Cryotion City {The Ultimate Edition}

Volume 12 - [The Future of Cryotion]

Spectre stepped through the wrecked Cryotion music arena. "Lou... How close are we to starting your little concert. I'd like the beginning of Armageddon to begin." Lou stood in the middle of the wreckage, his usually joyful demeanor replaced with solemn determination. He glanced at his watch, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Almost there, Spectre. Another thirty minutes to go." Spectre nodded, his attention shifting to the ravaged venue. Broken chairs, shattered glass, and debris littered the area. He allowed a small smirk to form on his lips, taking in the chaos around him. "This city will finally see our strength. The world will realize that we are not to be underestimated." Spectre nodded, his attention shifting to the ravaged venue. Broken chairs, shattered glass, and debris littered the area. He allowed a small smirk to form on his lips, taking in the chaos around him. "This city will finally see our strength. The world will realize that we are not to be underestimated. Sooner we begin, The sooner i can see the man who caused my brothers death." Lou chuckled, his own anticipation growing. "Yes, it won't be long now." His eyes flickered up to the clock on the wall, watching the minutes tick by. "Twenty-five minutes to show time." "Have you gotten close to getting your little friend back... To think of him working with friends of his fathers killer.." Spectre spoke to Lou's ear touching at his shoulder from behind referring to Lucious. Lou tensed slightly at the mention of Lucious, a hint of concern in his eyes. "I'm working on it. He's stubborn, but I'm getting close. He'll see that we're in the right eventually." "He has so much more potential..." Spectre hummed. "He does," Lou agreed, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "He's got powers most could only dream of. But he refuses to see the truth, just like the rest of the brainwashed heroes in this city." "We have to show him... to show him our way is the right way.... With your song and his lightning no one will stop us from reforming this city." Spectre sneered. Lou's eyes flickered with determination, a small smile forming on his face. "You're right. With my music and his power, we can make people question everything they thought about the current order. We'll force them to open their eyes and see the truth." "They took your friend from you... They took my brother from me... Together and with the villain league we will take their city from them..." Spectre sang out. Lou nodded, his expression hardening. "Damn right. They've taken too much from all of us. It's time we show them what happens when you push people to their limits." "Now... Fetch Zip and Viperous and get things in motion. I want exits shut on lockdown after Kaboom free's Dream keeper to keep that hero league inside the arena. Dream keeper and Kaboom will then spread through the city starting chaos, encouraging thugs, and more so." Spectre instructed. Lou nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Consider it done, Spectre. I'll get Zip and Viperous and we'll get things moving. Dream keeper and Kaboom will ensure chaos spreads through the city, and no one will leave this arena until we're ready for them to." "I want to put on a show... One that 'The One and only' can provide..." Spectre started. "I want that hero league trapped in here long enough riots can break out-" Lou grinned at Spectre's words, the excitement rising within him. "And trapped they will be. We've planned this out perfectly, and with Dream keeper and Kaboom causing chaos outside, the hero league will be stuck in the arena with no escape." "And while they're stuck in here, we'll have the chance to make our message heard. The city will know the truth, and they'll know that we're the ones in control now," Spectre continued, his voice growing more intense. "We'll have them right where we want them. They won't be able to stop us from showing the world what is really going on. They think they're untouchable, but we'll show them who is truly in charge," Lou added, a sly smile on his lips. Spectre smirked at Lou's words, a hint of satisfaction in his expression. "You're damm right. Those so-called heroes will realize they're not invincible. They've gotten complacent, thinking they can control this city. But we'll show them what happens when reality bites back." As the time ticked down to the start of the concert, the air within the arena felt charged with tension. The sounds of last minute preparations and equipment being adjusted echoed through the large space. Lou was backstage, making final adjustments to his gear, while Zip and Viperous were positioned at each entrance. The crowd grew restless, anticipating the start of the music, unaware of the chaos that was about to unfold. The lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the arena. Lou took center stage with his eyes glowing as he prepared to use his hypnotic song to make the citizens attack each other. "Ladies and gentleman..." Lou spoke into the microphone as he gazed out over the crowd, the spotlight shining on him. "Are you ready for a show unlike any other, a performance that will leave