You'd think that in a world filled with Super Heroes, aliens would be a normal thing. Heck the romanticized version of heroes from old comics has always been that of alien heroes falling to Earth as babies.
But not in this Quirk Based Society.
Ben...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
In the darkest of places... a girl with pale skin, began to read.
She was young, perhaps only a teenager. Her hair was a deep purple, and though her clothing was ordinary, a sweater vest a skirt, a leather jacket, nothing much more.
A strange red jewel lay at the center of her forehead, glimmering strangely as she sat at the desk, flipping through the old journal in her lap
The Journal was like any other book you would buy at a supply store. The text within however, was that of madness.
Strange illustrations of the most grotesque nature could be seen spilt upon the sprawling leaflets. Circles, incantations in unreadable languages.
Rachel Roth furrowed her brow as she tried her best to discern the English from the gibberish.
"Let it be known that the information I write to you now is the will of He who is Of the Shadow as a message to the fools who walk as mortals and think themselves consequential in the presence of one who sees us as mere ants who move the cosmic spheres." Rachel murmured as she scrolled her finger across the page.
"It is the Will of Zs'Skayr that he would find a vessel with one who is powerful, a fellow seeker of the knowledge that would drive all mad. The device that grants this knowledge is that of polymorphism.."
"Polymorphism? A distinct trait of the vessel being sought?" another voice on an earwig spoke.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Bruce, at least give me a moment to read in silence."
"It's imperative that we find what we're looking for quickly. Wasting time leisurely catching up on the lore of the Old Ones is for RPG games, we're here on actual business."
"I'd hardly call this any form of RPG.." Rachel muttered as she turned the page and found a bloodstain splattered against the final text written in the journal. "Looks like this guy committed suicide right after he finished writing."
Rachel looked back at the dead man lying across the floor of the dark apartment room, a gun in his hand, his face unrecognizable.
"Take it the body's up there with you?" asked Bruce.
"Yeah." said Rachel.
"Can you discern anything from the individual?"
"It's not very interesting." Rachel said, standing up, tucking the book under her arm as she knelt next to the dead man. "Clothes suggest normal income, while the apartment's circumstances support the whole deal. Medium height, weight, build.. wait.. well here's one thing, he's got some muscle, probably was a fitness nut or.."
Rachel took the man's hand and narrowed her eyes. "Callused knuckles. He spent quite a few times in his life punching the daylights out of something."
"As I told you before, don't take everything for first glance till you've taken a closer vantage." said Bruce. "Computer's telling me that this residence is rumored to belong to a retired hero, not one of the major hitters, but he was quite well respected in the local area. A former Sidekick at the Night Eye agency who worked some time before at the Nemesis Agency. Went by the name Blunderbuster".
"Right, hearing the Nemesis name more and more." Rachel muttered. "But Overlord having a connection with Outer Gods? Doesn't that feel a bit..?"
"Unnatural? Yeah, Nesmith doesn't strike me as the type to strike deals with beings beyond his understanding. He makes a point of being cautious about that." said Bruce. "Where criminals are concerned, he's definitely no idiot."
"Unless some part of the agency was infiltrated by something that wasn't involving the Forever Knights or Fated Five." said Rachel. "A device... for Polymorphism... a connection with Nesmith. What one thing shares all that in common?"
At that moment the tv that was still on in the corner of the apartment switched to the News.
"It is currently reported that Ben Tennyson, in spite of growing turmoil in public opinion regarding the original nature of his abilities, will still attend school, in spite of the protest garnered by Anti-Quirkless Hero groups. "
Rachel stared at the Tv. "You don't think-?"
"It's not just likely, I'd say it's highly probable. The ability to transform using a device that's not from this planet, if that's not a suspicious form of polymorphing I don't know what is." said Bruce.
"So..?"
"I'll get the paperwork ready, congrats Rachel Roth, you're going back to school."
"Hurray, can't wait." Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes.
Suddenly the sound of sirens began to resound in the distance as flashing lights appeared against eh windows
"Ah, shit." Rachel growled.
"Get out of there, you can't afford to get caught here." said Bruce.
"Well duh." Rachel said before her body suddenly morphed into a shadow shaped like a large black bird that phased out of the room like the wall was mere liquid.
She phased out into an alleyway, and as she pulled on her leather jacket, she felt something slam straight into her nose, sending her sprawling.
"S-sorry!" Rachel began right before going very quiet.
The boy standing over her, had such a scary face it was hard to say anything once you saw it. It almost felt like he was wearing a permanent scowl. His messy light colored hair seemed at odds with his neat Japanese Blazer uniform.
"You alright?" The boy grunted.
"Er- uh.. sure." said Rachel.
"Good, then you can stand up on your own." the boy grunted. "If you're a capable person you shouldn't just wait around on the ground expecting somebody you never met to be chivalrous, it's damn selfish."
"I don't need anyone to help me up." Rachel muttered as she stood up.
"Eh? Good." said the boy. "Later. If I catch you at UA, I hope you're still that capable at the least."
"What makes you think you'll see me at that Academy for Heroes?" Rachel said with surprise.
"Ya got that look in your eyes." The boy glared the girl. "Of somebody's whose thirstin' after goal.. what other goal is there to really thirst after in this city other than Top Hero? But just so you know, yer gonna fail."
"Why?" Rachel asked. This boy was presumptuous to the extreme, and rude as hell, it was fair to say after days if not years, of hanging out with an old pessimist who was always talking about preparing for the worst, Rachel found this interaction with another human being refreshing.
"Cause.. That Number 1 Hero spot is going to me." said the boy. "An undisputable first spot as the number one hero, that's my aim! Got me!?"
The boy walked off, shouldering his school bag grumpily.
"He's interesting." Rachel murmured.
"He's rash, headstrong, and abrasive." said Bruce. "He's pretty well known, one of the students from the UA sports festival."
"Really?" said Rachel. "Didn't watch. Wait.. please don't tell me you're already starting to psychologically profile all the kids in the school."
"Rachel, you're there for work not school. You're not there to make friends. Its not like we're going to stay in this world forever."
"Yeah, well, maybe it's not so bad to want to settle down in some universe where we aren't getting blown up yet." said Rachel.
"Rachel, we talked about this." said Bruce.
"Yeah yeah, whatever.." Rachel muttered as she put on the hood over jacket, casting a shadow over her face. "Like you said before.. it's the life we chose.."
