They first appeared in the 50's, the superheroes that is, they started popping up just after WWII. It changed everything, these people of extraordinary powers or skills started appearing on the global scale, like the universal scales were preparing for a paradigm shift. Turns out it was good that mother nature intervened because humans were doomed. In 1969 the Old Gods came to reclaim what they figured they were owed. Yes that's right, H.P Lovecraft wasn't writing fiction, turns out he had it just about right, giant alien monsters whose presence was so menacing that even the thought of their true forms caused mortals to go insane.....yep that happened.

It was those first gilded hero archetypes and they banded together and fought back the Darkness of the Elder Gods, saved us all. Not all came back from the breach but the ones that did were celebrated as the saviors of the race. Captain Supreme, Red Scarab, Lady Aryan, The The Horned Owl, and Riddle Master returned to the joy of the masses. Super villains didn't stand a chance, they simply crumpled under the pressure of this united front the heroes put on. They called the organization 'The Guardians' and it all but crushed super-villainy, a virtual utopia for humanity. These first heroes rose to a power level that few other have ever known.

But complacency builds foolishness and that is why we live in the world we live today, 1999, is a far different place than those first Guardians left it. With no real super villains the heroes of today tend to fight one another more than anything else. Courts are clogged with civilian lawsuits for property damage and personal injury cases due to superhero negligence.

Not a single one of these 'heroes' could hold a match to the original Guardians, either in pure power level or in intestinal fortitude. Half of them are cokeheads or sex addicts, the other is so obsessed with paparazzi taking their photos at celebrity charity events. Not a lot of actual heroing gets done. It is this very complacency that will be there down fall, because these soft heroes may not have what it takes to stop the impending darkness that is sure to return. A shadow that creeps across the land and swallows up its superpowered prey, growing in strength every soul it takes.



*****************
The Samaritan flew through the air at almost supersonic speeds. His black gloved hand outstretch in front of him and his opposing knee bent ever so slightly. After all this was the pose that the paparazzi seemed to like the best when he was flying into action. His dark red unitard and bold black and white chest bound 'S' insignia contrasted well and always looked great on the front page of the local newspaper.

He careened in a wide arc, banking down toward the massive monster. The creature was huge, as tall as a 4 story building his was wreaking havoc on the city below. The Samaritan swooped in, smashing the beast with a flying uppercut. The surface area wasn't that large in comparison to the beast's size and the Samaritan's unbelievable strength, It caused his arm to explode up through its skin and up into its mouth.

The giant beast tried to roar but the immensely strong Samaritan held firm to the beast's tongue and it could only manage a pained whimper. His iron like grip bursting the organ with ease. Gallons of green blood poured out of it's mouth as it squirmed in pain. The fluid poured down on our hero as he struggles to get the beast under control.

"You can tell Professor Insano that the Samaritan will always be here to thwart his dastardly plans, Monster!" The Samaritan repeats the line his PR agent had him rehearse. It is then that the monster uses it's giant claws to try and dig out the biting pain that is ripping at it's under jaw. Claws the length of cars come up and shred at the invincible superhero.

"You have to try harder than that!" He exclaims without and real excitement in his voice, but he knows that cameras are watching and doesn't want to let publicist down.

With his free hand the Samaritan reaches up and grasps the monster's jaw bone for leverage, once he starts pulling downward the tongue pulls back through the hole and tears free from it's throat. His makeshift weapon in hand he sets to beating the monster about the head and neck with its own tongue.

It reels backward, thrashing and carrying on, until it collides with the office building behind it. The structure falters, quakes and then starts to collapse, the innocent cowering civilians inside scream in despair as the building collapses under the monster's weight. The Samaritan barely bats an eye, as it appears to him, mortals aren't very durable.

"OOOh NO YOU DON'T!" He declares, but the damage is already done, He lifts the behemoth beast into the air and soars skyward. As they fly upward they strike a passenger 747 and knock the plane's wing off. The Samaritan is too focused on the task at hand to worry about a hundred or so people, he as real work to do. He flies the beast up to a few thousand feet and then reverses his direction. This time though he manages to hit the already crashing plane and disintegrate it with the beast's flesh. Burning jet fuel and dead passengers cover the both of them as they plummet back to earth.

He brings the mammoth tonnage back down to the ground at hundreds of miles per hour, collapsing atleast 6 other buildings. The spectacle is both horrifying and mesmerizing to the common folk below. 'He is both our savoir and he is our destroyer' They think to themselves during the travesty.

Out of the smoke came the tattered and monster blood stained dark red costume of the Invincible Samaritan and him alone. The crowd cheered even though so many had lost their lives, all they could get enough of was "The Samaritan!" He stayed several minutes allowing for photographers to snap their digital fodder for tomorrows news. Then the Samaritan tore through the air back toward his fortress of 'privacy' as fans cheered him on.

He landed only minutes later, although thousand of miles he'd traveled. The 'sanctuary' was hidden in a pacific island volcano, it was an unnoticed place and he enjoyed his time here as it was one of the few places that the only son of Captain Supreme and Lady Aryan could relax. Though the term 'relax' was relative, as anytime he returned he had to deal with his promotional team. They flogged him immediately. "great job Sam!" "Nice usage of approved lingo!" another said. He waved them off and made his way toward his private chambers.

He strode in and unzipped the tattered uniform, this stuff was supposed to withstand a lot more than that small skirmish. He pulled the tag out and as it turned out they were outsourcing his costumes to China now. He tossed it aside and made his way toward his personal shower room. He cranked the hot water, what would normally scald a man wouldn't even faze him. He reached up and placed his hand on the wall for support as the boiling water rushed over him. The room filled with boiling steam and he huffed from exhaustion.

"Hard day?" A familiar seductive female voice came from behind him.

"Really woman? I am trying to wash that creature' stinking gore off of me, am I not allowed even a few minutes of privacy in my own "fortress of PRIVACY?" He responded without bothering to turn around. He knew who it was, his 'personal assistant' Gwen Vader and he honestly didn't even wanna look at her right now, in fear he might actually loose his temper and unleash his devastating laser-vision.

"Well I just got the feedback from the focus groups and I thought you might want to have a look at it." She said ignoring his protests and walked over to the man and held out a holographic tablet with the ratings displayed. His big hand came out and gently grasp the fragile piece of tech.

"What does it mean?" He said, staring at the meaningless numbers.

"It means that although you do a great job at destroying giant monsters, people are beginning to think you've become a little detached. Yes, you save hundreds of thousands, but the people in the office buildings and the passengers on that 747 all had names and families and they think you don't care!" Gwen stated flatly.

"Jesus Gwen, I am fighting a giant monster.....People die, I do the best I can!" He said, the frustration in his voice was more than evident.

"We know, But we think that we can soften your public image, We think that a sidekick might be just the trick!" She offered him some sort of encouragement but it fell on deaf ears.

"You know how I feel about sidekicks Gwen....What I do is far too dangerous for some fanboy to get caught up in, I couldn't handle the guilt if some thing happened." The Samaritan said as he turned the shower off and strode over to the towel rack, completely unembarrassed about appearing in the buff in front of her. "God, not to even mention all the other concerns, I mean look at what happened to the Horned Owl! His career has been destroyed by allegations of sexual harassment from two prior sidekicks, Now the poor guy has spent his entire fortune on defending himself in court. I think he even had to sell the Owlmobile."

"Yes well the Horned Owl has his own crosses to bare, you aren't him and we all know that he's had emotional issues since his parents were gunned down when he was a child.....I want you to atleast have a look at the applicants we've selected. We know about your concerns and so we feel any one of these three might be a perfect fit for your needs." Gwen said and flipped to the profiles of three younger heroes.

"First we have, Princess Glory. She's young, she's hot and her skimpy costume rates higher with men between 15-30 than any other hero. She's got moderate super strength, durability, and has some sort of a crush on you anyway. She spent time in the Teen Justifiers and has exceptional control over her abilities." Gwen said as she brought up the picture of the pretty blond girl and her skimpy white unitard.

"Next is the Gorgon, he's a blind telepathic and his milky white eyes have the ability to paralyze people if they gaze into them. Yeah he's a bit creepy, but the PR people say that you'd get bonus points for taking on a disabled person as your sidekick."

"Same thing with the last one, Hazard, quadruplicate with cybernetic appendages and armor. He's tough and he likes action but the PR people are worried his codename might not be a great match. He might be willing to change it if we offer him the illustrious position as the Legendary Samaritan's sidekick.....So what do you think?" Gwen finished and took the tablet back.

"I don't know I can't make a decision right now, I guess I need to meet them all. Get in contact with them and arrange for them to be transported here to my secret fortress. I will put them through the paces and see if any of them are worth investing my time....OK?" The Samaritan said and dropped back into the bed from exhaustion.

"You got it stud! Now I will get right on that! I am just gonna go and let you have your rest now....Ooooh yeah, your towel came untucked by the way." She said as she exited the room and started preparations for their impending guests.

Hazel hadn't been in the super hero business for very long. He'd only fully recovered from his accident for maybe a year before his friend Nails had discovered the just perfect combination of cables, magnets, and other things to create Hazard's super strong limbs, and it had taken another four or five months of trips out in the middle of the desert to get a better hand on them. It had been only about seven months since that point, a whole two years and change since he'd been nearly blown away by a super 'hero,' but he already knew one thing. When a hero threw down with a really powerful nasty, some bright ass criminal was going to try and rob a bank.

The moment the police scanner started blaring an MME in progress (massive monster event), Hazel rushed to his garage and jumped on his custom bike and winged his backpack over his shoulders. He flipped a switch on the bag. Suddenly a dozen metal plates and cables shanked out of it, pulling over his head and torso, hooking into his arms and legs, and finally covering his face with satisfying metal thunk. He became Hazard, the Metal Man and in no time he was on the streets, his bike thrumming away as he blazed around the city. He could feel more then hear the impacts of monster feet in the distance through the tires on his bike, but he wasn't paying attention to that now. He was looking for a crime.

It didn't take long. As soon as Hazard started to get close to the monster's rampage zone, he heard the gunshots. Immediately, the HUD on his suit pinpointed the sound and Hazard came blazing around the corner to see nothing short of an armored vehicle under attack. A dozen men, each armed with a different highly illegal weapon, had already dragged the bleeding body of the driver out from the cab, and two other guards were already bleeding on the side walk. Hazard had just enough time to see the money in the back being shut away before he was spotted.

"****!" one yelled, "It's that new metal punk!" Hazard grinned under his mask. With one swift motion, he set his bike to automatic park, and leaped. The momentum he had carried him up through the air, almost literally flying at the robbers.

"Damn STRAIT!" he yelled, his voice distorted by the helmet but just as angry as his real voice ever was. He landed on the sidewalk and spiderwebbed the cement with the impact. "I'm Hazard, the Metal Man." He said cooly, and then moved.

Most people's reflexes were untrained, untested, and therefore unfit. Hazard had been brushing with death before he ever started with the hero stuff, and it showed. The closest guy didn't even have time to blink before Hazard struck out with an open palm strike that tased him and sent him flying into a second. The next closest guy had his gun halfway up before Hazard caught it, and with his steel hands crushed the expensive rifle. He palm, struck that one too, the electric pulse leaving him unconscious. It did, however, give the remaining nine enough time to think, and that's when it got interesting.

"****!" the one guy yelled again, "Shoot him NOW!"

The men complied, and bullets started flying. Bullets ripped thought he air at Hazard from every angle as he moved. Most of them hit, and simply ricocheted off, some of them hitting the ground, others hitting buildings or even the car. Three men went down by re-directed fire before Hazard could even get to them. Hazard quickly drew his bat and struck out at the gun of a fourth, shattering it in the gunman's hand before lashing out with a heel kick that knocked the attacker back. Hazard spun on his heels and struck out at another's legs, audibly breaking the mans shin bones, followed by a simple touch of the palm to stun him as he went down. Hazard rushed two more immediately, charging his bat as he swung it to electrocute one just as he grabbed the other and shoved him down into the sidewalk. the whole thing lasted only a few seconds before the gunfire stopped.

"Well I guess that's all..." Hazard started, but suddenly the armored car's engine roared to life and the steely vehicle's tires squealed as it shot off. "... of them," he finished. Without taking the time to find his bike, Hazard 'flexed his legs just the right way, and they suddenly unfolded, becoming more angular. The moment the last piece clamped into place, Hazard was off like a shot.

