Breaking Points

Subject: Breaking Points Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:25 am

She crouched on the edge of the rooftop overlooking Steel Canyon’s university. It was busy today and the sun was bright in the daytime sky. It was almost too peaceful, and if she allowed herself to, she could have almost forgotten her current task. She had received word from the Vanguard that another Rikti invasion was imminent. She hated the Rikti with extreme prejudice, and she had no qualms about making that fact very clear when the subject was ever brought up. It wasn’t that they had ever directly done anything to her, but enough of her friends and super group members had lost loved ones in the constant invasions that took place. It disgusted her honestly, yet at the same time, she was glad because her family had long since been gone. They would never have to know the horror that was the Rikti. She had made sure of that after she joined the Vanguard. The early warnings had armed her with the means to get them out of Paragon. Her parents and two younger brothers were now safely tucked away in their hometown in southern Texas.

She didn’t talk to them much these days though. She spent much of her time taking down as many Arch-Villains as she could. Her latest conquest had her sights set on taking down Ghost Widow. She already had a couple run-ins with Recluse’s main Widow on different occasions in Recluse’s Victory. She was almost always alone in there so she had yet to bring the ethereal bitch in. But to her own satisfaction, she had been a big enough pain in the ass to merit an “Execute on sight.” Order issued by Recluse via his meddling arbiters. She found it very amusing, and would normally be knee deep in some Arachnos rear end, but today she was vigilant. You never knew when the Rikti would appear. Besides, this was Steel Canyon. This was her home now. She even attended this very same University once upon a time. She let her mind wander briefly back to that seemingly far away time. A time before she wore these tights. A time before she made the head lines or newscasts. A time before her name was Molecular Combustion. A time when she simply went by Molly Decker.

The breeze was warm as it blew through the University courtyard. She loved the summer months before it became unbearably hot. This was her fourth term here at this school. She was studying Biology and a slew of other subjects in her pursuit of a Geneticist degree. She wanted to better understand her mutant nature. She was one of the lucky kids. Her parents had truly loved her unconditionally in spite of her “condition” as it was referred to by the doctors. Instead of sending her away and forgetting that she existed, they moved here to Steel Canyon, so that Molly could feel accepted. They didn’t want their daughter to grow up being called names, or referred to as a freak. This was their daughter, and they would do anything to help her have a happy life. So they figured that what better place, then a city that was known for others like their daughter, and they succeeded. She had a happy childhood, and was around enough other mutants in her life, that she was taught how to control her abilities. She wasn’t exactly sure which she thought was the cooler ability that she could fire blasts of atomic energy or that she could conjure up and manipulate fire. And though she lived in a city known for the heroes who had similar powers, she never gave it a thought that she should join them among those ranks. She only had three concerns in those times. Her family, which consisted of her father; a wealthy oil tycoon who acquired the mass of his money at a young age, her mother who she always thought about, and always told Molly that she was no better than anyone else regardless of her powers. Her mother’s most mentioned phrase as she was growing up was “You put your damned pants on one leg at a time just like the rest of these folk. Don’t let them ever tell you otherwise.” Then there were her two younger brothers, David at fifteen years old, and Jimmy at ten years old. Those of her family were followed by her school work, and her boyfriend Jeremy. To her, school was serious and she gave one hundred and twenty percent to it, but when it came to Jeremy she found that her palms would sweat and her knees grew weak. Her heart skipped beats and her stomach got the flutters when he was around. She loved him deeply and with her entire being. He wasn’t like her though. He was just an ordinary guy in an extraordinary city. Something about him just got to her. Drove her wild. Though genetics was her interest, Jeremy was her passion.

She was brought back from her thoughts by a few college students taking notice of her bright red top and mask. Not to mention the unmistakable crest that was emblazoned on her chest signifying that she was among the ranks of Stryke Force Beta. They yelled out greetings to her and she lazily waved in return. She decided it was time to move else where in search of crimes or alien invasions, so she headed towards the yellow line. Her feet shoved off the ground and she launched into the sky with ease. It only took her a few moments to reach the Tram station and she descended quietly. It had been a while so she took a stroll down the eastern side of the city. It helped her to clear her mind. She didn’t like thinking of those college days with Jeremy too often because it brought back a pain she would have rather forgotten. She didn’t realize it, but soon she was standing in the same alleyway where she last heard Jeremy’s voice. Again, her memories came flooding back to her of that day.

