle back and grab some popcorn...

A Little Tale Overheard @ Starbuck's

Pink was sitting at her usual table in Starbuck's, enjoying a double-shot espresso and a large tray of bearclaws when she noticed that one of the many "new kids" (rookie supers) had wandered in through
the door with a somewhat dazed expression.

The rookie quietly ordered a mocha latte from the barista and moved to the last empty table which was nearby. "At least this one has decent taste in coffee." thought Pink to herself, while sipping her own
beverage.

About this time the Angelic Rogue stopped into the same shop after completing her own patrol, ordered a vanilla cappuccino and since all the tables were now taken, asked Pink if she could join her.
 "Go ahead." Pink said with her usual expression.

A few moments passed as the Rogue scanned the other patrons and sipped from her cup, then she noticed the rookie at the table nearby.

She said quietly to Pink, "I do believe that one would jump a mile if startled by a loud noise.", gesturing with her chin towards the rookie.

Pink looked in that direction again and murmured, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Rogue said quietly, "Maybe we should speak to her, help her calm down."

Both of the veteran heroes reached a decision at the same moment, stood and moved to the rookies' table. The Rogue gently touched the young woman's shoulder. The rookie startled slightly.

 "Is everything alright?", the Rogue gently asked. Pink leaned with her hand on the back of one of the chairs.

"W-with all t-that's happened r-recently I d-don't know w-where to b-begin...", the rookie stuttered.

"At the beginning is usually a good place.", Pink said, as she pulled out the seat and sat down. The Rogue signaled the barista for 3 more coffees and followed suit.

The rookie drew a deep breath, perhaps the first in a few weeks; settled herself, took a moment to arrange her thoughts, and began.

"Well... It all began while I was analyzing a "xeno-biological" sample in my lab at the University, for NASA. The electron microscope I was using developed a "spontaneous, catastrophic" vacuum leak, at least that's what they told me later, and it exploded in my face.", she said.

"As I regained consciousness in the ICU, I realized that I had strange tingling sensations around my hands and arms, and as I recovered, also discovered that the equipment being used to monitor my
condition kept 'mysteriously' overloading.", she continued after a moment.

She took a short sip of her refill and continued.

"Once released, I conducted a few tests of my own and discovered that I had been exposed to whatever the hell that sample actually was; it was infused into my DNA.", she said.

 "Over the next few weeks even stranger things began to happen; as I hid in my apartment, I began to develop other 'symptoms,'  Then, I woke up one morning actually hovering above the surface of my bed.", she continued.

"I soon found after a little practice & using some meditation techniques, I could control the 'symptoms' of this 'condition.'

 She closed her eyes for a moment and the slight electrical nimbus around her hands died down.

She sipped her latte, took a deep breath, and continued.

"As my strength, dexterity and new abilities continued to grow, I knew that it would be a nearly impossible task to fit in & to remain at the university, but where could I go and not feel like the proverbial sore thumb?", she said.

"So when the news began reporting the 'meta-human' wave of crime sprees here in Super Hero City, I decided to help out where I could...and to begin a new life in a place where my 'differences' would help me fit in.", she said.

"Then once I got here... the street fights...the arena battles my new colleagues at work suggested... some sort of war between groups of supers which I was talked into joining...", she mused with a slightly
puzzled expression.

"Whew, I'd never sat down and put it into perspective like that before... I mean what with everything that's happened and all...Well, Thank you, both.", she said looking from one to the other.

Rising from her chair, she handed each a card that read "Acidburn, SHC" and a
beeper number.

"I doubt either of you would ever need my help, but if you should, it's yours for the asking.",she said, turned and strode ever more confidently to the door, turned again and waved at the two veteran heroes,  and took flight in the direction of midtown.

"That was strange.", said Pink, as she picked up her coffee and moved back to her favorite table. Rogue nodded and remained at the now otherwise empty one...

..."Well," thought Acidburn, "they both seem nicer than some of the rumors I've heard make them sound. But, of course, with rumors you have to consider the source... at least I think I could get some sleep
tonight, since they helped settle my mind."

A short time later, she landed in the alley behind a small brownstone and wearily made her way up the 6 flights of steps to her small apartment. After a quick shower, a small glass of white wine, and a piece of her 'emergency' chocolate (funny, how there seems to be an emergency every night, she thought), she settled into her cozy quilt and read until she dozed off.


We'll get more of the story in their own thread later, but that's how it started, in a realm which no longer is accessible in the nexxus of the Multiverse...

(I'm all about an Acidburn & co. story... keep it rolling )

A few weeks passed swiftly, if not exactly pleasantly, what with working for a small parcel delivery service.
 "If I dared to use my new 'gifts', this would go so much faster...," she thought, "but then I'd risk that any passing 'supervillain' might attack me and destroy what I'm being paid to deliver.", as she pedaled through mid-day traffic.

