Relic-Verse: Champions of Hope

Prologue

Vilova, the last bastion of hope for the billions displaced by intense war that consumed their homeworlds. A massive sprawling city on the far off planet of Laurion, filled with the hundreds of diverse cultures from all of the alien races that inhabit it.

At the city's heart is the Laurion Alliance, a constantly rotating council composed of representatives from the many different races and groups that help the city run. At the side of the council, acting as their bodyguards, peacekeepers, and police for the city, is SWAN. And next to SWAN is the Neo World Defenders, a group of Inhuman superheroes who, alongside the hundreds of independently operating heroes, act as the main responders to dangerous criminal activity and as beacons of hope and determination for the people of the city.

A new program from the Next Gen Institute is put in place, with the ultimate goal of giving the next generation of heroes field experience so they are capable of standing up and continuing to provide hope for the city.

And all the while, a series of mysterious patterns arise, setting the stage for what could possibly become a universe defining, if not ending, event.

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Abraham walked through the halls of the Central Headquarters, wearing a clean grey tux and matching top hat. His breathing was steady, but his thoughts were anything but. An emergency meeting with the SWAN Managers was nothing to take lightly, and his mind was on overdrive thinking of all the possible events that were about to transpire.

Villains running rampant. Could this mean the Defenders working overtime? Or hiring out bounty hunters again? Possibly even something more drastic considering the... Circumstances of the last few months. His cape flowed gently behind him as he picked up the pace, turning down the maze-like halls of the facility until he reached a large reinforced double door. As he approached, the door buzzed to life, opening up and allowing the hero to enter.

Before him was a large black room with a dome ceiling. A large semi circle table encompassed nearly the entire room, with a dozen people seated at it and facing towards the entrance, their faces dimly lit by the lights embedded in the floor. In the center of the room was a face he barely recognized as the esteemed principal of the Next Gen Institute.

She turned to acknowledge his entrance before facing back towards the Managers. "You must be kidding me. No parent in their right mind would go along with this!"

The person in the middle of the table nodded, "Which is why they cannot know the exact details of this. If it weren't for the current situation of Vilova, this wouldn't even be an option on the table."

"You're talking about endangering kids! High schoolers no less! They have next to no field experience! And you want to kick them right into the center of it!"

"We are out of alternatives!" The manager's fist slammed onto the table to silence the principal. "Trust me! We have exhausted every path at this point! This is our last resort! We have the heroes working round the clock! Our police force is spread so thin our recruiters are practically on their knees begging people to just look at the offer! Those students have immense talent, skill, and potential! And we need their help! So will you do this? Will you do this for the sake of Vilova?!"

The principal took a breath to argue, before faltering and stepping back. "Fine. I won't deny their potential, they are our pride and joy. But that very same reason is why I cannot let them become mere pawns for SWAN... I need time to think this over and discuss with the staff. Until then, you won't get a final decision from me." Without another word she turned and left, brushing past Abraham on her way out.

"Abraham Grey... It is a pleasure to see you again. Or rather, it would be if not for the current situation," the Manager, seemingly cooled down, beckoned for Grey to step forward.

"The feeling is mutual sir," he took off his hat and bowed before stepping forth into the center of the table, all 12 pairs of eyes focusing on him.

"It would be disingenuous to dance around the issue, sir. So to cut straight to the point, we need your help.'' The one at the head of the table turned on a projection, which displayed the extensive list that was the SWAN Criminal Database on the wall behind them. "Thanks to you and the Neo World Defenders, we have brought in seven thousand criminals from the heroes alone. As I am sure you are aware, no small feat, thank you from the Laurion Alliance. However, we have reasons to believe there are some larger villains starting to poke around. Most notably, Judge and Gizmo. With the absence of the Wardens after their attack on the Inhuman Prisons, their activity is nothing to take lightly. So we have a deal to make."

Grey nodded along, studying the profiles of the aforementioned villains pulled up on the projection. Judge's profile with a massive question mark over the appearance, and Gizmo's featuring a man in a white lab coat with grey hair and a crazed look in his eyes.

"If you and the other heroes on your team would be willing, with the evacuation efforts finalized, you can start to return to a less stressful schedule. However, in turn for this, we need you to start looking into the whereabouts of these two super villains."

"So you're offering us a break if we try to hunt down Gizmo and Judge?"

"Precisely. We still need your help, and I am sorry about the circumstances, but this would be the most effective way to give you and your team a much needed rescheduling, while still having your assistance."

"What if we are unable to find anything? What if they get enough force to attack us personally?"

"You have Faron, one of the best registered detectives, and with everyone's connections, I am positive you can find something. And as for your safety... We need you to remove Squidling from your team."

Grey looked taken aback, "Why's that?"

"It is no mystery, he is the youngest member of your team, that's why he has his secret identity after all. However, with Gizmo and Judge on the horizon causing problems, he would be in far too much danger for us to reasonably allow him to continue operating with your team. It wouldn't sit right,"

"Yet you're letting him go into the field with his classmates as a part of a training program?"

"It's a different situation."

"Yet it is the same kid and same job."

"Context matters, Grey. It is for his own safety that you remove him from the team so he is not targeted by stronger villains."

Grey sighed and put his hands behind his back, "Very well. I will inform him of his removal from the team. Do you have any update on Master Black?"

"Agent Black is currently undercover, chasing some leads and posting bounties for Hunters to take up. We will alert you when he returns." The manager pressed a button to turn off the projection. "Thank you for your service, Mister Grey.

Abraham bowed and turned to leave. "Thank you for your assistance."