Molly had been sitting out in the courtyard of the University with a few of her girlfriends, laughing and carrying on as they normally did. She had just taken one of her final exams and she was excited because Jeremy had promised to take her out for a nice dinner and a movie if she had done well. She couldn’t wait to tell him that she had done better then well. She knocked it out of the park. Her friends were still giggling when her face lit up and she shrieked. She jumped to her feet and ran into his arms, squeezing him tight. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
“So, how’d it go? You a geneticist yet?”
Molly walked her index and middle fingers up his chest as she spoke.
“No, but what I am, is awesome. I rocked that final. So, where ya taking me stud?”
Though she couldn’t see it, Jeremy turned a slight shade of red.
“Well that’s a surprise.”
They enjoyed a blockbuster movie and a superb dinner over the next few hours before they ended up back at Jeremy’s apartment. She was wild for him, and all but attacked him as they got inside the doorway. She shoved him against the wall and kissed him deeply. They both grabbed and felt at each other’s bodies all the way to the bedroom. An hour later they were exhausted and panting. It wasn’t just wild sex. That night it was something more primal. So much so that it left Jeremy with the task of buying a new bed since his current one had got broken. She gently kissed his lips and got up to dress herself.
“Hey Molly, lets go do something. How bout I take you dancing or somethin?”
She turned around and smiled at him nodding her head.

Less then ten minutes later they were walking out of his apartment building. He only lived about six blocks from the Tram so he suggested they head on over to a club his friend owned over in Galaxy city. They were only a few blocks from home when they saw smoke and the soft glow of what they assumed was a fire. Jeremy ran to the mouth of the alley way with Molly close behind, intent on trying to put the flames out before it caught the whole building. They were taken by surprise by the hellions who were there. At first count it looked to only be 5 or so. Their heads snapped around and looked at the two. Jeremy instinctively put himself between Molly and the hoodlums. One of them flipped a small bat between his hands.
“You two picked a bad night for a stroll.”
The hellions started to walk towards them and Jeremy turned his head slightly and spoke.
“Get out of here Molly. Run for the house.”
She nodded and turned to run, but she slammed into another hellion and screeched. The hellion grabbed her and held onto her. Jeremy turned.
“Molly! You let go of her you son of a bitch. Let her go and you can have all my money.”
Jeremy heard the same voice behind him that he heard when they first entered the alleyway.
“Who said we wanted your money?”
Jeremy never had a chance to say anything back. The force of the mini-bat rocked his head and pitched him forward to the ground. The hellion holding Molly started laughing as the others began to kick Jeremy in the face and mid section. Molly screamed for them to stop and leave him alone. This only made the hellions kick him harder. Molly struggled, yelling Jeremy’s name. She could see the blood pouring from his mouth and nose. There was a trail of blood coming from his ears. And dear gods, his eyes had rolled back into his head. She couldn’t take it any longer and something inside her snapped. She felt it, like a current flowing through her body. Her muscles tensed and she let out a howl and the stored up energy reached dangerous levels and she released it in a devastating nova. Bodies flew everywhere. None of them moving. Molly ran to Jeremy and cradled him up to her chest.
“SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE!”
Her body shook violently as she sobbed. She hadn’t noticed the Hero coming towards her. His voice, though deep, was distant as if she were only hearing it in a dream.
“It’s gonna be alright….”

Molly came back from those fading memories and wiped the tear that had escaped down her cheek. She hadn’t made the choice to register as a hero that night. That decision was made a year and a half later on the day Jeremy’s parents made the decision to take him off of life support. His mother held Molly tight as she sobbed against her chest when the monitors all went flat line. She called the Hero that had come to her aid that night. A Tanker by the name of Energy Locks. He was the one who recruited her into Stryke Force. Like her, he harnessed energy for his attacks, and could manipulate fire into shields to protect himself. When he got her call, she was still crying. He didn’t know what to say to her that would be of any comfort. So when she asked him if he would be her mentor, all he could say was “Yes”. That was two years ago. Now she was a well known and respected member of her super group. Her name was feared by Hellions city wide. For them, she was relentless, and showed no mercy. She didn’t know any better in those first days, so Locks got her registered under the “Blaster” class and had her set up with GIFT to be taught about her specific mutation and how to obtain new powers as her mutation evolved. She remembered when she first really saw Locks. It was the next morning at the hospital. He had waited through out the night for updates. She remembered thinking of how he looked like a cracked up Goku. Which she made comments about on more then one occasion. To which he responded, “Target look achieved then”. She smiled slightly. If ever she had a true friend, it was Locks.