He bounded down the street after the car, his legs now configured for speed as opposed to accuracy. The car drifted a corner and Hazard ran after them, cutting into the sidewalk and leaving footprints in the sidewalk as we went. He started closing in on the car, and then the back door opened to one of the goons, ready to open fire.

"Oh no you don't!" Hazard yelled. Not wanting to give him the chance, Hazard pulled his arm back and let his baseball bat fly. His aim was true, and the metal cylinder pegged the gunner square in the head, knocking him back into the car. Then, with one final leap, Hazard landed in the open doors of the car.

He walked up to the back of the cab as he heard the sounds of Samaritan engaging the monster several blocks away.

"Like shooting fish in a BARROL!" He yelled, and with a swift kick, he punched through the back of the cab into the drivers seat. He quickly used both hands to pry the hole open and poked his torso through. The last gunman, the one that had ordered the open fire, sat stunned as Hazard's empty, steely mask stared him down. The gunman tried to pull up his gun, but Hazard immediately grabbed the gun and tossed it out the window, shattering the glass.

"If you're not going to watch the road..." Hazard started, and reached for the wheel. Just as he almost had it, there was a sudden, defining crash that shook the ground itself. The sound of a massive creature smashing through dozens of stories of glass and steel was accompanied by a tremor that suddenly knocked the vehicle sideways. The world rotated and then shook again as the car landed on it's side. Air bags deployed at the impact and Hazard was thrown from his hole, through the font windshield, and into the street. Out of pure instinct, Hazard curled into a ball and managed to land and roll to his feet. He immediately spun around and struck out, catching the still moving car and stopping it in it's tracks as the metal of the front bent around his fist.

There was a long silence punctuated only by the stemming of the engine, a few distant city sounds and the soft moaning of the man in the drivers seat. Then a voice in Hazard's ear piece crackled to life.

"...Aaaaaaaand done," it said. Hazard relaxed visibly at the mark.

"That one was kinda cool," he said to the voice. "did you get all of it?"

"All through the helmet," the voice confirmed, "The new streaming software looks great. I can't wait to see how our followers respond to THIS."

"Come on Nails," Hazard groaned, "I know you post all of this stuff, but I need you to make sure it was running so I don't get arrested for some sort of bullshit! You know how it works, if I don't have something to back me up, they could say I was the one trying to steal stuff, and THEY tried to stop me. I have to get this down in physical evidence."

"Yeah yeah, I heard you," Nails responded flippantly. "I'm pretty sure no one could ever make it stick. I mean, you even operated at 33.42% against these guys so no one died! I mean, that's WAY more responsible then most of the guys out there. Even the pro's like Samaritan have unavoidable casualties."

"Well, I'm not them," Hazard said. "and I'm just glad that during an MME, most of the people around here get off the streets. All those bullets flying everywhere could have ended badly otherwise..."

"Well I'll get this posted on our site." Nails said, changing the subject.

"And to the cops?"

"Whatever you say boss," Nails assured him. "Besides, I'm fairly sure that a few of the local officers follow our blog."

Hazard couldn't help but smile at that.

"All right then, I'll keep looking. Stick around." Hazard finished. He mentally pressed a button, and his suit called out to his bike. A few moments later, his motorcycle calmly drove around the corner, obeying all road signs and keeping under the speed limit. Hazard jumped on and enjoyed the rumble of the engine for a moment. Most of the advanced stuff he used he had no idea how it worked, but Hazard knew how his bike worked, and took comfort in that. But he only had time to think about it for a moment. Soon, he kicked the bike into gear, glided by and picked up his bat, and was off again, leaving the rest for the police sirens he could hear in the distance. No doubt that even after the monster fight was done (as there were no more giant monster sounds in the background, any local could tell) people would try and take advantage of the chaos to score a little extra whatever they wanted. Hazard signed to himself at the thought.

It was going to be a long day.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The sun was started to touch the horizon at the docks when Hazard finally decided to turn in for the day. He'd stopped the armored robbery from before, two jewelry store robberies, a gang related shootout, three electronic stood looters near the event site, and even rescued one cat from a tree. Most of them were much shorter then the armored car robbery, taking only minutes to stop, but all together they were a lot of things to do in one day, and he was exhausted.

"Hey Nails, are you there? I think I'll turn in for today." Hazard called, but wasn't quite expecting the response he received.

"Haz, you're not going to BELIEVE who I just finished taking a call from!" Nails said.

"What, a girl?"

"No you idiot it was... well technically it was a lady, but that's not the point!" Nails responded. "It was Samaritan's PERSONAL ASSISTANT, Gwen Vadar!"

"No ****?" Hazard asked.

"No **** man. She says Samaritan is looking for a sidekick and she's inviting YOU to come to his 'secret island' to audition or something!"

Hazard took a moment to soak that in. "Samaritan's sidekick..." He mused. Out of all the heroes in the world, Samaritan was arguably one of the best, if not one of the strongest. He also had a pretty bad collateral damage reputation, but maybe that's exactly the kind of mentor that Hazard could use. Hazard was still fairly new, and having that kind of experience could really help him. They had to be some sort of catch, but there was just a certain allure to the idea.

"How did she get your number?" Hazard asked, more out o curiosity.

"I have an untraceable number that if it were traced it would lead to old Principle Leeries house, but that's not the point. You're being invited to be in the same ROOM as SAMARITAN! There's no WAY you can turn this down!" Nails nearly ranted. Hazard thought it over once more.

"Fine, tell them they can find a place for a pick up, but warn them I'm not taking off the armor during the interview." Hazard said. "Not once."

"Sure thing boss!" Nails said. Hazard shook his head, he could almost HEAR Nails saluting. Hazard just leaned back in the seat of his bike. Today had really been an interesting day...

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

The Samaritan laid on his high-end ergonomic bed only a silk sheet covering his form. The only light in the room was the flicker of his television as he watched the evening news. The previous segment was a poof piece about how the Samaritan had save the city once again. They briefly mentioned causality numbers at the end but only in passing. The media was just another asset in H.O.L (Heroes Of Legend) corporation's pocket. Miss Vadar, his own personal assistant, was also a high ranking stock holder in the very same business. H.O.L made it their business to acquire up and coming heroes an turn them into superstars. He was no different, but as the son of the Legendary Captain Supreme and Lady Aryan, he was practically born into doing this. He didn't even have a secret identity, his birth certificate actually reads: "First name: The Last Name: Samaritan". And so he doesn't know anything different, this is in fact 'how the other half lives'.

The next segment wasn't much better for his mood. He stared at the screen having to squint in order to even make out what was going on. His super sight was now so sensitive that no matter how high definition they made TV's he could only really see the individual pixels. It was courtroom footage of his old friend The Horned Owl. He was now almost grandfatherly in appearance but even in court he refused to remove his mask. Across from him was his former sidekick, Cardinal the Wonderboy. This one wasn't even the first, there were three before him, all ended up in therapy with with emotional problems. This one though, he was speaking up, he accused the former master detective of dressing him in revealing costumes and making inappropriate statements and touching, the Horned Owl only hung his head in shame, unable to answer. The Samaritan couldn't watch anymore, he picked up the remote and switched the television off.

He looked over to the floor to ceiling glass doors which were open and allowing for the tropical breeze to fill the room. The silhouette of a woman stood there, her arms outstretched as she leaned against the door frame seductively.

What are you doing here Hexxin?" The Samaritan asked without amusement.

"What? No warm welcome like last time?" The gothy looking dominatrix strode into his bedroom confidently. He steel tipped stilletto's clacking on the marble floor.

Hexxin looked ravishing, her hair was jet black and grown long, almost to her waist, she kept it in a long thick braid with a morning star attached to its end. Her strong sharp features perfectly accented her big dark eyes and thick ruby red lips. Her costume was mostly leather and spikes, with a bustier and skinny thong bottom. She wore thigh high black leather boots with both spike tips and heels. Her skin shone pale in the moon light contrasting the pitch black inverted Pentagram she had tattooed on her chest.

"Last time? You had placed a hex on me and my mind was not my own! Or do you so quickly forget?" He responded, still not stirring from his relaxed position on the bed.

"OOOh fine you big grump.....You can't blame a lady for trying though." She responded as she licked her lips and slowly crawled onto the bed at the Samaritan's feet.

"Yes I can....You know we can't continue a relationship....It's just not gonna happen, if the media were to find out that I'd been intimate with a Villianess...I wouldn't hear the end of it. I am sorry but I have to ask you to go....God you look good tonight..." He said adding the last bit in at the end almost without realizing it.

"That's it....drink me in....smell that? Yes I think you can my dear.....Your usual grimace is fading and your starting to get those adorable dreamy eyes that you get when your close to me.....I think you're in love my dear!" She coed , her black painted finger nail reaching up and tickling under the Samaritan's chin as he leans in close to her in an obvious daze.

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

Outside the Samaritan's private quarter's door, Miss Gwen Vadar leaned against up close and pressed her ear to the door. She listened for a brief few minutes but soon heard what she wanted to hear and a smile crept onto her face. She regained her composure and then set off on her next assignment. She was dressed in a sharp blazer and high cut skirt to showcase her legs. She was wearing smart shoes and glasses to match, the epitome of business professional.

She strode into the H.O.L Command center located in the very center of the Samaritan's facility here on the island. It was filled with highest tech computers and holographic monitors. The could see the entire world from this workspace and that was just how Gwen Vadar liked it.

"Make sure you get footage from every angle in the Samaritan's private quarters, If he ever decides to go rouge we'll have something to keep in in line." She stated flatly. "Yes ma'am" One of the tech geeks responded blindly.

"Well what's the progress on our sidekick program?" She demanded.

"Completed ma'am all assets acquired." The man responded again without taking his eyes off of the screen.

"Any problems?" She asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"HA.....ahhh sorry I mean no ma'am. It's just....I mean come on, they don't stand a chance....It's almost adorable. They think they have all this high tech and secure lines and the truth is that they aren't even playing in the same league....We've got a former supervillian for a mainframe....as in "The Nanoman". This guy was so tech obsessed he ended up replacing the entirety of his organic body with nanites....Microscopic robots for cells.....He's so far removed from current technology there aren't even parameters to define him.....essentially ma'am...they didn't stand a chance." He answered with a bit more flare than his boss, Miss Vadar liked. She turned and raised an eyebrow in his direction and he immediately looked back toward his screen.

"Just tell me what I want to know lackey!" She commanded.

"Yes Ma'am....Princess Glory was easy....She was at a photoshoot for the new sports illistrated cover. It features her new....even skimpier costume and if I might say....she looks stunning! She agreed without hesitation." The fatty dorky looking tech pulled up the images on the screen. Miss Vadar's mouth dropped open a bit and she adjusted her glasses.

"Yes....that is......skin tight...." Miss Vadar said, in awe of the young woman's rock hard body and perfect good looks.

"Next was the action junkie....Hazard.....His handler agreed to the terms but the stipulation that Hazard wouldn't have to remove his costume at anytime was added. " The tech said as he brought up Nail's hacked footage of Hazard's encounters earlier that day.

"Is that a problem?" She asked.

"No Ma'am our tech level allows for complete domination of his system, if he starts anything, we'll have him dead to rights, nothing his little friend could do about it."The tech answered with the same goofy smile. "Good" Miss Vadar responded.

"Finally there was the Gorgon, admittedly he was the most difficult, turns out he was in Tibet, studying with monks in order to control his 'curse'. We sent agents out in the supersonic jet and provided information in braille about how H.O.L corp could offer him state of the art facilities in order to master his powers. He was hesitant, but then agreed as long as any mirrors or highly reflective surfaces were removed from our premises."

"Superb.....Arrange for private jets to have them picked up at local airstrips. Make sure the jets are blacked out, I don't want anyone that we don't select having knowledge of the Samaritan's fortress' exact location, am I understood?" She finished.

"Yes Ma'am" was the immediate answer.

It was early the next morning when Hazard arrived at the cities airport. Thank God it was summer time, Hazel still hadn't told his parents that he was trying to be a super hero and there was no amount of excuses to avoid school like this in his family. He was fairly sure that his father would have turned beet red from anger and his mother would have fainted. While most of the populous bought the media's positive spin on heroes in general, Hazel had tried his damnedest to expose how little most of them cared.