you speechless and begging for more?" The crowd erupted into cheers, the sound of their excitement filling the arena. Lou smiled, his eyes flickering with a sly look as he continued speaking, his voice full of charisma. "That's what I thought," he said, a hint of arrogance in his tone. "But tonight, we're not just going to entertain you. We're going to show you something so amazing, so incredible, that you will be left in a trance..." The lights dimmed further, and a low, hypnotizing beat started playing through the sound system, adding to the atmosphere. Lou started singing, his voice low and alluring, his eyes glowing brighter as he began his song. As he sang, the crowd's eyes became fixated on him, their expressions changing as if they were being put under a spell. The hypnotic beat and Lou's voice combined, creating an effect on the minds of the audience. The first few verses went by, and the effect of the song became more apparent. The audience was entranced, their eyes glassy, their bodies still as Lou continued singing. Spectre circled through the crowd like a wolf amongst sheep awaiting heroes to be sent to the area. He checked his phone admiring the updates from the other villains who started engaging their chaos as scheduled. As Spectre moved through the crowd, the effects of Lou's song became more and more apparent. The crowd was now completely entranced, their faces blank and expressionless as they stared at the stage. The tension in the arena was thick, with only Spectre seeming unaffected by the hypnotic melody. With the first verse almost completed, Spectre continued his path through the crowd, his eyes scanning for any signs of heroes approaching. The security guards and event staff were just as affected as the civilians, their minds consumed by the song. Time seemed to slow down as Spectre weaved through the entranced audience, a small smirk forming on his lips. The plan was going smoothly, and soon the hero team would be trapped inside the arena with no hope of escape. Even if they did the chaos started would be too late to stop. As he neared the stage, Spectre glanced up at Lou, who was still singing, his voice getting louder. The second verse had begun, and the effect of the song was becoming even stronger. The audience was now completely under Lou's control, their minds blanked and submissive to his every command. Suddenly one of the speakers sparked up when strike of orange lightning struck at one of the speakers on the stage. "Enough of this Lou-" Lucious shouted having arrived on his own early before his team to try and talk sense into Lou. The electric crackle of lightning and Lucious' voice cut through the air, breaking through the enchantment of the song. Lou paused his singing, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Lucious standing on the stage with him. "Lucious..." Lou said, his voice filled with a mixture of shock and annoyance. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here..." "I could ask you the same thing, Lou..." Lucious retorted, his hands glowing with electricity as he stepped closer to his former friend. "You're working with Spectre and his villain buddies, and singing to put innocent people under a spell. Is this really you now?" Lou rolled his eyes, his expression hardening. "I'm just doing what needs to be done, Lucious. You wouldn't understand. You're still stuck in your heroic mindset, believing that everything can be solved with a punch and a flashy catchphrase. Those men your around are killers. Kash Brady supported the man who killed your father-" Lucious tensed at the mention of Kash and his father's death, his eyes narrowing. "I know that, but that doesn't make the people you're working with any better. You think that what you're doing is right, but at what cost? You're brainwashing innocent civilians, causing chaos and violence." "Spectre has a plan to set us free- You want to support the man responsible for his brothers death- the man who's father supported the man of your fathers death-! Your arround that Copper Knight Roman Brady all the time- he was trained by the man who killed your father... How do you know he won't kill you too?!" Lou snapped irrationally. Lucious took a step back, clearly caught off guard by Lou's outburst. "What...?" He blinked, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. "You're saying Roman... Roman could turn on me too? That's absurd. He's my friend. He's never given me any reason to doubt him." Lou snorted, a bitter smile on his face. "You're so naive, Lucious. You trust too easily. Just like you trusted me, and look where it got you. You think because someone is your friend, they won't betray you? You really are just like all those other 'good' heroes...News flash Von Allen was your fathers friend before he killed him." Lucious bristled at Lou's words, his hands clenching into fists. "That's different... Roman isn't like Von. He's a good person, a hero. He would never..." "Wake up Lucious- His father was once called The Hero Killer of Cryotion!" Lou shouted. Lucious' eyes widened, and a pang of unease settled in his gut. "W-what...?" He stammered, his mind racing. "You...you're serious? Roman's father was the Hero Killer...? But how... he's