A chirp in her ear brought her completely back to the present.
“Molly, we got word of Vahzilok gathering in a vacant office building. We think some high ranking Eidolons might be there that need to be dealt with. How close to the Fool’s Gold District are you?”
She placed her finger to her ear, and her voice came out a little shaky.
“Not far. I can get there pretty fast.”
Locks’ voice sounded of concern.
“Everything alright?”
She let out a sigh.
“Yeah, its all good now. Send me the GPS of the office building.”
This would definitely help her get her mind off the past.
“You sure Molly?”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.
“I’m on it. Send the coordinates.”

Subject: Re: Breaking Points Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:26 am

Chapter 2

The walls of the Council base shook from the force of the explosions below. Bodies of unconscious marksmen and random sparking Mech men littered the upper floors. Only one more room and the two heroes were home free. There were, however, about twenty Council reinforcements standing between them and their way out, one of which was an Eclipse Night wolf. Molly looked over at Locks.
”We don’t have much time before those bombs go off and bring this whole place down on us. You got a plan?”
Locks nodded.
“Yeah, and it involves knocking them senseless.”
Molly smiled.
“My favorite kind of plan.”
She nodded and moved from behind her corner and fired off a devastating energy blast. It slammed the Night wolf in the chest and set him to his back as Locks landed on top of it, slamming his energy covered fist into the Night wolf’s snout. You could hear the bone crunch and blood sprayed in a fan from it nose and mouth. Molly dodged a spin kick and lit the ground around her on fire, consuming most of the Council soldiers. Their screams were horrid, and the smell their bodies gave off was putrid and burned Molly’s nose. Another violent explosion shook the entire base.
“Locks, we gotta get the hell out of here. Like yesterday!”
Locks stopped punching the Night wolf and leapt to his feet. He looked at Molly who pointed towards a door and he sped off towards it. Molly left the ground and flew straight for the door right behind Locks. He didn’t stop; rather he lowered his shoulder and closed his eyes as his body obliterated the door letting the daylight shine inside. Molly zipped out right past him. Lock’s on the ground, and Molly in the air, they we more then far enough away when another explosion sent shockwaves through the concrete. Lock’s stumbled a bit, and fire erupted from the top of the base as it crumbled into itself. Dust filled the air and choked the pair of them. Molly closed her eyes tightly and turned her back to the dust cloud. When it all settled they both looked at the destruction that was left. When they looked at each other Molly took note that Locks had a single clean spot on his face where his forearm had covered his eyes. She broke out into laughter and Locks followed suit because he couldn’t help himself.
“That was fuckin-A close there Goku.”
Locks shook out the dust from his hair causing a small cloud to form which made her cough and wave her hand in front of her face the clear the air.
“I know. Exciting wasn’t it?”
Molly was about to answer when both of their comms chirped.
“This is Stryker; I need all Stryke Force members to meet in the main base ASAP.”
Locks scowled slightly.
“I wonder what that’s about. He never calls all of us to the main base.” Molly shrugged.
“He’s weird so who knows. Best not keep him waiting.”
Locks agreed.
“Right.”
He reached up and grabbed Molly with one hand, and pressed a button on his chest with the other and the pair was teleported directly to the main base of Stryke Force.