While the media was always talking about which hero couple was cheating with which Senator/Foreign Dictator/Super Villain, or which one had to go to rehab AGAIN, they were always glossing over the massive losses. Since that's what Hazel used to do, and what Hazard NOW did on the side of his super-hero-ing, his family didn't take too well to hero's in general. His father used to be a massive fan of Iron Agent, one of the original hero's to fight in '69, he despised the newer ones the same way he hated Dubstep music and rival sports teams. Hazard thought one of those hates might be mostly justified.

Hazard was allowed to enter the airstrip directly with his bike, actually accepted by the local authorities for the first time in his carrier, which was nice. If this was what being selected to TRY OUT for being Samaritan's side kick, he couldn't believe the kind of respect for BEING his sidekick might bring.

"Hazard!, Hazard the Metal Man?" came a voice. Most people wouldn't have heard it as far away as it was, but Hazard's suit did. His HUD lit up and he immediately picked out the suit-and-tie-ed figure standing in front of a sleek, black and red jet down near a far hanger. Hazard sped forward on his bike and came to an impressive screeching halt only a few feet from the guy. He noticed with satisfaction how the guy in the suit flinched visibly as Hazard stopped at the last second. God, he loved doing that.

"Mr. Hazard?" he asked again just to confirm. When Hazard didn't answer, the agent guy introduced himself. "I'm Joshua Sever from H.O.L. This is the jet we're taking. I was told you want to bring your bike and suit?"

Hazard rolled his eyes in his helmet and nodded. The radio in his helmet crackled on as he steered his bike to ramp running into the back of the jet.

"What, do they think we need a baby sitter?" Nails asked exasperatedly. "It's bad enough they have to have us sign a gag order to not reveal the coordinates to their Fortress of Privacy island, but they're going to give us a nanny too?"

"I guess that means letting me drive the jet is out of the question." Hazard answered on a private line. His suit didn't say a thing for him.

"Too bad to," Nails joked, "I was going to be Brock Josephson down the street that A private jet was going to buzz his house to-"

Just as the door behind Hazard shut, his communication line with Nails suddenly cut off to static. No longer concerned with a private line, Hazard instinctively put a hand up to his ear and jerked his head around for a better signal.

"Nails, are you there? Nails? Nails!" He said to no avail.

"I'm sorry sir," Sever said beside him, "But we have orders that the Jet has to be completely dark the whole trip." He flinched as Hazard's shoulders visibly tensed. "I'm sorry sir, but I have orders."

Hazard sighed and relaxed his posture. It made a lot of sense, really. It was called his Fortress of Privacy for a reason, it had to stay PRIVATE from all the super human's and baddies that would try and mess with him while he was sleeping. Not that it would really matter though. As far as Hazard could tell, there wasn't a foe that Samaritan had fought yet that could actually physically hurt the guy.

"Fine," Hazard said simply, accepting his fate. He refused the drinks he was offered, preferring not to take off his helmet, and took a seat in a comfortable chair that faced both the cargo bay door and the side door, and even allowed a view of the captain's cabin if he used his side cameras on his suit. It was the perfect spot, now all he had to do was wait for the other person he was told was sharing a plane.

He didn't have to wait long. About five minutes of waiting later, Hazard started picking up on voices outside of the jet. There was Sever's, another male voice of some kind that kept taking about contracts and 'his client,' and both were silenced by a single feline voice. Before he could hear more, the owner of said voice unlatched the passenger door and stepped in.

Hazard recognized Princess Glory immediately of course, she was one of the more famous members of the old Teen Justifiers, or at least one of the few that didn't eventually get hooked on Crack and/or hookers. She also was probably the most widely lusted after super hero since Blond-shell. She had one of those gymnast body types, lean and hardened all over, with a real kind of figure that didn't look like there were as few implants as fat deposits. She had the kind of auburn flowing hair that most women killed for, or at least dyed for, and with a face as tenderly groomed as hers, the only mask she could ever effectively wear was a smile.

The suite was new though. The most recent one had been a red and white one piece leotard that had an eight point star cut into the chest that extended from the neck line all the way down to just above her crotch, and somehow missed her nipples on its journey left and right to her shoulders. This one however, was a whole new level of skimpy. Instead of a one piece, she had opted for something more like a bikini bottom and sports bra in black and red, with her signature star shape cut into the top, separating both sides entirely. Hazard wasn't a math kind of guy, but he was sure there was a nerdy little scientist somewhere trying to figure out the physics behind how her costume stayed on. Hazard would have put his money on double sided tape. Every time.

She came into the room as unabashed and as bold as anything only to pause when she saw Hazard in the corner.

"Oh how sweet," she said in the nicest fake voice Hazard had ever heard, "they hired a body guard."

"Body guard?" Hazard questioned.

"Oh don't worry hun, I'm sure you're all big and strong under that fancy metal suit, but I won't be needing your services," she said dismissivly with a huge smile. "You may leave."

"Like hell I am," Hazard said cooly. "I'm here to try out to be Samaritan's side kick." He had already figured out that they hadn't told her something important, and knew that he was pushing buttons, but the little part of him that loved a challenge couldn't help himself.

"Try outs?" she said, confused. "You?! They're putting me and YOU in the same league? We're both trying out for the same place?!"

Her outrage built noticeably the more it sunk in, and Hazard loved it.

"Yep, with all seven months of experience under my belt too."

That was the straw the broke the proverbial camel's back.

"SEVEN MONTHS?!!!?!?" She yelled, absolutely loosing it. "This is an outrage! I have been an asset to humanity for five years now and I will NOT be put up next to a rookie BOY, who barely knows how to put his own suit on strait he's so new!"

Hazard saw Sever inch his way inside as Princess Glory ranted. Normally her insults would have **** Hazard off, but since he already had the upper hand and had instigated them in the first place, it only ended up amusing him. He had to try and stifle a chuckle, only to realize that placing his hand over his helmet wouldn't help. Glory stopped dead at the laugh.

"That's it, I'm calling my lawyer." She said, putting her finger to her ear to use the micro phone she probably had hidden there. God knew there wasn't anywhere ELSE to hide something on her, with what she was wearing. When the communicator didn't work, she turned to open the passenger door. Just before she did however, the engines kicked on much faster then any plane Hazard had ever been on, and the jet started moving.

"Too late now," he said immediately. "Sure, you could jump ship, but I'll be sure to tell them you didn't chicken out at all. Promise."

He knew he probably shouldn't have antagonized someone as well liked and powerful as P. Glory, but that was just how he lived. When he found an opportunity, he grabbed it. She gave him the evilest stink eye she could make before sitting down with a feminine huff and an upturned nose. She ordered a drink and tried her hardest to ignore the steely man in the corner. Hazard smirked in his helmet and settled in. It was going to be a long flight.

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

As the plane dropped out of supersonic flight and approached the island's secret runway the windows were untinted and for the first time the hero's got a look at the amazing stronghold of the legendary Samaritan. The island was small and the massive superstructure of his fortress took up much of it. It was futuristic looking, most steel and glass, massive satellite dishes decorating it's roof. The Samaritan's famous 'S' insignia acted as a facade, taking up the entire front of the building. One had to wonder how secret this base of operations really was, but they were unaware of the cloaking technology that hid the island from sight of any passersby.

Princess Glory budged off of the plane first, she was still acting **** off and wanted to be the first to greet the famous hero, but to her chargrin the Samaritan wasn't there. Instead it was Gwen Vadar and several of her staff. Gwen was dressed to kill as usual, she had amazing fashion sense and it showed in everyone of her outfits.


"Greetings hero's and thank you for accepting our offer! We here at H.O.L corp would like to say welcome to the Samaritan's Fortress of Privacy and...." Gwen started in with her prepared speech but Princess Glory interrupted her.

"Yeah yeah....Listen I was unaware that I would have to audition for this! I am Princess Glory and I don't think that any of the other applicants have a realistic chance anyway. I mean it's fairly obvious to anyone with half a mind that I am the best option for the Samaritan's partner. " She said with that same little snobby tone in her voice.

Gwen only smiled and nodded, "Yes well, if the Samaritan thought you were the best choice, he would have only issued the invitation to you and you alone, but he has decided that two other of your peers showed enough merit to be invited as well, Princess. " Gwen stated calmly, unaffected by Glory's temper tantrum.

"PEERS??? Peers? What peers? That metal guy has only been heroing for a few months! I was a founding member of the Teen Justifiers!" She demanded, and stomped her booted foot down like a child. Unlike a child, she cracked the tarmac.

"Please, Princess Glory, if you don't want to participate in the testing procedure we can gladly refuel the plane and have you dropped back off in the city of your choosing. " Gwen said and this time a little more sternly, it was something in the professional woman's eyes that said not to mess with her, because Glory quieted immediately and folder her arms over her ample chest like a spoiled child.

"Welcome Hazard, Or do you prefer 'Titan' our records have you listed as both." Gwen asked as the metal man stepped off of the plane.

After introductions were made, Gwen informed the two heroes that a third applicant would be arriving soon and that special precautions would have to be taken for everyone's safety. Gwen apologized but had to inform the Metal hero that the reflective qualities of his armor were going to be a problem, but offered a simple solution. The tech guys had created a special vinyl sticker that could easily be placed on to his exoskeleton and wouldn't affect it's performance. It simply dulled the metal enough so that reflections weren't shown. If he would agree to having it applied they could move forward with showing the hero's to there accommodations.

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

Inside the fortress was as amazing as its exterior. It was gigantic and modern decor. The entry hall was three stories tall with floor to ceiling widow which allow beautiful natural light to flood the chamber and illuminate everything in an exotic glow. On the rear wall was a huge oil painting of the original Guardians standing heroically with there fists place on their hips. Captain Supreme, Red Scarab, Lady Aryan, The The Horned Owl, Riddle Master, and the Blue Mercury.

Next they were guided into the chow hall which boasted world class chefs and exotic cuisine made to order. The training facility was next, it was high tech and built to test the limits of any hero's powers. A walk through of the Library follow that, and here they saw a collection of ancient tomes that rivaled the Vatican's own.

Finally they arrived on the upper floors, via a super fast elevator system. This floor was the living area, and each suite made most hotel's five star rooms look like dives. The Fortress's rooms had giant private bathrooms, huge beds, and full living rooms with top of the line entertainment systems. They were informed that the Samaritan's private quarters were then next floor up and that it was a restricted area.

"Well that's it for now ,until our third applicant arrives, please make yourselves at home, and if you need anything at all, there is a call button in your rooms. Staff is very accommodating so don't be afraid to ask for anything you might need. Tonight the Samaritan will hold a feast in which he can meet you all on a personal level, and then tomorrow we'll begin the testing portion of the evaluation." Gwen said and then her and her staff returned to the elevator, leaving Princess Glory and the Metal titan to get settled in.

"Don't even think we are gonna be chums, buddy! I am too high class to consort with the likes of some street level vigilante like you!" Princess Glory said as she marched off toward her suite.

The moment the plane dropped it's doors, Hazard's signal came back on.

"Haz, Haz! You there?" Nails asked, his voice suddenly going from static to clear as day as Hazard exited the plane. "God, I was freakin' out over here! What happened?"

"Nothing," Hazard said on a private line, "They just needed the whole thing blacked out while we traveled or something. Actually, I'm surprised you can reach me now on the island."

"Yeah, well it wasn't easy." Nails huffed. "Had to scramble around for hours before they finally sent me some access codes to the island's guest server, which worries me. They could cut me off in a second, and forget about hiding data up here, they can see everything I'm doing wether I like it or not. To be honest, if they weren't the good guys, I'd be worried that they'd hack you in a second, find out everything about you and me."

"They can do that?" Hazard asked testily. At the moment everyone was all eyes on Princes G. making a fool out of herself, but Hazard rather not be caught with a limb or four down any time soon. "I thought your hardware was completely original, totally un-compatible with everything?"

"Yes, the HARDWARE is," Nails explained, "but the software's still made up of ones and zeros, my friend. I can't make you a completely new number system just for the software, it doesn't work like that. As far as they are concerned, you're running on standard mecha-limb 2.0 software. You're just lucky I haven't digitized the designs for the limbs yet or they could just make another one of you."

"Well..." Hazard reasoned. He noticed Glory and the business women who introduced them to the island were done talking and decided to cut it short. "Just figure something out before they notice."

"But how am I...?" Nails started, but Hazard cut the line as the business women asked what name he preferred.