"I hope that lawyer gets back to me soon about the settlement from the equipment company that provided that damned microscope, or I'm gonna have to cut back on the Starbuck's trips...or find another job.", she thought. "Why," she mused, "if I hadn't developed this regeneration ability, my face would have been scarred for the rest of my life."

As she finished up her deliveries for the day, she debated whether she might actually participate in some of the arena battles she had watched, as a way to help build up her new 'talents', or if she might just spend a few hours on what some of the supers she had overheard called "on patrol."
 
Just then she heard gunshots and then an alarm coming from a nearby bank.  "Patrol it is, then...", she muttered to herself, as she stashed her bike and pouch in a nearby alley, swiftly changed to her 'uniform', and zipped in the direction of the alarm.

Three thugs were just outside the bank, engaged in a shootout with a couple of bank guards, so Acidburn moved into position quietly behind two of them as they took cover behind a parked car outside the bank, and swiftly shoved their heads into each other, knocking both unconscious.

She pulled out a couple of zip-ties, bound their wrists and checked to see if either was badly injured.
As she knelt over the fallen thugs, the third one finally noticed her and began firing in her direction. Using her ability to move at supersonic speeds, she moved in a flash to a position just behind and to the gun- hand side of the thug. She swiftly forced his arm straight into the air, twisted his wrist just enough so that he dropped the gun, and then stepping behind him, brought his arms behind him and zip-tied them together.

As the thug realized his arms were immobile, he turned to face his capture and tried to kick her. Acidburn quickly dodged, though she doubted he had the strength to really hurt her, and then tripped the man and rolled him onto his back.

"Guess you don't have to have superpowers... or be particularly smart... to be a villain around here," she said as a local police cruiser pulled to a stop nearby.

"Superhero City SuperPolice -- Freeze!", the cop yelled as he bolted from the light-flashing, siren blaring cruiser, and drew his pistol from his belt. "I need backup @ the bank @ 3rd and Oak street", he said into his shoulder-mounted radio transmitter, as he sighted in on Acidburn.
 
She calmly said, "I hardly think that's necessary, I'm not resisting." and assumed a position where the cop could see she was posing no threat. He relaxed slightly but did not lower his weapon. "Standard procedure, when supers are involved, ma'am." He proceeded to mirandise her, and as a Van bearing the emblem of the SuperPolice rolled up and debouched a squad of armored men, the cop finally lowered his weapon.

"She's not resisting," he told the squad leader, "and from the looks of things," scanning the scene, "she seems to have helped us considerably."

"She's been informed of her rights, and she'll have to remain in my custody until we can clarify her role in this, as she may be a witness if not the perpetrator."

"Yeah, yeah, rookie... I know the procedure as well as you.", said the squad leader, as he slapped the restraint cuffs on her wrists.

Over the next hour or so, the statements of witnesses both in- and outside the bank were taken as the squad of SuperPolice maintained their vigilance in keeping Acidburn under close scrutiny. Finally, it was determined that she had played no part in the robbery, only in it's aftermath, and had shown a decent amount of restraint in the use of her abilities against non-super persons.

The surveillance footage from the bank's cameras proved that she had taken only the actions necessary to protect normal citizens and bystanders.

The SuperPolice squad leader said as he removed the restraint cuffs from her wrists, "Stand down boys, this seems to be one of the good ones."

"You'll still need to come with me and make a statement, miss uh, missus-um...", the young policeman said. "It is Miss, actually, and I go by Acidburn," she said. "I loved that movie.", he said as they left for the local precinct.

(out of character message commencing...)

For those wishing access to the remainder of Acidburn's SHC adventures, I am providing here a read-only link to my G-drive folder where they were stored prior to the SHC forum being shut down.  They are, for the most part, entirely unedited for readability, but hopefully will not be too hard to follow...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B65ipw_qyDfaQ0tCUmFyT3hOT0k

It is my intention to now begin writing new stories commencing with Acidburn's awakening in the new realm known as Heroes Rising... I hope to continue these for a good long time...

Thank you in advance for your interest...

When Krystal first arrived in this new realm, the only powers that remained to her were those provided solely by her intellect.

Shortly after that was when the Legion arrived in orbit and started releasing Morphon particles into the atmosphere, with the resulting meta-human abilities which soon began to surface in the populace.

Krystal quickly found a job, menial though it was, and began spending her meager income tinkering together gadgets in her spare time.  These gadgets, using Morphon enhancements to mimic the powers she had possessed in the lost realm (SHC) were beyond what this realm considered 'state-of-the-art', and quickly brought her to the attention of a government research lab/think-tank, run by the newly formed agency known as B.A.D.G.E.

Krystal began to renew her habit of heroism in this new realm...

'Acidburn' has been reborn...

Krystal now had access to better equipment for her experiments, and her 'gadgets' improved as a result.