A few seconds later they were standing in the teleporter room of the main base. Locks raised his eyebrow and looked at Molly. There were a lot of heroes in the base. More then they had seen in the Beta base of operations.
“I wonder what’s goin’ on. Stryker doesn’t normally assemble everyone who can be here in the base like this.”
She had never seen so many Stryke Force members in one spot before. With so many present it got pretty loud. Stryker stood at the podium and cleared his throat, effectively quieting the mass of people.
“I want to thank everyone for coming out. You may be wondering why you’re here. I called you out here today because it has been some time since we have had the chance to award badges to the many deserving people who earned them. It’s been quiet for us lately on the crime front so I decided to take this opportunity to recognize some of our people’s exceptional work out on the streets…”
Molly stopped listening at this point. Her attention had been caught by a man standing off to the side. She had never seen him before and she had at one point worked with every last member of Stryke force. She knew them all by name and face. This guy, however, she had never seen before today. He had dirty blonde hair and a very muscular build, from what she could see. She found him to be rather quite attractive. Not handsome, but not unattractive. She thought to herself that it had been awhile since she went out on a date with anyone. Well, except Locks, but he didn’t count. She would never be interested in Locks that way. But this new character intrigued her. She resolved to herself to find out more about this guy later on, and for now she took stock of who was all there that she knew beyond just an “in passing” acquaintance. To her right was Drunae Dewfall. DD, as she preferred to be called, was an empath and possessed superb psychic abilities. Molly had the pleasure of witnessing DD confuse Locks so badly during a sparring session, that she had the Tanker convinced that he was a school girl. So much so, that she had his hair in pig tails and had him walking around the base singing “I’m a pretty, pretty princess.” for days. Molly couldn’t help but chuckle when she looked back on it. She was adorned in her trademark hot pink tights, pink cowgirl hat, and pink thigh high boots. They contrasted her blue skin perfectly and Molly couldn’t help but think that, if she were to ever decide to take up with women, that the elf would be her first choice of lovers. Psymen was there too. He was in his normal dark duster hat and sleeveless trench coat. He was a powerful psychic blaster, and a mutant like Molly. She admired him. He never spoke much to anybody, except for Molly. She felt honored by this and held the utmost respect for the man. More so because it was him who had come to her rescue when she had been kidnapped by Crey industries almost a year ago. They had a weekend long tryst afterwards that resulted in them deciding it was better they stay friends. To her left, beside Locks, was Tatiana Dewfall. Sister to DD. She was also an empath. She was classified as a “Controller” due to her mastery of illusions. Molly hadn’t every really teamed one on one with Tatiana before, but Locks spoke highly of her, so Molly felt she warranted recognizing. Sitting next to Tatiana was Daniel Marx aka Elektron. Danny had lost his family when he worked for Aeon Corp in Cap au Diable. The villain Tanuk had killed them and countless others in cold blood. Danny made his way here to Paragon and studied under Positron in constructing his own suit of armor that could help contain his electrical abilities. Though Danny had serious anger issues and was prone to fits of rage during missions, he was a really good guy. Today he was sans the armor, and instead had shown up in a pair of slacks and a white tank top. He noticed Molly looking in his direction and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Molly raised her hand and waved her fingers at him.