"Ah yes, that." He said, slightly embarrassed. "I was using the one name for a while before I realized that it didn't quite have the symbology I wanted as a hero. So when I went to get officially registered, I went with The Titanium Titan. My tech and publicity specialist suggested it. I really should use the new one more often." What he didn't mention was that Hazard was really his internet posting name and he never thought to change it until he was shown how easy it was to connect that to his real name. He still often forgot things like that.

Then the lady started to brief them (or at least that's what Hazard thought that was what you'd call it) bout the third candidate and his special conditions. As soon as they used the name Gorgon, Nail's voice popped back up.

"Gorgon, unknown precise age, but I'd peg him around twenty, give or take. His a psychic that can freeze a man by simply looking at them, but it has to be direct eye contact, so your helmet and the cam's should help with that. It even works via reflections, hence them talking about removing mirrors, otherwise he could paralyze someone he didn't mean to, or even himself. He also has martial arts training, so don't think he's a pushover just 'cus of your suit. They guy punched through a cement wall once."

"Oooh, a cement wall!" Hazard said in a sarcastically impressed voice, but didn't say anything farther. Then the lady gave him a can of something that she said wouldn't mess with his suit.

"You got anything on this?" Hazard asked, rotating the bottle until the chemical formula was visible on the side.

"Meh, just vinal sticker spray, nothing fancy. It really should work like they said, but just because it's on the bottle doesn't mean that's what it is..."

Making his decision, Hazard simply uncapped the can and started spraying. Before they even reached the building he was lacquered up and completely un-reflective. Just running his fingers over the suit, Hazard could tell it was going to be hell cleaning the stuff of, but if it was going to help the other guy deal with his disability, Hazard wasn't about to complain.

The main enterence was probably the most impressive building Hazard had ever been in. It outclassed Grand Centeral Station, it outclassed any monument in DC he visited that one time on family vacation. Hell, Hazard had never been to Italy, but he was fairly sure that this place out classed the Sistine Chapel too. The painting was particularly amazing, the only shame being the way most of the people in it had some sort of dirt that sullied their reputation.

<Supposedly clean, gay lover #1, supposedly clean, child molester, heroin addict, gay lover #2.> Hazard thought to himself as he went down the line. It was no mistake, they were great heroes, beyond what the modern hero ever was, but they all had something, either rumored on the side of The Samaritan's parents, or proven for everyone else, that had sullied their once great name. That was probably why Hazard's dad loved little guys from the time period like the Iron Agent so much, they were so small that no one even cared about any of their problems, so they stayed like gods.

The kitchen was to die for, a view of the library made Nails audibly sigh with longing, the gym did the same to Hazard, and the rooms were amazing to say the least. And right below the big guy himself. Hazard immediately wondered if Samaritan even rolled in his sleep and broke through the floor. Hazard almost did exactly that when he fell asleep in his suit once without collapsing it. It was only pure luck that the suit's automatic time out saved him at the last second, but that was probably a rookie thing.

As soon as the business lady (she still hadn't told them her name) left, P. Glory huffed and turned on Hazard. It almost made him laugh.

"But think of how much fun it would be if you were a FRIENDLY ****ing to me?" he called after her as she left. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as she left. She was as arrogant as he was, with a superiority complex to boot. Hazard had spent a good solid portion of his life as arrogant as her, having grown up with more human abilities, but still more then most around him. It wasn't until his year long recovery that he realized what it was like to be weak, to be the other guy. If he had an origin story, some dark thing in his past that made him who he was, it was probably that. Suddenly he wasn't so mean to the scrawny kids at school, 'cus he knew they had to go through a lot of **** for something they couldn't control. Suddenly, he was standing up for others because he knew he had the ability to do so, the same way Nails had possessed the ability to make Hazard whole again, and so much more. It was a shame that so few heroes had a back story like that.

Hazard went to his own suit and scanned for cameras immediately. He wasn't surprised to find some; a place like this had to make sure its guests didn't walk off with things like the sofa, or the gold cups. However, even with the cameras, Hazard NEEDED to lit his helmet up for a drink. He mentally flexed the right places and brought his helmet only partially off, uncovering his jaw and face up to his nose. He hoped that wouldn't be too much as he grabbed a bottle of high end filtered spring water from the fridge and cooled off for a moment until the new guy got there...

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

Gwen Vadar strode back into her restricted control room, a satisfied smile adorning her beautiful face. "Progress report!" She called out and one of the techies came running with the readouts. She took several long seconds scanning over the results before looking back up at the wall of computer screens.

"Ma'am, we are getting unauthorized transmissions from Titian's room." The fat man sitting at the control panel said.

"It's his little freind, what was it, 'Pins'?" She asked.

"I believe he calls him 'Nails' Ma'am. Would you like us to override the signal?" He asked.

"No, It could make him suspicious, let them chat for now. I do want a field team sent out to watch Mr. Nails though, tell them to be prepared to make an extraction in case anything unforeseen arises.....What about the nanites?" Miss Vadar asked.

"Good to go, He's completely unaware Ma'am. The substance is just vinyl for all he knows, but the truth is that he is now completely covered in our nanites. We can make that little puppet dance whenever you see fit Ma'am. " He answered with a cruel little smile on his face.

"Superb! What is Princess Glory's status?" She said and flipped the camera's to her room.

"Princess G is currently showering Ma'am...." The tech geek trailed off as the steam filled bathroom of Princess Glory's quarters appeared on the monitors. Most the men in the room took several long seconds away from their work to behold the glory of her form.

"God I hope He picks her.....Their children would be stunning!" Gwen says, a little taken back by the images on the monitor herself.

"I thought you said there would be three!" The thunderous voice catches everyone in the room off guard, making Gwen jump a little. She spins around with the blush of embarrassment on her face to see the red clad superman standing behind her, his hands on his hips.

"SAM! Oh dear, you snuck up on us! You know that this portion of the fortress is restricted to H.O.L employees only!" She responds.

"My fortress, I will go where I please! You said there was three applicants, I only count two." The Samaritan answers with authority.

"The Gorgon is en route, He was studying in Tibet, but he should be arriving soon." She answers as she stalks toward the black caped superhero. Gwen reaches up and starts to massage the Samaritan's shoulders, what little good it does, she feels like she's rubbing stone. Meanwhile Princess Glory has finished with her shower and walks out of the shower with no need for a towel. The monitor shows everything and Princess G seems to be well aware of the voyeurism, almost purposefully showing off for the camera. Everyone in the room is spellbound, with the exception of the crimson dynamo.

"Turn that off!" He commands and the infatuated tech geek is startled from his trance and turns the monitor to another channel.

"Ah sir....Ma'am.....We have the Gorgon's flight on final approach. " Another lackey calls out.

"Go and rest my dear, I will handle this." Gwen tries to calm the tense hero.

"NO, I will greet him myself." The Samaritan answers and then in the blink of an eye he bullets off at close to the speed of sound.

The Samaritan takes to the sky above his fortress and sees the incoming plane as it starts to descend toward the airstrip, but something is obviously wrong. The nose of the craft dips deeply and it becomes evident that the plane isn't going to be able to correct itself in time to make a proper landing.

Without hesitation the Samaritan leaps into action, He flies directly for the lurching aircraft. His supervision peers inside the plane to see both the pilot and copilot are now stone statues, their faces frozen in a look of terror. He reacts immediately, swooping under the belly of the craft and pressing his shoulder up into it. Unfortunately the engines are still pegged at full throttle. "Damn it!" The Samaritan calls out in frustration.

He focuses on the right engine and by squinting his eyes, red hot lasers shoot out and blow the engine off of the wing, but on his second attempt the heat from his vision ignites the fuel lines and within seconds half the plane is engulfed in flames. With no time to spare the Samaritan reaches up and punches a hole into the interior cabin of the plane. He flies up inside and sees the Gorgon sitting peacefully in his seat, his grey cloak's extra deep hood covering the 'hero's' face.

"What happen?" The Samaritan calls out, know they only have precious few seconds before the plane plunges into the pacific ocean.

"I told them to not let their curiosity overpower their better instincts, but for some mortals, it simply can't be avoided." The quiet man stated in a chillingly calm voice.

The Samaritan didn't have time for a debate, he strode forth and swept the grey cloaked man up and blew threw the side of the firey plane and back into the sky just as the plane went crashing down into the water.

"They call me the Gorgon, It's a pleasure to meet you Samaritan..." The soft spoken man said as they gently touched down on the airstrip.

Hazard had the fortune (or maybe misfortune) of having a spectacular view of the plane and surrounding island view when started it final decent. Hazard didn't have all that much experience with airplanes, but the sudden dip in its flight pattern immediately clued him in and his helmet zoomed in on the plane. Literally the instant it happened however, Samaritan was there, grabbing the nose and slowing the fall. Hazard focused his cameras on the cockpit to see that the pilots were turned to stone. Hazard started moving to the elevator.

"Nails, did you get that?" he asked, already out of the room.

"Yeah, I thought it was a myth but-"

"But what?" Hazard snapped.

"It must have been Gorgon," Nails replied quickly, "I know I said he just freezes people, but some reports have said he turns them into actual stone. But that makes no biological sense! The chemistry doesn't work or anything..."

"File it under magic and just deal with it. I'm going to see if I could help." Hazard commanded. He'd run into a few no-name magic users in New York that were robbing a bank, and Nails had been stubborn about accepting it. That was the only problem with smart people, they just couldn't accept that something was out of their understanding or control.

Just as he was getting to the elevator, P. Glory came around the corner herself, costume only partially on. Her bottom piece was on fine, but her top part was flopping around on the right side, exposing herself in the process. Hazard had to mentally force himself not to stare.

"What happened?" she asked harshly, not even noticing the exposure as she folded the flap over her breast, sticking it like tape. The two of them entered the elevator at the same time and pressed the button for the bottom floor.

"The pilots were turned to stone, the plane with the Gorgan guy is going..." Hazard started, but a sudden splashing, exploding impact interrupted him. "...down," he finished. The elevator reached the bottom floor immediately, and the two of them ran to the landing strip, barely even noticing each other.

They reached the already open doors and were greeted by a spectacular sight. The sun was just starting to set in the distance, the still burning wreckage of the plane could be seen several miles off the coast of the island, and the black caped hero himself was ever so gently floating in as if he hadn't a care in the world, carrying a grey cloaked figure as if he were a child.

"Oh Samaritan!" Princess Glory cried, her voice going from its usual tone of ****ing sharp to gushy and bright in almost an instant, "you saved this poor boy from the plane crash, my hero!" She immediately went in for a fan girl sized running hug. Hazard couldn't wait to see if he'd let her.

Hazard on the other hand did what he always did when he met a new hero, he started sizing them up. The man int he gray cloak must have been Gorgon, but was a complete unknown with most of him covered so conservatively. His billowing cloak hid everything about him other then a fine, pointed chin. Samaritan, however, was the complete opposite. His costume hugged every curve of him, leaving nothing to the imagination. He was built powerfully, even more so then Hazard had thought he would be. Samaritan's shoulders were broad, his jaw was rigidly wide and every muscle on him seemed perfectly defined. His hair was as dark as his gloves and cape, his eyes were as piercing as any blade, and his every stance and movement spoke of power beyond that of human comprehension.

<Is this the man?> Hazard thought to himself, <Is this the man who took my limbs?>

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

"Oh Samaritan!" Princess Glory cried, her voice going from its usual tone of ****ing sharp to gushy and bright in almost an instant, "you saved this poor boy from the plane crash, my hero!" Princess Glory immediately went in for a fan girl sized running hug. She leapt into the air and wrapped both of her incredibly strong arms around the Samaritan's neck, smashing her form against his and pressing her ruby red lips directly onto his for a smacking kiss.

The Samaritan, not completely unused to this sort of reaction from thankful civilians after an incident, allowed her the kiss and then carefully peeled her back off of him, unfortunately in the rush to get costumed up, Glory mustn't have attached her bikini top well enough because some of the double sided tape was exposed and it stuck to his own costume when he pulled her away. Princess Glory, obviously too exited to notice simply bounced up and down clapping her hands like some sort of cheerleader. "You looked amazing up there! I've never seen a man as powerful as you!" She coed, completely oblivious to the fact that her breast was exposed, and giggling up and down as she jumped.

"Aaah yes......Princess Glory it is good to see you again! I think the last time we met, you weren't more than 15 and a prominent member of the Teen Justifiers, My how you've grown up..." The Samaritan responded, only a brief blush of embarrassment appearing on his cheeks. He turned respectfully toward the metal titian, hoping that the young woman would become aware of her wardrobe malfunction without anyone having to tell her directly.