never said anything about that." Lou chuckled darkly. "Of course he hasn't. Why would he tell you that his father was the man responsible for the death of so many heroes? It would ruin the perfect illusion you've fallen for." "They used violence to "Purify" the city.... Von Allen's ways involved murder. Tony Bramble, Joey Nickle, Johnathan Thompson- Grit Thompson... You think that many people die and it's nothing?" Lou sneered. Lucious paled, his mind racing as he tried to process what Lou was telling him. The names of the hero league before Hercules took over that he barely knew much about. "How... How do you know all this?" he choked out. "While you were hiding on the outskirts of the city, I never left. I watched it all from the sidelines." Lou explained. Lucious' expression was a mix of shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You... You've been watching all this time? And you never said anything...? Why?" "You don't think i didn't try- I called... i mailed letters- You never answered. Then all of a sudden i see you on television with this new Hero league led by Hercules Grimes himself." Lou huffed. Lucious was speechless, his mind still reeling from the information he was being bombarded with. He never realized how much Lou had witnessed, how much pain he must have gone through alone. "I...I had no idea..." he managed to stutter out. "I never received any of your letters...I was so immersed in being a hero, I never stopped to think..." Lou's expression softened slightly, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "And that's the problem, Lucious. You're so focused on being a hero, on doing what's 'right,' that you've lost sight of what's really important. You've never stopped to look at the damage your actions have caused, the people who have been hurt in the crossfire." Lou opened his arms stretched at him. "We can fix that... You still have a choice." Lucious looked at Lou, his mind conflicted. On one hand, everything he believed in was screaming at him to resist, to fight, to stop this madness. On the other hand, there was a part of him that couldn't deny the truth. The city had problems, and the hero league wasn't perfect either. Lou softly hummed the tune of his hypnotic song coaxing at Lucious to come to him. Lucious felt the melody of the song tugging at his consciousness, trying to draw him in. He tried to resist, to fight against the pull, but the tune was too strong. Against his will, he found himself taking a step forward, drawn towards Lou as if on autopilot. "I'm the last bit of home you have left..." Lou softly spoke. Lucious' mind was clouding over, the last bit of resistance melting away as he took another step forward. Lou's words echoed in his mind, the sound of a home, of comfort, of acceptance. He wanted it, longed for it, even as part of him screamed in protest. As Lucious stepped closer, Lou's eyes glinted with satisfaction. "That's it," he murmured, his voice soft and soothing. "You're doing so well. Just let go, give in. Your home." Lucious' mind was becoming more befuddled by the second as he drew closer to Lou, his movements becoming more sluggish and his thoughts becoming fuzzy. It was as if the song was drawing him deeper and deeper into a state of mindless obedience. As Lucious stood directly in front of Lou, his eyes glazed over and his mind completely entranced by the song. Lou gently pulled him into an embrace. "There you go," he murmured gently. "See how easy it was to come home?" Spectre then rose his head at the sounds of the heroes coming. Lou's gaze flickered up for a moment, sensing the approaching heroes. He tightened his grip on Lucious, keeping him close to his side. The arena suddenly erupted into chaos as the heroes burst onto the scene, ready to take on the villain team. But Spectre had planned ahead, and with Lou's song still affecting the crowd, the heroes found themselves facing an army of brainwashed spectators. "What is the plan-" Roman asked standing beside Hercules when they got into the main area of the arena leaving Fue and Nathaniel to handle fighting zip and viperous outside. Hercules clenched his jaw, his eyes scanning the crowd of mindless civilians. "First, we have to take care of the crowd," he said. "Lou's song is still affecting them. We NEED to snap them out of it." The heroes began to battle their way through the crowds, attempting to reach the speakers that were still blasting Lou's song. The sound filled the air, making it difficult to focus on anything but the melody. "Roman-" Marrow alerted pointing at Lucious who was clung to Lou like a puppy. Roman's gaze followed where Marrow was pointing, and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Lucious. "What the hell-" he exclaimed. "What's happened to him? Is he...is he brainwashed?" Hercules' expression darkened when he saw Lucious' condition. "Looks like it," he said grimly. "He's completely entranced by Lou. We need to get him to snap out of it." The heroes continued their battle through the crowd, fighting off any brainwashed civilians who got in their way. All the while, they kept their eyes on Lucious, knowing they couldn't let him stay under Lou's control for too long. "Not so fast Copper