Locks cleared his throat to get her attention, and she came back to the moment when she saw Locks pointing up at Stryker.
“…and last, but certainly not least, for her devotion to helping the citizens of this great city and one hundred percent conviction rate, I’d like to have her come up here and join me. She is known as Molecular Combustion. Respected by her peers, and feared deeply by her enemies. To those of us who have had the pleasure of working directly with her, she is known as Molly. Please come on up here and stand by me.”
Molly turned five different shades of red, and it took Locks to elbow her before she finally got out of her seat and nodded to people as she made her way to stand next to Stryker. When the applause died down Stryker grabbed a couple of thin rectangular cases and turned to her, opening the first one.
“’From the city of Paragon, to Molecular Combustion. We are honored to present you with this, the Lost Savior accomidation. Your devotion to the citizens of our great city has not been in vain. Though there are still many of them falling victim to the Lost disease, it is a pleasure to know that heroes like you are there to help find the cure and return many of our citizens back to us. Signed, Marcus Cole. Statesmen.’”
Stryker pinned the medal to her shirt while everyone applauded.
“’From the city of Paragon, to Molecular combustion. Your hard work and long hours on the job, keeping this city and her people safe, will be remembered always and you have earned your spot in our history books in the years to come. We are pleased to present you with this Hero of the City medal. You have achieved the highest security level, and as such have proven your resolve time and time again. Myself and the Phalanx give you our deepest respect and utmost faith in your capabilities. You are always welcome to fight alongside us. Signed, Marcus Cole, Statesmen.’”
Stryker pinned that medal to her shirt, and opened the third case.
“And for your time spent teaching our newer heroes what it is to be ‘Heroic’ I would like to present to you the Paradigm medal. You show us everyday what it means to be a hero in this city. Younger heroes look up to you. They come to you seeking your guidance. And though you only came to us a couple of short years ago you have managed to work your way into our thoughts, and our lives. Continue to teach the young heroes. They will take our place on day. Wear this medal proudly, as you have earned it. Signed, Stryker. Commander in Chief, Stryke Force.”
The third medal was presented to her, and she found it hard to hold back her tears. She mouthed the words “thank you” to everyone who was applauding her. The sound was deafening. Stryker waved his hands indicating he wanted silence.
“I’m not finished.”
Molly looked at him again.
“You’ve been with us for two years now Molly, and in that time you have brought this organization a tremendous amount of prestige. It is an honor for me to offer you the rank of Lieutenant here in Stryke Force. With this comes added responsibilities. Will you accept this position?”
Molly stood there for a second and looked at Locks. He smiled at her and nodded his head. Molly smiled and looked to Stryker once more.
“How could I not accept it? Count me in.”
He nodded and turned to address the mass.
“From this moment forward it is official. Molecular Combustion will be addressed and referred to as her new position commands.”
Molly took her awards and went back to her seat. Locks leaned in close to her.
“Lucky little bitch, Stryker never speaks that highly of anyone, and I’ve been here for close to six years.”
Molly chuckled a bit and smiled devilishly.
“I know, doesn’t that just suck for you?”
Locks went to say something to her when Stryker’s voice again cut the silence.
“Now before we break from here I want to introduce the newest member of Stryke Force. I’m placing him in Beta division now to be under the watchful eyes of Locks and Molly. He’s registered under “scrapper” and is fairly new to Paragon. I talked with him briefly before this ceremony, and I feel like he will be an asset to this fine organization. So please, put your hands together and welcome Slasher.”
Everyone began to clap, and he just bowed his head slightly to everyone.
“Molly, Locks, I need to speak with you in my office please.”
Locks nodded to Stryker and motioned for Molly to follow him. She did so without hesitation and they followed Stryker to his office with Slasher in tow. When they all were inside the room Stryker shut the door and offered them all a seat which they all took.
“Alright, as I said out there he now belongs to you guys. Locks, from here on out I’m going to need you on the Warzone front.”
Locks looked at Molly then back at Stryker.
“What about her?”
Stryker pointed to Slasher.
“He’s her new project. As a lieutenant its her job to mentor our new members to the division. I think it’s about time the two of you worked exclusively with other members now. I only let you be paired off this long because you were so damned effective together it was stupid to do otherwise. Slasher here has tons of potential, and I feel that Molly’s way of mass chaos will be a good test of his abilities.”
Locks chuckled slightly.
“I can’t argue there.”
Molly punched him dead in the arm.
“Hey, I’m standing right here asshole.”
Locks rubbed his arm and shook his head.
“Do you object to this new arrangement Molly?”
She shook her head.
“No. I agree with you. Me and Locks are a good duo and all, but sometimes a change of pace is needed. Refresh the batteries and gain another perspective on things.”
Stryker raised an eye brow and looked at Slasher.
“Beautiful and wise. You’ve got big shoes to fill my friend. And you’re gonna have your hands full with this one. She’s spunky, unpredictable, impatient, and sometimes down right mental.”
Slasher smiled a bit.
“I look forward to it.”
Molly hoped that none of them took notice of the redness that had crept into her face.

Subject: Re: Breaking Points Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:27 am

Chapter 3

“Wait you idiot, don’t go in there! It’s booby-”
An explosion rocks the office building and Slasher is sent flying backwards into the wall across the hallway.
“-trapped. God damned noobs.”
Molly ran over and began to pat out the flames on his jacket.
“Thanks.”
She frowned as she looked at him.
“The Malta is known for their devices. If you want to survive, follow my lead from now on, my young padawan.”
He got up, dusted himself off and nodded.
“Gotcha Lieutenant.”
She looked at him over her shoulder.
“Molly. Call me Molly.”
“Gotcha. Molly.”