"You must be....Is it Hazard? It's a pleasure to meet you son." He said as he strode toward the metal clad hero, hand extended for the shaking.

Gwen Vadar and a some of her staff, medical officers included weren't long behind the two heroes. She came running out of the building with a concerned look on her face. "What in God's name happened? Was it an attack?" She yelled. "Is the Gorgon injured?"

The Gorgon was standing on the edge of the tarmac 'looking' out toward the ocean where the plane had gone down. It was only after seeing his backside that the only emblem marking his plain grey cloak could be seen. A large black Medusa head silhouette inside of a broken circle was embroidered on it. He turned slowly and thoughtfully back toward the group, apparently unaffected by the harrowing experience. "I am fine, but your flight crew has lost their lives..."

"The Samaritan saved the day again! Wooohoooo!" Glory called out, still bouncing like a school girl.

"Jesus, Princess.....Your boob is exposed!" Gwen finally corrected her. The Princess looked down and giggled, she was obviously not that embarrassed, because she simply flipped the costume back into place and then went right back to fawning over the crimson dynamo.

"Actually I have some more questions about that, Gorgon....Now that we aren't in peril, would you mind explaining in something other than a riddle as to what happened up there?" The Samaritan asked, his expressed changed to all business, and the switch was enough to silence Princess Glory's admiration.

"I can't say for sure.....I was sitting in my seat and due to the change in altitude my ears began to hurt quite badly, I removed my blindfold and began to rub my temples, and then without warning the plane lost control. I can only assume that your flight crew had the cabin camera's turned on and that was the cause of their condition." The Gorgon explained, without any real remorse in his voice.

"They were under strict orders not you view you at all, sir! I don't think they would have done that!" Gwen added in, trying to defend her staff's accountability.

"Well I certainly didn't walk up into the pilot's compartment and tap them on the shoulders, It would have been suicide for me, we would have crashed into the water and as you can see...." He said and pulled back his cloaks extra deep hood, revealing his blindfolded face for the first time. It was almost skin colored, but with a grey pallor and tiny white cracks, almost like marble, running all through it. He truly was the embodiment of a living statue. "...Swimming isn't my strong suit!" He finished, replacing his hood for good measure.

"Eww....He is sooo gross looking! I can't believe your PR team would recommend someone like that....And he doesn't have full control of his powers either....unbelievable." Princess Glory put in, to the sigh of everyone around.

"Well, there is no need to discuss it any further until we recover the black box from the craft, You should all return to your quarters and prepare for the induction dinner tonight." Gwen said and her team of employees started to scramble for the boats docked not to far away.

"Gwen, I could just fly to the bottom of the ocean and pick the plane up!" The Samaritan objected.

"No, no need for that, it's busy work and you have plenty on your plate for today anyway. Go and rest in your chambers, I will handle the investigation." She said, sweetly tapping his iron hard cheek with her hand. "Gorgon, this is Princess Glory and Hazard, they'll show you to your quarters, but please do try and keep your mask on until we can do the proper testing on your powers."

"They aren't 'powers', It is a curse and one I wish to harness and control as much as anyone else Miss Vadar, I can assure you!" The Gorgon said and then fell in line with the other two heroes. He held his arm out, like any blind person might when entering a new environment, "Could one of you guide me please?" He asked, an open invitation to either. Princess Glory kept her distance though, "Geez I thought your flat metal face was bad, but this guy makes you almost look good, Hazard!" Glory said, ignoring the blind man's request for assistance and then stalked back toward the building.

Hazard shook Samaritan's hand with a firm grip, one that might have been a little too hard considering the suit he was in, but considering it WAS The Samaritan, Hazard wasn't worried. He nodded to the Samaritan's greeting, still going for the strong silent type while he was still unsure as to what the Samaritan was really like.

It was interesting that The Samaritan had already met Princess Glory and hadn't either immediately selected or ruled her out, and after her fairly embarrassing costume malfunction, Hazard was starting to wonder how this girl could be the same one that started and surpassed the Teen Justifiers.

The information about the pilots was mildly disturbing to Hazard, who assumed that his suit would offer him protection from Gorgon's gaze.

"Nails, did you get that?"

"Yes, and it STILL doesn't make sense! What is the main variable? You seeing him? How can any sort of energy based attack work when the source of it isn't even AWARE that they're being looked at? I'd say he's lying about something or..."

"No," Hazard responded, "I think he's telling the truth." Hazard thought himself a good judge of character, and already this Gorgon seemed to be an honest character.

"Well, then what are we going to DO about it?"

"Maybe..." Hazard mused, "it has more to do with you seeing him? Could you bring up a program that could blot out his face if he ever takes off the hood?"

"I guess it might be..." Nails sounded unsure, but then quickly hardened his resolve. "Yes, we could defiantly do that. There's no garnet that it would actually help though."

"Get it ready, I'm going to get to know him, see if it's necessary."

Gorgon continued to explain, Gwen justified and dismissed, and when Gorgon showed his face P. Glory proved herself an absolute ass... or at least more so then she already had. Hazard smirked at her cry of disgust.

"I don't know, I think he looks pretty badass," he replied. "Not everyone is trying to seduce their enemies into a stupor."

Hazard held out his own arm, letting it brush up against Gorgon's cloak sleeve without putting it into his hand outright. While he was in physical therapy with his civilian mech-limbs, Hazel had socialized with a lot of people with a wide verity of handicaps. He knew what it was like to be deprived of something everyone took for granted, and felt a sort of connection with Gorgon on that respect. He also knew that having to ask for help was hard and being treated like a complete invalid was pretty difficult too. Gorgon found his arm with little trouble and let his hand rest upon the cool metal.

"Your arm is...?" Gorgon started, confused. They started moving as Hazard explained.

"Metal, yes. Don't worry, it's not reflective any more, they people here got a spray to prevent that." Hazard reassured him, "and before you ask, it's a prosthetic IN a suit, not one or the other. Everyone asks that."

"A prosthetic..." Gorgon responded solemnly. His next question probably came with a raised eyebrow even if Hazard couldn't see it.

"I guess you know what question I'm going to ask next then? Usually I'M the telepathic one," he said with a small chuckle, and then with a quick realization he added, "but if it's uncomfortable you don't have to answer."

"Yeah..." Hazard said solemnly. It was never easy to talk about what had happened, for more reasons then most people realized.

"I lost them in an explosion, all four limbs," he started. "If you looked up Hazard online, you'd first find a LOT of videos of up close super-fights with a casualty count in the corner. The angles are good, really up close and detailed. I used to get up close, before I got the suit, and take video of all of it. It was a stupid thing to do, but it eventually got me hurt bad. In the end, I was just lucky I lived..." he then thought about his friend sitting back in the New York suburbs at his computer station. "Well, and I'm lucky a friend of mine happened to have connections in the mech-limb industry."

"You must have been very brave," Gorgon commented, "to go into that kind of danger without powers of any kind, and for the kind of cause like exposing casualties done by major heroes."

"Brave or stupid," Hazard replied. "The cause wasn't so important to me as the action, I honestly couldn't get enough, the more dangerous the better," he chuckled to himself at the thought. "I guess I still can't get enough, if I'm doing this now."

The two of them stepped on the elevator. Glory was nowhere to be seen, having probably left them in an attempt to put herself far away from the two Supers she DIDN'T want to shag. There was a moment of long silence as the elevator took them to the top floor.

"What's it like?" Gorgon asked suddenly.

"What?" Hazard asked, mildly stunned by the question.

"What's the facility look like? The island, the sunset, your suit, The Samaritan, Princess Glory, all of it. What's it look like?"

Hazard hesitated. That was a whole lot to describe at once, and they were already at their rooms.

"How about," Hazard said slowly, "we sit down in your room and I can you."

There was a light smile on Gorgon's face at the prospect.

"I would very much like that."

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

The Gorgon thanked Hazard and listened carefully as his guide described the amazing rooms they walked through on the way to his quarters. He very much wanted to touch the massive painting in the entry hall, hearing that it was an oil painting made him overjoyed. Oil painters typically use heavy amounts of paint, leaving an almost texture imprint of what they've created on the canvas. This allowed for the blind to almost see the painting with their fingers, short of color.

As they finally made their way up the elevator and onto the floor with the living quarters, Princess Glory's location became apparent again. The Gorgon smelled her as soon as the elevator doors opened. She was standing out in the hallway in front of her suite, her arms crossed over her ample breasts and one leg propped up against the wall. "Her pheromones are up, she's obviously in heat." The Gorgon said in a barely audible whispered tone. He had a feeling Hazard's electrically enhanced hearing was almost as good as his own, and didn't doubt that his fellow hero had heard the quip as he felt the man's cybernetic body jiggle with a short laugh.

They man there way past Glory without a word, she only scoffed and pretended to be looking at her manicured fingernails. Hazard showed the Gorgon into the unused suite that he'd be using. The Gorgon released his guide's arm and began to slowly make his way around the room, counting his steps as he went. He felt the soft sheets of the bed, and the cold glass in the window, then made his way to the other side of the room. He located his bathroom and then came back out, hearing that Hazard had seated himself in one of the comfy barcaloungers. The Gorgon then found what he'd been searching for. "Oh thank Mount Olympus, they have a bar!" He said with a deep sigh of relief.

The Gorgon, felt around underneath of the liquor shelf and came up with three or four different random bottles. To anyone that drank, his combination of these mismatched boozes would have been awful, but that didn't stop him. He reached down and found a large brandy sifter glass and poured them all together, finally taking a big haul off of his nasty looking concoction. "I know, looks gross right? But I can only taste the most extreme things." He said, and to emphasize the point he pulled back his hood and stuck out his tongue, showing Hazard that it too appeared to be made of living stone.

"I suppose since you obliged me with your back story, I too should do the same for you. Where to begin....." He said, pausing briefly to offer Hazard a drink as well. He had a feeling that Hazard would decline, but it was rude not to offer. "I wasn't always blind, So that's why when you describe colors I can comprehend what your talking about. You see, I was born Jason Vassilakis a regular young Greek kid, I was obsessed with the mythology of my peoples. Every chance I got I was flying over to Greece and going on explorations with my father. He was an archeologist and he specialized in proving that they weren't myths. He actually believed many of the stories weren't just fiction, but actually happened. I too believed it and on our last adventure together, I proved he was correct, but at a terrible cost. I stumbled on to this..." The Gorgon said, and pulled down the neckline of his cloak to reveal a stone snake necklace, it's clasp was the snakes head eating it's own tail.

"You see, I should have just left it be, gone and told my father, but curiosity was always my downfall, and so I picked it up and placed it over my head. Nothing happened, so I skipped back to the camp carefree. It wasn't until I encountered the poor workers stationed in our camp that the horrifying truth of the curse I'd brought upon myself was finally revealed. The men looked up to greet the son of their employer and suddenly were frozen into statues, just like in the myth of Medusa. I had not idea what was happening, I was only 14 at the time, and so I fled for my father's tent, terrified and hoping he could help. My father heard my frightened calls and sat up to look his poor terrified son's face. I turned my own father into stone, sitting there on his cot. The image with never leave my mind, and I will always carry it with me." The Gorgon said, his voice choked with emotion, he took a brief pause and took another big drink off the his sour drink.

"You could understand how distraught I was, I now understood what Midas must have felt like. I was desperate to get this cursed item off of me, and so I began trying to jerk it off of my head, but the necklace had some how grown tighter since I'd placed it over my head. I looked for a mirror so I could get a better view of it's ominous clasp. It was then that I blinded myself and forever sealed my fate. Now the necklace is forever part of my stone form." He said, showing Hazard that the item was indeed bonded to his stone skin.

"I wandered for a long while, terrified that I might turn someone else to stone. I couldn't return home and tell my mother what I'd done to her loving husband, So I set off in search for a cure. The blindfold seemed to work well enough, as long as no one peered into my milky gaze they were safe. So I attended a school for the blind and learned the ways of my disability. It was there that I found that this vile curse could be used for other purposes. Terrorists, on the run from local authorities, rushed the school one day and took us hostage. They were executing us at one an hour unless the police backed off and got them a helicopter. I had no choice and so I removed my blindfold and set out turning them to stone. It was also at this time I learned that my stone form was bulletproof as one of the terrorists got the drop on me and oped fire. The bullets bounced off me harmlessly and soon he was stone as well. With the revelation of that days events, I decided that my curse could infact be used to help people, and hopefully in some way make amends for what I'd done to my father. I set out on a quest to train my new stone body into a crime fighting machine. Martial Arts training came next, as I found that my stone hands and feet could be quite devastating when used properly.
I even tried out for the Teen Justifiers at one point, but to no avail. I wonder if Princess Glory even remembers me?" He said with a laugh, and then gulped down the rest of his drink.