Knight-" Spectre snapped loudly at Roman. "Who the hell is this guy-" Roman asked Hercules. Hercules looked at Spectre. he explained. "He's responsible for all of this chaos. He's working with Lou, using Lou's song to control the crowd. Aside from that not sure who he is-" "Listen i don't know why your doing this but-" Roman started to explain. "You are the reason my brother is dead!" Spectre snapped with his green glowing eyes brightening as he snarled. Roman raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the accusation. "Me? What are you talking about? What does your brother have to do with me?" "You were there when his helicopter blew-" Spectre snarled. Hercules froze up eye wide as it clicked. "Adam legacy's brother-" he whispered. Roman took a step back, realizing what Spectre was implying. "Wait, wait, you can't seriously think I had anything to do with that..." "You were there as one of the so called 'heroes' the 'justice' men and women of the state!" Spectre snapped. "You didn't do a thing to stop the accident that took my brother from me!" "It was out of our control!" Roman protested. "None of us could have done anything to stop that helicopter from crashing when Cosmin Borne was ressurected-." "But you didn't even try-!" Spectre roared. "You just stood there while my brother died! You and all your so called hero league members stood by and did nothing. You're no better than the villain league." "And you all will know it-" Spectre snapped. Hercules scowled angrily at Spectre. "You're going too far, dude. We're heroes. We try our best to save lives, but sometimes things are out of our control-" "Like teaming with killers-" Spectre snarled as he charged through the crowd. "Wait, hang on-!" Hercules started, but it was too late. Spectre had charged through the crowd, weaving through the brainwashed civilians with ease.  "Damn it-" Roman cursed, pushing through the crowd. "We have to stop him before he does something rash!" Spectre's eyes glowed brightly as he rushed at Hercules swinging his fist with a green dark glowing aura. The merging of Galivants amulet had affected Wallers body in a way that turned him into a walking immortal corpse almost. Hercules was fast, dodging the first blow from Spectres glowing fist. He ducked and weaved, trying to find an opening to counterattack. "You'll have to do better than that!" he taunted. But Spectre was undeterred. his eyes glowing with anger and determination. He continued his assault on Hercules, punching and kicking with a ferocity that belied his undead condition. But Hercules wasn't backing down. He dodged and parried each blow, his years of experience and training making him a formidable opponent for even a walking corpse like Spectre."Is that all you got?" he taunted, trying to get under Spectre's skin. Roman rushed after them trying to get Spectre off of Hercules losing track of Lou who was quickly leading Lucious away out the back doors as planned. He kept up his part of the bargain. Lou continued to flee into the city with Lucious in his grasp. Roman threw hard swings and strikes into Spectre as the three men brawled it out over guests and citizens who were unfortunate to be there. The brawl was intense, with Hercules, Roman, and Spectre locked in a fierce battle. Hercules was holding his own, using his strength and experience to block and counter Spectre's attacks. But even he was struggling to match the man's resilience. Roman was doing his best to provide backup, throwing punches and jabs at Spectre wherever he could. But it was like trying to fight against a tidal wave. No matter how many times they knocked him down, the undead man got back up again, his gaze fixed on Hercules with a fierce intensity. "You think stopping me will end anything!" Spectre insulted slinging Roman at a wall. Roman slammed into the wall with a thud, momentarily stunned. He struggled to get up, his head spinning from the impact. "You're insane-" he ground out, pushing himself to his feet again. Hercules took advantage of Spectre's distraction with Roman to launch a powerful attack of his own. With a mighty punch, he sent the undead villain stumbling backwards. "You won't win this, Spectre-" Hercules panted, breathing heavily from exertion. "You'll be stopped, and justice will be served-" But Spectre just laughed, his voice harsh and cold. "Justice? You think you heroes have any idea what justice is? You're all the same, playing in your little league with your fancy gadgets and spandex. Take me in... Watch how fast i'm set free- You cannot stop us... I have a following... My lambs will free their ram." Hercules clenched his jaw, anger flickering in his eyes at Spectre's words. "We'll see about that-" he said through gritted teeth. "We'll take you down, and the rest of your followers with you-" But Spectre just chuckled again, unbothered by the threat. "You can try-" he said mockingly. "But you won't succeed. My lambs are loyal, they'll fight to the death for me-" Roman pushed himself up approaching to Hercules. Roman approached Hercules, still looking a little shaken from his previous hit. "We need to end this, now-" he said, his voice urgent. "Sooner he is locked up we can work on the rest-" Hercules nodded in