Agents of E.A.R.T.H.Every Hero Has A Beginning V.2

Prologue

New York, New York, July 22nd 1904

It was sweltering that summer day. The streets were packed with hustling bodies all focused on their own jobs and lives. The clip clop of horses hooves on the stone streets echoed as men and women shuffled down the street. None would have looked twice if someone yelled for a hansom cab and became furious at being ignored. Some were so narrow minded that when bumped into they would not notice. A simple bump meant nothing. Life moved on. So when something happens in a place like this, you would think someone would notice. Anyone, a child, an elder or even a homeless man. None noticed it.

"It" was the twenty foot tall monster stomping down the street. Aside from being extremely tall it had the weight to match. With every step the cobblestone street cracked and the few carts that were on the street shook. Its clawed feet were the size of a large St. Bernard. Its entire body, covered in dark green scales, screeched as they shifted when it roared making a sound similar to nails on a chalkboard. It had three eyes all of them green with a large black pupil. Its mouth was surprisingly absent of all teeth. Gums lined its mouth and a large tongue hung grotesquely out from between its lips. Long like a snakes, the tongue went to work doing what it did best. It found food. Whipping faster than the eye could comprehend; the tongue wrapped itself around an empty hansom cab and ate it horse and all. As it fell into its mouth its cheeks stretched swallowing the cart whole. Soon the entire cab was gone in its mouth and a loud grinding noise came from its belly. The mouth went from chipmunk chubbiness to normal in seconds. Its eyes searched for its next meal.

Now you're thinking ok, the people had to have noticed by now. Nope. They all were used to loud noises, rumbling and the ground quaking. Why should anything be wrong? The monster made its way along the street eating the few automobiles around, all thankfully empty, until it came to a bus. This bus was filled with people. They all looked up at once and saw this behemoth. Immediately the bus was filled with screams and in a panic the passengers began flooding out. The monster ate the bus but now it had gotten the attention of the entire street. The citizens ran about like chickens with their heads cut off, frightened out of their wits. Several police officers broke through the crowd and lifted their guns. Round after round their small pistols fired. The bullets seemed to bounce off the monsters skin. It turned its head its three eyes picking out the officers in seconds. It glared angrily at them as if they were annoying pests. The police in fear ran away just as a firetruck pulled into the vicinity. The firemen took one look at the monster, the screaming people and the crying police men and ran along with them. Soon the street was empty and the beast went to work eating automobiles and small chunks of building.

A man and woman happened to come out of their apartment at this exact moment. Why they didn't notice all of the screaming throngs of people I don't know but it was horrible timing anyways. The woman laid eyes on the monster and the highest pitched, screechy scream tore from her lips. The man, her husband, tried in vain to quiet her but this woman was not going to shut up. The monster annoyed by the ringing in its ears turned to see the man shaking the woman in an effort to calm her. It licked its lips with its fat snake tongue and got ready to have a small snack, when a figure came running at the couple! Not slowing for impact the figure picked up both adults and ran back the way it came. When it stopped at the fire truck it became apparent that it was a boy.

The boy was muscular and tall. His brown hair was swept to the side and he had a sly smile plastered on his mug. His grey suit fit him nicely and his coattails just grazed the ground. He wore no shoes or socks. The woman now recovered, grabbed her husband's hand and they ran in the opposite direction of the beast. The monster was peeved. His snack had run off and now all he had was a small creature hardly worth eating. Oh well. It got ready to snatch the boy when water, cold and suffocating, hit its face! It gargled in anger and helplessness until the relentless torrent was turned off. Its center eye saw that another smaller blonde haired boy and an even more muscular red haired boy stood at the other side of the firetruck, hose in hand. The blonde boy was slight in frame with glasses perched on the end of his nose. His red suit hung loosely on him and it seemed he could almost slip out of the cloth at any moment. The red head was super beefy, basically a male model. His suit was the opposite of the blonde, so tight that it was almost ripping. At seeing these two holding the hose the monster was filled with rage stomping its feet, shaking the ground. A girl came out from behind the firetruck holding a long chain and she passed one end to the brown haired boy. This girl was a brunette, her hair tied up in a ponytail. She wore a long sleeved button up t-shirt that had the sleeves rolled up and some trousers which were held up by suspenders. She was barefoot and when she ran her feet slapped the cobblestone. The two nodded at the hose boys and ran at the monster, chain outstretched.

Immediately the two boys turned on the hose splashing the monster forcing it backward. It put an arm in front of its face trying to shield it from the blast but it still was forced to close all three of its eyes. The girl and boy grabbed hold of the scales and shimmied up its right leg like a monkey up a tree. Standing on either shoulder they looped the chain over the neck of the monster and snugged it up to its chin. The monsters eyes widened and it clutched at the chain ignoring the torrent of water. The girl ran towards the boy and they jumped down crisscrossing the chain and wrapping it fully around its neck. They stood in front of them holding the chain, pulling it tighter. The blonde and red head ran over and helped grabbing on to the extra chain, the blonde helping the boy and the red head helping the girl.

Soon the monsters eyes began to bug out and it gasped feebly for breath. Until finally, it swayed back and forth preparing to tumble forward. With a small weak cry it fell forward towards the kids. They let go of the chain, ran back and with a thud that cracked the stone the monster lay still on the street.

A clapping noise suddenly filled the air. The kids turned to see a man wearing a lab coat clapping his hands shaking his head in amazement. He walked up to the monster and in one quick motion pulled a needle from his coat and injected it into its neck.

"I'm impressed." The man said. His voice was scratchy and slightly high pitched. As he got closer to the group they noticed how strange he truly was. His hair was brown but extremely erect. Standing straight in the air it seemed he had just gotten an electric shock. His eyes were behind glasses that were so thick that they weren't able to tell what colour his eyes were. His chin had some small scraggly hairs dangling and when he smiled his teeth glowed with perfection.

"Who are you?" The boy with the brown hair asked.

"My name is Dr. Chip. Sorry about the monster, I thought that my containment unit could handle his sheer strength but I guess not." At this he chuckled, a wheezy sound that almost sounded like a whistle.

"What do you want?" this time the girl piped up directing her brown eyes in a fierce gaze at the Doctor.

"Nothing at all but a few minutes of your time." He said reasonably.

The boy raised his eyebrow and nodded slowly. "If the authorities show up were leaving."

"Understood." Dr. Chip said smiling. "I have been working on a large underground base that was meant to be my lab but seeing you here, fighting together, has made me rethink my plan. When my monster was doing his whole rampaging Godzilla thing I was figuring out how to get the sedative into his body. Then you four showed up. The police had run in fear and no one was there to help but somehow you, mere children, managed to stop it. I propose you come with me and help me start something. A base where the members are dedicated to helping the authorities whenever they are not able to do anything. A base that can restore hope when there seems there is none. I know you have it rough. Your clothing shows as much. Even if you were to just come to my base I would be happy. If you don't I will report you to the authorities so will you join me?"

The leader stepped forward. "Are you trying to blackmail us? The people who just took down your super strong monster? I don't know how you would think we would allow you to do that, however at this moment in time I think we are willing to come with you...or at least to hear the rest of your plan at this base of yours."

"I couldn't ask for anything more." Dr. Chip smiled broadly the light bouncing off his teeth, extending a slightly calloused hand to the boy. He took it.