"Well my internal clock, is telling me that dinner should be soon....Maybe it's time you headed back to your quarter to get dressed, today's events have left me a bit exhausted and I want to get a bit of rest before we convene for the induction ceremonies. Thank you Hazard, thank you for listening, I am glad to have met you and I hope we can become good friends." He finished and listened as Hazard said his farewells and then left for his own quarters.

Little did Hazard know, that someone was waiting for him in his quarters. Princess Glory had snuck in while the two men had been talking. She was laying on Hazard's bed, with only the silken sheets to cover her form. When the door opened she wiggled her finger seductively. "I've had a change of heart seeing how generous you are with the handicapped, Now let me see what you're working with under all that metal, stud!" She cooed.

A man slower on their feet then Hazard would have fairly died laughing at the sudden joke from the stony man. Hazard managed to choke down a laugh before the voice modulator could pick it up. He did, however, visibly chuckle at the joke at the same time he was impressed. That was something that Hazard would have NEVER been able to pick up on, and could possibly have potential later. Maybe an air analyzer in the suit? He was sure Nails would get right to work on that, just after the rocket boots and stereo system.

As they entered Gorgon's room, Hazard watched intently as the blind statue of a man walked the whole apartment over. It was impressive how he could simply memorize the room like that, even if it was a bit odd to watch. But hey, Hazard had to be bathed in the most ridiculous way possible without any traditional limbs, so he wasn't exactly one to judge. Gorgon offered him a drink, which he politely refused, before launching into his story.

As origin stories went, it was a doozy. Pain, suffering, chance, and eventual partial redemption, all rolled into one solid narrative. Hazard had always felt himself rather privileged have a true backstory that defined him, but Gorgon had him beat by a MILE. That was the kind of pain that psychiatrists couldn't help with, no matter how specialized they were. What kind of human being was able to relate to being turned to stone, on top of accidentally killing your own father and other close friends? No one, that's who. Hazard couldn't help but laugh at the second quip at P. Glory's expense.

"I'm not sure she remembers anything past her next pedicure," he replied.

But then the talk was over. Gorgon was right, dinner was only a little ways away, and considering the flight he'd just had, Hazard wasn't surprised that Gorgon was a little tired.

"You're very welcome." Hazard responded, before leaving. He didn't quite have the same amount of jet log, so he didn't really need a rest. Top that with him never really required to change, and he basically had a lot of free time, and decided to go to his room of another drink of water. The static of Nails over the intercom interrupted his thoughts.

"I figured it out!" he exclaimed.

"Why you can't got a date? I could have answered that one," Hazard joked.

"Ha ha, but seriously, this could figure the whole magic thing out and everything! The medallion, the one bonded to Gorgon's neck, has to have some sort of AI!"

"Oh come off it."

"No really, it has to be the source of energy that causes these stone transformations, and on top of that, it started to adjust to his neck line and clamped down to prevent being removed AND THEN, only partially turned him to stone so that it could STAY STUCK without having to constantly be on alert! Only a limited AI could do that."

"And how would it be stored in a plain metal medallion?"

"Working on that, but this could be HUGE!"

"Yeah, I'm sure that it..." Hazard started. He was in his quarters, water bottle in hand, helmet half up when he got to his bedroom and stopped cold.

<To quote a little bear> Hazard thought, <Someone's been sleeping in my bed, and they're still hear!>

"I've had a change of heart seeing how generous you are with the handicapped. Now let me see what you're working with under all that metal, stud!" Glory cooed, in what was probably the most seductive manner she could fashion. Her body was perfect, her motions practiced and exact, her voice that perfect tone between aggressive and submissive... And Hazard couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Oh man!" he wheezed between giggle fits, "Gorgon has you PEGGED."

Glory raised a little, her shoulders tensed with anger.

"What do you mean-" she started, but was cut off.

"Just a joke between guys, don't worry about it," Hazard said, bringing himself back down. "but if you're trying to seduce someone, you might want to try a little harder then that."

Almost as if on cue, Glory shifted in the bedsheets, exposing herself a little more as she did, the rest simply accentuating the fact that she was naked.

"But I'm trying my very, very hardest." she said, with another little wiggle.

"Too bad," Hazard said dismissively. "After a day like you've been having, you'd need me to be so **** drunk at you that I'd probably reach nirvana first."

"How dare you!" Glory yelled, suddenly going from nice to ****ing in under sixty seconds. "I have been voted the most beautiful super-heroin of all time!"

"And that's a fine title you can go stick up your ass," Hazard countered. "But after disrespecting me, my new friend and basically everything I've ever stood for, I'm pretty sure I couldn't get anything up right now if I wanted to."

Glory stood up in anger, the cloth falling away to show her completely in the nude and unashamed in the least.

"How DARE you!" Glory yelled

"No, how dare YOU!" Hazard countered, becoming aggressive himself as the argument lagged onward. "How dare YOU insult ME this way. Do you think I'm an IDIOT? There are at least a dozen ways you could royally screw me over here if I screwed you. Accusations of rape, of foul play, of cheating, of sexual deviancy. Not to mention the kind of sabotage that could be done to my suit when it's de-activated, all on top of the kind of leverage you were probably thinking of getting from me, like a single lay would change everything I came here for!"

The rant was powerfully loud, unexpected, and accompanied with the heavy metal thud of his helmet closing again. Glory didn't back down, she didn't flinch, but she did stop.

"Now get the hell out of my room." Hazard said, pointing unerringly at the door. Glory gave him a look of pure daggers and poison but didn't say a word. Slowly, pettily even, she left Hazard alone.

"God, that was a little intense." he muttered to himself. If Nails heard, he didn't make any comment.

"I really can't wait for some food."

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

As the time for dinner approached the intercoms in each of the sidekick applicant's rooms informed them that it was time to convene in the dining hall. The three of them stepped out into the hallway that led to the elevator and share the uncomfortable silence before heading down. The Gorgon and Hazard's appearance hadn't changed much, they were both still adorning their costumes, but not the Princess, she'd changed into a formal evening gown probably tailored by some unpronounceable Paris bound fashionista. It was cut low in the front with her signature star shape,also down the back and up one leg, allowing for her to showcase her amazing body. "Sheesh, didn't even bother dressing for the event huh? 'Low class' is what that is called!" She said and strode off toward the elevator.

The Gorgon leaned close to his new friend and whispered, "Does she look as good as she smells?"

The ride down in the elevator was tense, not just because the three were at odds with one another, but because they all knew the gravity of the situation in front of them. One and only one of them were going to be picked to be the greatest superhero of the modern age's sidekick. When the doors of the elevator opened the all saw the amazing transformation the dining hall had endured while they were up stairs. What was one a fairly basic mess hall had been transformed into a sheik dining experience, fit more for royalty than the likes of these three. A massive chandelier hung illuminating the whole room in crystalline light. Below that all the stainless steel tables had been removed and replaced with one massive oaken table. Elegant chairs surrounded it and quite a few, if they had any thoughts about this being a quiet dinner with only a few participants, that notion was now gone. Servants scurried in and out of doors bringing whine and other hors d'oeuvres to set on the table.

"See what did I tell you boys.....amateurs!" Glory said as she strode into the room like she owned it.

Miss Vadar and several other high ranking H.O.L members were seated around the table already. They were sipping wine and chatting amongst themselves when the three applicants arrived. Miss Vadar stood and happily greeted each of them, making sure to compliment Glory on her fabulous dress. They were shown there seats and soon the house lights dimmed, while the stage up front was illuminated. The Samaritan walked out from behind the curtain to the applause of the growing crowd. He picked up the microphone and began to speak.

"Hello and thank you all for coming this evening. I'd like to give a special thanks to the applicants for taking time out of their busy schedule to be here. As you all know, I am the Samaritan, the worlds greatest hero is what the press has dubbed me. But I am certainly not the only one, many other great heroes fight along side me and we call ourselves the Guardians. Although I doubt they need any introductions, I will provide them anyway." The Samaritan said, it was obvious that he was mildly uncomfortable up on stage, but he was doing the best he could.

The doors on either side of the stage opened and the finest team of superheroes of today strode out for the presentation. Ruby Mist, Q the man with all the questions, Black Mamba and his sidekick Rattler, The Iron Agent, and the menacing looking INK all walked out onto the main floor and took a discreet bow.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you, The Guardians!" And the crowd broke into applause again, although anyone who was watching, might have noticed Miss Vadar raised eyebrow and lack luster applause.

"I have brought my teammates here so that tonight you three honored applicants can feel free to ask questions and gain insight into our world. Many things will be changing for you, when and if you decide to accept the mantle of my sidekick and I want you to have all the different points of view that these highly experienced hero's have to offer. So, without further adieu , I say please sit and eat and drink and let us all have a good time." The Samaritan finished and as he walked from the stage a projector screen descended and started showing a silent slide show of his greatest achievements captured by the press. The man himself floated off of the stage and landed next to Ruby Mist, shaking her hand and giving a brief kiss on her cheek, they both look overjoyed to be seeing each other again. Ruby Mist was dressed in her iconic red leotard and scarf, her dark red hair done up in a bun. The two red costumes almost seemed to go together, and one had to wonder why they weren't already an item, but from the look on Miss Vadar's face it became more obvious. It didn't stop the two old friends from sitting right next to one another though.

Princess Glory wasted no time, immediately she pulled out chairs on either side of her own and motioned to Black Mamba and his sidekick to come and sit by her. Rattler and her were Teen Justifiers together and so they obliged. Mamba was a large powerful black man who's costume as as intimidating as he was. It looked to be made of some form of black and red snake skin, while the Rattler had a similar out fit, his was brown and white, with the rattles of his spirit animal's tail adorning his forearms like gauntlets.

The rest of the heroes were dispensed around the table and the main course was served in both vegetarian and omnivore selections.

Hazard's internal clock (the one that was displayed on his HUD that is) hit exactly six o clock as a pleasant voice announced that dinner was ready.

"Sweet, showtime." Hazard said, mostly to Nails, although it would seem as if it were to himself. He flexed his legs towards and kicked them back out, launching himself nearly a half dozen feet with little to no effort, from the bed out the door and into his front room. He landed easily, nonchalantly even, and simply walked out of the room. Only a moment later Gorgon walked in, somehow able to just know where to step already, and then came Glory.

Now, as much as Hazard disliked P. Glory, he had to admit she was stunning. He had never gone for the fake looking bimbos that were often in hollywood, who tried everything to keep in shape, but never really the right things. Glory, however, looked simply and naturally perfect. Hers was the kind of beauty that would have launched ships to war and men to killing themselves in ancient times, if she only had the right personality. Or even a better feel for how to manipulate people.

"Sheesh, didn't even bother dressing for the event huh? 'Low class' is what that is called!" She said and strode off toward the elevator.

"And revealing your secret identity to the entire super powered community when your parents don't have superpowers is called 'stupid." Nails said in Hazard's ear. It was true, that was the whole reason that he was still in that metal suit, and not a cloth one.

"Does she look as good as she smells?" Gorgon whispered, purely out of curiosity.

"Better." Hazard said, despite being unable to smell Glory from inside his suit, before entering the elevator.

A few moments of awkward silence later, the doors to the elevator opened and Hazard was nearly floored. Everything about the main hall had been changed, so much so that he was almost sure they'd hit the wrong button. Hazard had faced down beings that could decimate entire nations and laughed, but as a boy from the Suburbs of New York, the sight before him was almost intimidating.

"See, what did I tell you boys?" P. Glory demanded, before adding an exasperated "Amateurs!"

Hazard didn't want to tell her his new reason for not wearing a nice suit. Because the servers wearing duds nicer then anything Hazard had ever owned in his entire LIFE.

"What does it look like? What is she talking about?" Gorgon asked quietly. Hazard hadn't even considered the fact that his friend didn't even know to be intimidated.

"Well..." Hazard said, trying to find words for it. "Let's just say they fancied the place up a bit, alright?"

"How did they-" Gorgon started to ask, but then Samaritan came in with his speech.