They had been working together for over a month now, and she could see the potential in the scrapper, but he was impulsive. On a couple occasions already she wondered how far he would go if left to it. Twice now she had to stop him from killing a suspect. Originally she chalked it up to his inexperience. After all, he had told her that when they met he had just registered as a hero. She never did say anything to Stryker about her concerns though, and with her help, he had already reached security level twenty. He followed her directions well enough to not be killed so far, and it helped them to become more fluid. Granted, he was no Locks, but he would get better with experience. That, and he definitely was cuter then Locks. So, as far as she was concerned it was a win/win for her. She had her eye candy, and Beta would gain a fully qualified member who would be self sufficient which would in turn lessen some of the load of the more veteran members.

“Now follow my lead, and don’t go running through the doorways blind like that again.”
He nodded and his claws extended with minimal noise. Molly peeked through the doorway, and thankfully the next room was empty. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they were up to their eyeballs in Malta Agents though. Thanks to Slasher setting off that booby trap. Luckily for him he was a regen. They found the next hallway to be empty as well, and aside from the earlier incident, everything was going according to plan. “Alright, according to the intel I was given, the terminal we need to access is down the next hallway we come to, second door on the right.”
He nodded and followed her down the passageway.

The agents watched the two heroes make their way down the hall from the comfort of the control room. The Gunslinger opens his cell phone and hits the speed dial button. The phone rang only once when the other end was picked up.

“The subject is heading down the hallway now. What are your intentions?”
“Well you do realize that the Malta do not like being treated as babysitters. You are paying us for action. Please advise.”
“Look, I know who your boss is and what he is capable of, but if he wants her dead so badly why doesn’t he just say the word and…”
“Fine, I’ll see to it personally. But I warn you, if this little scheme of yours doesn’t pan out we will still expect full payment.”
“Fine, when your agent has gathered what he needs we will execute her. Are we permitted to know the identity of this agent?”
“Fine, have your secrets. We’ll be in touch.”

The operative at the console looked at the Gunslinger.
“So now what?”
The gunslinger put his phone away and pulled out his gun, checking to make sure it was loaded.
“We go give them a warm welcome.”