She often indulged in 'field testing' as her hero persona (Acidburn) and her tests also aided in making the gadgets more versatile, as well as more powerful.

Krys also became aware that this realms' Mana, of which hers had been all but depleted in the effort of inter-dimensionally teleporting herself,  was slowly reactivating her access to her fae abilities in this new realm... hopefully she would soon be able to access her full former powers.

A few weeks had passed since Krystal had accepted the offer of the B.A.D.G.E. director to join their organisation.

Her meta-human abilities, augmented by the Morphon-powered devices she had built, were quite impressive.  They were quite nearly the match of the powers she had possessed in the lost realm.

Krystal also realized over time that her access to the fae abilities normal to one of her lineage, which had been drained by her effort to enter this new realm, seemed to be adjusting to the mana provided by this new realm, and were beginning to re-manifest themselves over time.

Meanwhile, the members of the group calling itself 'The Legion' began to gather the funds and devices from this realm which would hasten their conquest.

Krystal and others who had built and/or manifested Morphon augmented abilities began to report those activities, and B.A.D.G.E. began organizing 'strike teams' to combat these forces.

Krystal was assigned to a team code-named 'X-Caliber' and felt that they were now prepared to attempt to protect this realm from the coming invasion.


*************(repise of Contest Entry: The Legion Revealed)*************

Krystal, in her Hero persona of Acidburn, was out field-testing her latest device.

While it was uncertain how her ability to fly had been generated in the lost realm, it was quite easy to explain in this new one.

The Morphons had given her the ability to generate and control electromagnetic fields, and her latest device, built into her costume, enhanced that ability exponentially.

By manipulating her orientation to the earth's magnetic field, she could now hover at any desired height, and 'pull' herself in any desired direction. It had been a struggle at first to learn to control multiple vectors so that she could both maintain the desired height and also move in the direction she wished, but she was becoming quite adept.

As she 'patrolled' her assigned sector, she noticed another humanoid in flight, this one by means of wings sprouting from his back.

Curious, Krystal surreptitiously followed him at a distance and observed him as he spoke to several men who she then observed hijacking a shipment of electronic components.  

She later observed the hijackers reporting back to the winged man and confronted the group.

Krystal quickly dispatched the thugs and turned to face their leader.

"I am Raptor.  You shall not defeat me so easily.", stated her winged opponent.

It indeed was not a quick or easy battle, but Krystal was victorious.

As Raptor was taken into custody, he smugly stated, "You don't know who you're messing with... The Legion will avenge me!"


***************************************************************

Krystal also realized that her ability to detect and control Electro-magnetic fields, combined with her fae ability to sense Mana (the energy behind 'Magic') was responsible for her ability to both detect and project 'illusions', beit of a technological or magical nature.

She realized that if the electromagnetic 'signature' wasn't correct (or even present), then it cued her that an illusion was likely present.  Conversely, if the proper Mana field was not present, then the projection was most likely technological in nature.  

She realized that this had always been the case, even in the lost realm, but it was on a subconscious level back then.

 The devices built into her costume helped focus these abilities as well.

As leader of the strike-team Krystal had been assigned to join, Jaconis requested an update on her current projects.

"As you know, I am originally from another realm, where I had the racial abilities that were available to me because of my fae heritage.  While those abilities were drained by the effort of teleporting inter-dimensionally to this new realm, they are slowly returning as my body adjusts to the mana of this realm.  As to the meta-human abilities I also possessed in that realm, the Morphon particles are reactivating them as well, and I have been building devices to enhance those."

" What type of abilities are we talking?," asked Jaconis.

"In the other realm, in addition to enhanced speed and agility, I had the ability to fly and to release energy in either beam or burst form. From my fae heritage, I could teleport, although that is not a simple matter, see through illusions of magical or technological origin, and place objects into and remove them from a 'pocket dimension' of a sort. I could project illusions of my own as well, and actually transform myself into any living form that I could imagine.  Some of those abilities have not yet remanifested, but I'm confident that once my mana saturation reaches the proper level, they will do so."

"Quite an impressive resume... What are you working on right now?"

"Morphon-powered devices to enhance those meta-human abilities is my current project... I promise regular reports on my progress, and will provide any completed devices and their plans  for B.A.D.G.E. to test  and review."

"Very well... carry on then..."

Raptor, it turned out, was quite correct, that his capture was only the opening salvo of the Legion's encounters with  Krystal and the others who had agreed to work with B.A.D.G.E.  

In response to said capture, Agents (Heros) reported being accosted by ever-more-powerful members of the Legion.

Firebrand, Valkyrie, Impulse, and finally one called 'The Stygian', followed in short order.

B.A.D.G.E leadership decided that it might be advantageous to reconnoitre the last planet the Legion had conquered.

(Author's note- will be continued in https://heroes-rising-forum.2349640.n4.nabble.com/Planet-X-The-Legion-s-been-busy-tp357.html )