agreement, his eyes still locked onto Spectre. "You're right-" he said. "We need to finish this, and fast-" Together, Hercules and Roman launched another attack on Spectre, coordinating their moves to try and overwhelm the undead villain. It was a brutal struggle, with each punch and kick met with a counterattack from Spectre. But the heroes were determined, refusing to back down despite the exhaustion starting to tug at their limbs. But eventually, they began to get the upper hand. Spectre's movements started to grow slower and sluggish, his attacks less precise and powerful. "Looks like he's tiring-" Hercules grunted, landing a powerful blow to Spectre's midsection. Roman nodded, panting heavily. "We've got him on the ropes-" he said. "Just a little more-" Hercules then heavy slammed into Spectre with his shoulder to launch him to Roman. The impact of the heavy slam sent Spectre flying, disoriented and off-balance. Roman took the opportunity to unleash a powerful sonic boom with his wings. The sound wave crashed into Spectre, knocking him off his feet and sending him sprawling onto the ground. The two heroes stood over him, breathing heavily, both watching to see if he would get back up again. Hercules rushed to pin Spectre. "Hurry the cuffs-" Hercules ordered at Roman. Roman quickly retrieved a pair of high-tech cuffs from his belt, rushing over to where Hercules was grappling with Spectre. He quickly secured the cuffs around Spectre's wrists, ensuring they were tight and secure. The villain struggled against them, but it was no use. "Got him-" Hercules said, breathing heavily. "He's not going anywhere now-" Roman nodded, a sense of relief washing over him as he looked down at the bound Spectre. "We did it-" he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "We actually did it-" But even as they celebrated their victory, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Spectre's threats echoed in their ears, and they knew they had only won one battle in a much larger war. As they dragged Spectre out of the arena and towards police cruisers waiting outside, the sound of his laughter filled the air. It was a crazed, almost maniacal sound that sent shivers down their spines. Roman paused as Hercules did at the sounds of massive explosions all across the city were erupting with sirens and traffic. The once peaceful quiet cold city now loud and chaotic. "What the-" Hercules said, looking around in confusion. "What's going on?" Roman's eyes widened as the sounds of explosions and chaos filled the air. "This can't be good..." "You wanted to play hero so badly... Now you get to forever-" Spectre laughed like a mad man as he was taken into the back of an armored CCPD van. Roman and Hercules exchanged a worried glance as they saw Spectre being taken away. "This can't be good-" Hercules repeated, his voice low. "We need to get moving, see what's happening-" As Spectre was being taken to the CCPD the city was being flipped upside down with crime and chaos as wild as it once was reminding Roman of his childhood and Hercules of how bad things once were. It was like an eternal loop... This time real heroes... real villains... As the city descended into chaos, Roman and Hercules could only watch in horror as everything spiraled out of control. It was as if they were witnessing the darkest days of Cryotion City all over again... except this time, they were the ones expected to stop it. Spectre kept his head down laughing and cackling as guards escorted him through the cell block halls of Sector 5 in the prison where they kept the strongest superable beings. Spectre's eyes shifted at Eric Brady's as he was placed in the cell across the way from his. "You look like someone i know..." Spectre mused as his cell door was locked. Eric, who was sitting on his bed, looked up as the guards placed Spectre across the hall. He raised an eyebrow at the villain's comment. "Who do I look like?" he asked, curiously. Spectre went to speak only to give a look of disgust at the photo posted in Eric's cell of Kash Brady holding a younger Roman Brady. "The one who killed my brother..." Eric's eyes flickered to the photo as Spectre spoke. He bristled at the mention of Kash. "You mean my no good brother who abandoned me and his chicken shit son." Eric's voice was bitter as he spoke about his brother, the anger and betrayal still clearly evident after all these years. "He wasn't a hero-" he spat. "He was a coward who ran away from his responsibilities..." "You and i have the same enemy..." Spectre smirked wryly. "I think we will get along fine..." A look of reluctant agreement crossed Eric's face. "I suppose we do..." he said slowly. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."

The city was in chaos.Villains roamed the streets, wreaking havoc and destruction wherever they went. The once peaceful Cryotion City had turned into a breeding ground for crime and disorder.But the heroes were not idle. Led by Hercules and Copper Knight, they fought tirelessly to restore order. With the help of allies old and new, they worked to bring peace back to the city.But the battle was not easily won. The villains fought back fiercely, determined to cling to the chaos they had unleashed. 
{The end}