As each hero came on stage, Nails brought up profiles on each one and summarized them for Hazard.

"Ruby Mist, can reduce her body density to faze through walls, evaporate and re-form, or even fly, but the real kicker is when she increases it, making her super strong and nigh on invulnerable. Her major sin is Lust. Can't seem to marry enough men. In the middle of her fifth deforce now. She still keeps her civilian name a secret, but supposedly the H.O.L and government know. Age, approximately 30 to 35, but she'll tell you 23.

"Q, a total enigma. No one knows his background, real face, or even what his real voice sounds like. Hell, we're not even entirely sure that he's not a chick in a really well done muscle suit. His white detective outfit is bullet proof, down to the brimmed hat. He carries a gun, is known as a good martial artists, and can sneak in and out of anything. Houdini had nothin' on this guy. His sin is unknown, as he's only seen when he wants to be. It MIGHT be envy though, as he allegedly 'couldn't' save his fare more popular partner Answer during an altercation with The King of Clubs. Age unknown.

"Black Mamba and Rattler, magic powerhouses and speedsters. both of them can run nearly two hundred miles and hour and can lift cement trucks with relative ease. Supposedly Father and Son, they have some Native American Blood that supposedly is the, ugh, 'magical' cause of their powers. They're identity is known by H.O.L as well, but not revealed as of yet to anyone else. They're sin would probably be greed, they've been payed off to be spokes persons for everything from Aging Cream to zoosk. Age 45 and 22"

The Iron Agent. Oldest member of the team, but not the leader, he's been declining in popularity and is little more then the tech support and the guy that drives the jet when he's needed. Tech based suit supposedly links into his brain directly without any sort of software, making him un-hackable. His suits ability to hack into technology is valuable however, and he supposedly single handedly stopped The Nanoman by linking his brain right into the hive mind of the nano bot swarm. uses deadly force, but less often then any of the others. He revealed his own identity to the world as Marcus Jackson, the father of all mech-limb technology. "

Nails paused for a moment, skipping over the part where Iron Agent was accused of hacking into and spying on the entire world's communications at the urging of Q. Hazard wouldn't admit it, but he was just as huge of a fan of Iron Agent as his father, and wouldn't hear anything of it. He ended the profile with a simple "Age, 55."

"Lastly, Ink. This one's a real crazy. His suit is a liquid steel that he can manipulate at will, forming shapes such as weapons, barriers, and even small to mid sized vehicles, all of which is supposedly 'magic.' He also has enhanced his own strength with, ugh, 'magic,' as well as his speed and agility. This, combined with his martial arts training, makes him peerless in single combat. He also handles any of the supposedly mystic confrontations as their expert and even owns his own company that trains specifically 'magic' heroes as a partner with H.O.L. He revealed his identity to be non other then that companies owner Gabriel Writer when it went public four years ago. His sin would defiantly be Wrath, the guy has been constantly accused of using excessive force with his foes, often disabling them for life rather then killing them, but he's the leading expert on the super natural, and the world has a hard time letting him stay in jail. Age 33."

After listening to it all in silence, rather then listen to Samaritan's speech, Hazard considered carefully. The day he'd lost his limbs, there had been a fight between the Guardians and the super villain group known as Devastation's Gambit. Almost any of these hero's could have been the one to blow up the building that damaged Hazard, and due to the blow to the head (and arms and legs, and chest, and everywhere else) Hazard couldn't remember who it was. Samaritan finished his speech and Hazard had to decide wether to take the crimson hero's advice and learn more of the craft, or focus on the mystery he really wanted to solve. And he had to make the decision fast, it was time to be seated.

Before he could offer his hand to Gorgon, a female server grasped Gorgon's arm in a loving fashion and lead him to a very logical seat next to the ever scowling Ink. Probably the work of Miss Vader, not wanting to make the two young heroes look like an couple in the eyes of the press, who were everywhere and would have loved the idea immediately.

"Always worried about the press." Hazard muttered to himself looking for his own place. He finally decided on a less then likely candidate, Q. He figured H.O.L. had less dirt on him and could be trusted to be more honest.

"Mr. Q," Hazard asked, lifting his mask up to his nose, "Could you remember the last fight your team had against your rivals, Devastation's Gambit?"

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

Q didn't have his mask raised, his mask was all white and had a large black question mark over the face, the dot being the black hole of his mouth. He hungrily shoveled the food in, like a man whom hadn't eaten in several days. He left his hat on top of his head, ignoring traditional etiquette standards.

"Mr. Q," Hazard asked, lifting his mask up to his nose, "Could you remember the last fight your team had against your rivals, Devastation's Gambit?"

Q barely stopped eating to answer and when he did it was between chewing bites of the delicious chicken. "Devies'.....yeah yeah I remember that....chomp, chomp chomp....I wasn't in the melee that time around.....I'd recently lost my wife and wasn't up for the hustle and tussle of it all....chomp. Iron agent and I ran back up.....I think the Devies' had some giant Voltron-looking robot...We took up the rear and hacked it's system while the others took it on face to face.....Why do you ask?" He said as he finished his chicken and started in on a second helping.

"Say, you friend there....he looks familiar....What's his deal?" Q asked Hazard about the Gorgon before Hazard could answer the last question. It was of course Q's trademark dialog, constantly asking questions. The sad thing was that now his wife was gone he didn't feel the need to provide answers to others own inquiries before asking more questions. Some said the the woman had balanced his questionable mental state out, and now that she was gone people could only wonder how long this unstable hero could really last.

The Gorgon wasn't really talking at all, he was observing, not of course with his eyes, but with all his other senses. He picked at the food a little, and finally he got the courage to ask one of the servers for salt, when it was delivered to him he didn't bother sprinkling it lightly, instead he unscrewed the cap and poured the stuff on his food in piles. Once it was seasoned enough for her stone like taste buds to recognize it his appetite returned a little and he was able to eat more. He didn't not engage Ink, the truth be told he was intimidated by the merciless superhuman.

The Samaritan seemed enthralled in Ruby's delightful conversation, he barely paid attention to his fellow teammates, not to mention any of the applicants. He chuckled and laughed as Ruby regaled him with her lasted exploits. It seemed that in all the years and all the husbands Ruby Mist had gone through, she never once gave the perfect man a shot. He wondered many times if he should make the move and finally ask her out, after all she was his perfect opposite in almost every way. But alas the opportunity never presented itself. She was soft and flirty and beautiful, while he was stern and solemn, not to mention handsome. But Ruby always seemed to keep him at an arms length.

Princess Glory barely touched her meal, her hands were too busy apparently tickling the thigh of the Rattler under the table, while he giggled and jerked sporadically. Soon though he got a strange look on his face and his eyes almost crossed for a second before he could regain his composure the whole while Glory's face gleamed with a naughty smile. She drew her hand back up from underneath the table, appearantly she managed to get her hand sullied with some sort of viscus sauce from her barley touched dinner, because she grabbed her napkin and wiped as much as she could away. The rest she couldn't get with the linen cloth, she licked off with her tongue seductively until her digits were clean. It was enough to catch the half native, half black young man's African American father, Black Mamba's attention and he reached over and tapped Glory on the shoulder. She turned her head back to regard the large man still grinning, but soon his scowl too melted away as she set to work on his 'thigh' with her other hand.

It was obvious that Miss Vadar was aware of the shenanigans going on across the table from her because she quickly made for the distraction. Standing and immediately tapping her butter knife on the edge of her champagne glass. "Attention....Attention! " She said in a commanding tone. "I would like to say a few words before we all leave the table and start mingling, if you all don't mind. Firstly it is an honor to be in such impressive company this evening. Most of you are of course are already members of the H.O.L family, but for those of you whom to choose to go it alone, we are just as pleased to have you here tonight. Ink, Q, Black Mamba and Rattler thank you all for coming tonight. This is a very special occasion tonight because the Samaritan has always been a sole asset, today we celebrate his agreement to finally take on an apprentice in the arts of superherodom!" She exclaimed and everyone broke out into applause. She was happy to see that her distraction had worked, as Glory's hands finally returned from under the table, even though Black Mamba looked slightly put off.

"Tonight I'd like to introduce you group of the most legendary heroes to the three applicants the Crimson Dynamo has chosen to help him carry the flame of justice and H.O.L protocol. May I introduce....The Titanium Titian, HAZARD!" She called out, and again applause erupted. Q sarcastically waved his white gloved hand upward practically forcing Hazard to stand and take a bow.

"You'll have to excuse Hazard's stealth like veneer right now, he's thankfully respectful of others special needs and obliging us with a precautionary non reflective material right now....usually he's a lot shinier!" Miss Vadar said, and the crowd broke into laughter at the small joke. The approved media began snapping pictures as the flicker of flashes erupted.

"Next we have the mysterious GORGON! This amazing man has found a way to overcome the adversity of blindness and can still find time to use his truly unique gifts to fight crime! Let's all give him a big hand!" Miss Vadar said as she introduced the Gorgon, but his reaction was far less excited. His face tucked deep into his cloaks oversize hood, he simply raised to fingers on his right and and waved. The subdued reaction didn't slow the paparazzi from snapping just as many pictures of him.

"Finally we have a real life superstar and I am sure I have no need to introduce a young woman without a need secret identity. She is PRINCESS GLORY!!!" Miss Vadar raised her voice and it showed which applicant she was rooting for as Princess Glory rose from her chair and stood waving and blowing kisses while everyone applauded. Miss Vadar noticed the stains on the side her gown and quickly tried divert attention again, but to no avail. The photographers zoomed right in and with the Rattler sitting next to her with a dazed smile on his dopey face, there was little question as to what they were up to.

"OK! enough pictures for NOW!" Miss Vadar called out and the photogs stopped on cue, although Glory seemed miffed at her cutting the photoshoot short, she didn't protest and finally took her seat again, a **** look on her face. "Well I'd like for everyone to enjoy the rest of the evening and have fun.....Applicants, please make sure you don't have too much fun. Tomorrow we start the evaluation process and all your abilities, special skills and even your weaknesses will be tested first thing tomorrow morning. We want accurate measures for our system and we can't get them if you are hungover. No everyone please go and mingle, share your experience and make new friends, lets all have a great time tonight!" Miss Vadar exclaimed and again raised her glass in toast.


It was just as everyone had raised their glass to toast that final time with the Guardian's badges began to sound an alarm. Each of them immediately set down their glasses and checked the alert message. "Great God Almighty, not a single night to enjoy ourselves!" The Samaritan hollered.

"No rest for the wicked, means no rest for the men and woman whom fight the wicked, isn't that right Sam?" Q asked, a queer smile arising on the dot of Q's mask.

"Doctor Insano hasn't had enough for one week, he's at it again! Let's us band together and destroy yet another one of that mad scientists biological engineered monstrosities, Guardians Unite!!" The Samaritan called out and all of the great heroes in the room sprang into action. They rushed away immediately while Miss Vadar tried to calm the applicants and other guest members.

"Don't worry....Don't worry everyone, we are in the company of the world's greatest heroes, they've got this handled! Let's all let them do their duty, and we'll carry on without them! PRINCESS GLORY! GLORY! GLORY, PLEASE SIT DOWN! None of the applicants will be going out on this call!" Miss V said trying to maintain order.

"This is crap! I am a member of the Teen Justifiers! I deserve to go out on this!" The stained dress Princess protested, stomping her foot like a spoiled child.

"You WERE a teen Justifier, not anymore, so please sit back down and try to enjoy yourselves while the professionals do what we pay them to do." Miss V answered with some amount of authority in her voice.

Hazard immediately learned why Q was the least popular of the Guardians.

"I was wondering if-" Hazard started, before getting cut off. Then he asked about Gorgon. Unlike Q, Hazard answered questions.

"He's called Gorgon. Made of stone and he'll do the same to you if you see his eyes, even through a camera." Hazard said concisely. He didn't like giving away too much of another hero's info, but it could save a major player from becoming his own celebratory statue. Even if he was an inconsiderate crazy.

"But what I wanted to ask was-" Hazard started before getting cut off again by Miss Vadar this time.

Meanwhile, Ink very carefully watched Gorgon. He was familiar with stone curses, but this one was unique in that it didn't kill it's host when it was also the target. The amulet was obviously the source, but it was almost like it was designed to inflict the most and longest amount of misery. If he wasn't miserable with stone curses, Ink would have almost thought it was one of his.

Without asking for a response, not expecting one, Ink created a card of liquid steel with a simple name and number on it and slid it to Gorgon. It was Ink's name and number.

"If they ask you to leave, call." He said simply. Before Gorgon could answer, Miss Vadar started talking.

Hazard stood with very little embarrassment, lowering his helmet as he stood and bowed. Gorgon simply waved, and Hazard was jealous of his stone skin for not being able to blush.

And then P. Glory stood up, and as always made a fool of herself. Hazard had been unaware of the shenanigans going on lower down the table, but now it was excruciatingly clear.

"Did she give him a..." Nails started.

"Yeah," Hazard said back, as much as he wish he didn't have to.

Just as the dinner was getting interesting however, the alarms went off, and the heroes had to leave. Only Gorgon would be able to hear Ink mutter as he stood.

"Goddamn scientists interrupting a perfectly good dinner. He better hope someone else gets to him first."

Hazard laughed at Glorys inner desire to be proven worthy. She just didn't get it, did she? She couldn't comprehend that everything didn't revolve around her.

"Sit down Princess, I don't think one more hero is going to make that much of a difference." He called out from his own chair. Now the dinner was just that, a dinner. With the main heroes gone, the media people were looking fairly let down, and Hazard wouldn't have been surprised if they left soon. In no time it would be just as quiet around here as it was before. All they had to do was wait...


Sent from Castle Shadow-hold using Tapatalk

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!

Princess Glory sat picking at the food on her plate, looking absolutely bored out of her mind, Miss Vadar did her best to try to strike up polite conversation but after a few minutes Glory stood back up in a hurry and her chair flew across the room, stopping everyone. "I am not going to sit around here and pretend any longer! This is absolute malarkey and everyone knows it! If I have to be the one to point out what a ridiculous farce this all is, then I will be the one to do it! The fact that I, Princess Glory, The battling bombshell has to entertain the company of two C list heroes is just beneath me. Come on Miss Vadar, are you seriously telling me that either of those two amateurs has a shot against me....that is absolute idiocy. No one has ever heard of the Gorgon, and his power is that he can turn you to stone if he looks at you? So what's he gonna do when someone is smart enough not to look at him in a fight? HUH? Not too much, that's what....Sure he's got stone skin, but so what I can punch a hole through a cinder block wall.....And Then there is the duct tape and jerry-rigged version of Iron Agent! Hazard...that is a good name for you because you're hazardous! You honestly think you'd stand a chance fighting a class 5 baddie in that knock off suit? Really? NO the truth is that I am the best suited to sidekick with the Samaritan! Even our names match, I mean seriously....The Samaritan and the Boy Gorgon??? The Samaritan and Cripple the boy robot? NO.....It's gonna be The Samaritan and Princess Glory, lets all just get that through our heads right now!" Princes Glory finished her tirade and stormed out of the dining hall with the press filming the whole thing. Miss Vadar stood, obviously embarrassed and apologized to everyone for the young heroine's behavior, and then scampered off after her, like a doting mother, leaving the rest of the guests wonder what to do next.

The Gorgon was unimpressed with the whole spiel, he'd picked up the silver card Ink had left him and marveled at the engraved lettering on the glossy surface. When he didn't hear anymore commotion, he turned his head back up in Hazard's direction and asked his new friend, Hazard if he wanted to take a walk around the island. " The Princess' little temper tantrum has left a sour taste in my mouth, We should go for a walk and clear our heads, Maybe see the island....well you'll see it, You could describe it to me." He said.



***********

"You're right ok....there you heard me say it! You should be the rightful protege for the Samaritan, but he didn't choose you, or atleast not yet. All you have to do is show him your true potential and I am sure he'll see my point on the manner." Miss Vadar pleaded with Glory as she mocked packing her bags like she was getting ready to storm out. "H.O.L is completely behind your advancement, The PR team has some issues with your bold sexual presence in the media, but they can put a positive spin on almost anything.

"Then why? Why the pretense with those two pretenders? I deserve this, I put in my time in Teen Justifiers, I've listened to every piece of advice H.O.L has given me, right down to whom I date and still I have to pretend either of those two stand a chance against me? I could take out either one of those two with one hand behind my back!" Glory said, starting to pout, her frustration mounting was she began to throw clothes around the room and finally collapsed back onto her bed like a teenager.

"I know my dear, and soon enough you'll get your chance to do just that....In another day the Sidekick applicants will be pitted against one another in a final display of your prowess. This will be when the Samaritan finally sees that the other two applicants can't hold a candle to you. He'll finally see that it's only prudent to make the right choice and choose you." Miss Vadar said as she sat down on the bed next to Glory. " You look exhausted young lady, now let's get you out of that stained dress and into something more comfortable.You go get a shower!" Miss Vadar said as she rubbed Glory's thigh. Once Glory got up and stripped out of the sullied garments and headed toward the bathroom, A large smile began to rise on Miss Vadar's face, she walked over to the door and locked it, and then slid into Glory's bed, waiting for the young woman to finish showering.

At P. Glory's outburst, Hazard was originally amused. He couldn't help but think about how pride comes before the fall, and her's was going to be one hell of a drop. But then she insulted his suit. No one insulted the suit.

"Why that little-" he started, but was immediately interrupted in his own helmet.

"No Haz!" Nails cut in before he could get up. "Let her talk. She can think we're an imitation all she wants, right up until we prove her wrong, right?"

Hazard tensed up, trying his hardest to hold back and not beat the Glorious ****ing in the face. Nails was right, as much as he was loath to admit it. Prudence was the better course at this point.

"Fine," Hazard admitted, allowing himself to sit back down. He took a great deal of pride in his suit, but if the original builder was fine with it, then he would have to be.

After her little outburst, Gorgon walked up to him.

"The Princess' little temper tantrum has left a sour taste in my mouth, We should go for a walk and clear our heads, Maybe see the island...." He paused, as if to admire his own humor. "Well you'll see it, You could describe it to me." He said. Hazard couldn't help but smile.

"Sure." he said simply. They left the press in their frenzy after P.Glory's outburst to see the island in piece.



A few minutes later, the two were on the beach talking away as they went, hand on metal arm. Hazard had never considered himself good at talking in any meaningful way, but Gorgon seemed to enjoy it anyway.

"Yeah, and the coast seems to do this little dip in thing to the cliff side." Hazard said. Gorgon cocked his head to the side questioningly.

"How so?" He asked.

"Well, we're on sand now, but in a second it goes into the cliff side and it looks like we don't have much beach le-"

Mid sentence, he suddenly felt a heavy, mental presence. It was something he'd felt before, sinister and powerful, but this time, it simply groaned in pain.

It stopped Hazard cold.

Gorgon, and his ever perceptive senses, heard Hazard's breath catch, felt his arm stop immediately, and simple felt his dread before the mental presence hit him.

"What is-" Gorgon started.

"****," Hazard couldn't help but curse under his breath even as he moved. He immediately pulled Gorgon Closer to the cliff, taking cover from the invisible threat. Gorgon opened his mouth to ask again, but Hazard beat him to it.

"It's Presence." He said, and Gorgon knew. Not even someone living in the Himalayas could be oblivious of the most powerful psychic terrorist in the world. His powers in mass mind control were infamously dangerous.

"Here?" Gorgon asked far calmer then Hazard felt, "How did he get here?" Then he realized the obvious and asked the obvious question. "And why haven't we already gone mad?"

Hazard didn't have any answers to that.

"I'm not sure. I... I was in New York when he attacked, but while he was fighting the Guardians, he just sort of... let go of us. We weren't under his influence, but it felt just like this."

"So what shall we do?"

Hazard thought a long moment before he even noticed. The cliff they were next to, the one that was almost out of beach, curved into a cave. He zoomed in with his HUD and saw a really, very ominous door.

"Hey Gorgon," Hazard asked, can you tell where this is all coming from, being psychic and all?"

Gorgon thought a long minute before nodding slowly. "That way," he said, pointing directly at the door.

"Well great," Hazard muttered. "It's always the hard way, isn't it?"

The door was little problem. There wasn't a keypad, just a regular old key, and Hazard had Nails build a contingent for that a LONG time ago. As Hazard's right pointer finger extended a key like piece of variable metal plates extended from his finer, Gorgon made a sound half way between admiration and apprehension.

"An odd tool for a hero, isn't it?" he asked, trying not to sound too judgmental. It was something that seemed a little out of character for the metal man.

"Well," he said, tickling the lock, "not every bad guy hides behind a mask. Some of them hide behind corporations and lawyers." the lock finally clicked, and the door opened. "And sometimes it takes a little less then legal persuasion to find out who did what."

Gorgon nodded, his thoughts his own, as they entered.

The corridor they found themselves in was dark and dry, a complete opposite from what the beach was like. It only went a short distance before it ended in another door, but each step seemed like a yard, the corridor like a whole mile, with the oppressive psychic presence weighing down on their minds.

"Do you ever think," Hazard asked as they reached the far door, "that some people were born to be villains?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Gorgon responded passively.

"Well, let's just say I'm not sure the guy who's doing this," Hazard pointed to his head, "was ever going to be accepted as a good guy with this..."

He opened the door and stood speechless. It wasn't a single holding cell like he had imagined. In fact, he wouldn't have been sad at all for the psychotic psychic, but this was far and above that. Before them was a massive room, wall to wall with blue-lazar covered cells.

"What is it?" Gorgon asked, sensing Hazard's shock.

"It's... It's a jail." He stuttered out. In ever cell, on every door, he could see the faces and names already. The Judge, Dred, The Displaced. All of them.

"A jail?" Gorgon asked.

"Yeah. A jail for all the lost villains for..." he thought about it as he saw more names, more old villains that were assumed dead or retired. "... about as long as I know about."

In his helmet, Nails grunted. "As far as I can figure, it's every villain that they've ever caught in person for sure, and a few others besides."

"What do you mean?" Hazard asked.

"Look in the next cell to your left."

Hazard looked, with Gorgon following patiently in tow. The name read 'Jester,'

"This is..." Hazard started, confused. This was someone HE'D put away, a two bit punk that had mild jumping powers. As they approached, the blue wall became more transparent. He had to hold back a audible reaction.

"What is it?" Gorgon asked.

"This cell... it's someone I've fought. He robbed banks, jewelry stores, stuff like that. But he's..." Hazard had a hard time describing what he saw this time. "He's had his legs removed. They took them, replaced them with clunky looking metal ones, not made for running. He's... worse then dead."

The man in the cell looked broken, far less then his former fiery toughing attitude. His legs were clunky and steely, no longer elegant. And his face. It was obvious he couldn't see Hazard, otherwise he might have looked shamed, but instead there was only despair.

"That seems... wrong." Gorgon said, feeling more the pain in Hazards voice then seeing the pain being inflicted. "Are they all like that?"

The sudden thought struck Hazard almost as hard as a physical blow.

"I don't know." He said sullenly, "but I intend to find out."

And so they went, row after row, level after level. Nails provided information as to crimes, and they saw the punishment. A man with laser vision with his eyes put out. A man who once had super strength put into a anti-gravity field. A being made of electricity placed in a cell of rubber. On and on and on.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Gorgon asked. Hazard was thinking the same thing but was glad his friend brought it up first.

"Well apparently Ms. Vader and her organization don't like comeback villains." Hazard said, grinding his teeth. They passed a cell of a shop lifter with super speed who's ankles were filled with lead when they finally came to it. Presence's cell.

His was different in a few ways. First of all, there was a solid wall made out of what looked like copper behind the laser shield, with only a small opening to see in. Secondly, the man himself was just about the only one who was completely and totally immobilized. He was stuck in a metal case, only his face visible. the last difference was that his face was stretched in a mask of physical pain.

"Uhhhg, what is that?" Hazard asked this time. There was a infuriating, pounding pulse in his skull the closer and closer he got to the cell.

"That's him." Gorgon answered simply. "That's Presence."

"That's him?" Hazard asked incredulously. He'd almost gotten used to that heavy dread, but this was too much. "That's what he's... feeling in there?"

"That's all he feels, all he thinks, all he can be in that thing." Gorgon, even with his stony exterior, began to shake. "And that's why they don't have any security except over each cell. The people here are broken, so even if they do escape, they'll never be what they were before. How could they do this? How could they break someone this fully, even if they did commit crime?"

Hazard didn't know what to say or react. He just put a heavy hand on Gorgon's shoulder.

"Come on, I think I've seen enough of this god forsaken island."

_________________
Art is the Science of Inspiration on Demand!