The office door wasn’t locked and the pair slipped in without a problem. Molly pulled a laptop from her pack and hooked it up to the desktop computer. She waited for the connection to take and began tapping away at the keys. Slash stood by the door and kept a watch for patrols or any other sign that someone was coming. Molly’s fingers were a flurry about the keyboard, and finally she stopped clicking at the keys.
“Aha. We’re in and downloading what we need as I speak.”
Slash looked at her.
“How long?”
Molly pondered for a second.
“A minute, maybe more. Why?”
Slasher looked away from the door.
“We’re gonna have company then.”
He moved slightly and she could see the operatives down the hallway.
“Shit. I knew the quiet wouldn’t last long. If they get to close before I’m done you’re gonna have to try to hold them off.”
He nodded.
“Won’t be an issue.”
His claws extended with the slight sound of metal on metal, and he leaned back against the wall, ready to strike should the need arise. The seconds ticked by, but it felt like hours as they waited for the download to finish. More Malta operatives began to show up and Molly worried they’d be too much for her and her side kick to handle. She reached down to her belt and switched on her communicator.
“Locks, where are you, and who do you have with you?”
She looked down at the computer screen. There was one minute remaining. Her comm. chirped in her ear.
“Psymen and DD. We’re in the base. Gonna go to Talos. Why?”
She immediately hit her comm. Button.
“We’re in Peregrine, inside that Malta office building I told you about. We’re gonna be overwhelmed by operatives and require immediate evac assistance. Can you provide?”
Lock came back to her quickly.
“In route. Five minutes.”
She glanced at the screen. Thirty seconds.
“Make it two, and hurry.”
She switched off her comm. For dramatic purposes and looked at Slasher.
“Any ideas?”
He looked out the door then back at her.
“Yeah, don’t get killed.”
He reached to his left wrist with his right hand and pressed a button on his wrist pad and immediately faded from view as his stealth activated. She had no clue where he was off to, or what he was planning to do. The computer beeped and she quickly disconnected it from the desk top. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a disc and inserted it into the desktop’s disc drive. A few keystrokes later and it began to upload a virus that would work it’s way into the mainframe and completely destroy every last shred of information stored on it, as well as any hard drive connected to the network. She put her laptop away and moved to get a better look out the door. There were at least fifty of them. She took note of the two sappers and cursed under her breath. It was a well known speculation among heroes of which was worse. Sappers or Gunslingers. She flipped on her comm. Again.
“Locks?”
“Switch on your beacon.”
She did as he asked and he was right in her ear within seconds.
“Two minutes.”
She cursed him.
“This’ll be over in one!”
A voice from the hallway caught her attention.
“We’ve been watching you since you entered our building, so we know you’re in there hero. How about you and your friend come on out hmm? I just want to talk to you about your nefarious dealings.”
She laughed sheepishly.
“Right and I’m supposed to believe a hired Merc?”
The Gunslinger’s voice sounded as if it held a slight hint of hurt to it.
“Aw, come now. Why say such ugly things to me?”
Molly took another quick peak out the door and caught part of a Hercules Titan just around the corner.
“I’m not sure, but it might have to do something with your sappers and that Titan around the corner. Call me crazy, but that doesn’t make for a good conversation to me.”
She began to wonder where the hell Slasher had run off to.
“Well, I guess you’re right. It doesn’t”
The gunslinger nodded and an operative opened fire. Molly dove to the floor as the doorway got shredded. She rolled to the side as the gunfire ceased. She took quick aim and fired off an energy blast that tossed the operative back about ten feet, leaving him out cold on the floor.
“That wasn’t very nice buster, now I’m just getting pissed off.”
The gunslinger waved his hand and the titan began walking towards her position. She ducked back into the room.
“Fuck, not good.”
She looked around for a way out with no success. She was trapped in that room. Alone, and she could hear the titan’s servos whine as it got closer. Then a sudden explosion shook the entire floor and filled the corridor with smoke. The titan teetered and fell over, and Molly scooted back on her hands.
“What the fuck!”
Before she knew what was happening she was jerked to her feet and drug out into the hallway. Slasher’s stealth dropped and he held up his hand, showing a detonator in his grasp. He looked at her.
“Run.”
She looked at him oddly and he grabbed her arm running towards the window at the end of the hallway.
“RUN!”
He dropped the detonator and ran full speed. He had set the explosives to a consecutive timer that started once you hit the plunger. As they past by the second charge it went off making Molly scream and cover her ears. She realized now what he had been doing. The corridor was lined with the charges. Once the gunslinger regained his composure he gave the signal and bullets ripped forth down the passageway past their heads. A third charge went off even closer to them, and they had only made it half way down the hall. Behind them the operatives started to follow them. Another charge went off real close behind them, and as they neared the end of the hall Slasher turned and spun. His claws slammed down into the floor, cracking it from wall to wall. He took off only a few steps behind her. Another charge went off just behind him and the floor underneath the operatives gave way, sending them to the level below. Molly got to the end of the hall expecting to see a door or hallway to the left or right, but there was only the window. Her hands hit the sill.
“Fuck! Now what?”
As she turned around, time seemed to slow down for her, and her eyes got wide. Flames from an exploding charge accented Slasher’s features. His shoulder dropped and connected squarely under Molly’s breasts. His arms wrapped around her, and he lifted her up as he lunged forward.

Locks moved as fast as his super speed would allow him to. DD and Psymen followed just above him in the air. He pointed ahead of them.
“There it is.”
Suddenly the glass from a top floor window exploded outwards. Two bodies launched out and then plummeted towards the ground. A plume of flames and smoke shot out of the busted window right behind the two bodies. Locks’ eyes widened.
“That crazy bitch! Psymen?”
“On it!”
Psymen shot forward and focused his power to create a cushion of psychic energy on the ground below the two falling heroes. The pair hit the cushion with the force of a truck and were tossed off to come to a rolling stop on the concrete. Locks came to a skidding stop as Psymen and DD landed on the ground. Slasher was quicker to recover and get up then Molly so he hooked his arm under hers and hefted her to her feet. She shoved him away and then spun on him.
“You crazy son of a bitch! Have you lost your fucking mind? We could have been killed!”
Slasher put his hands up in front of himself.
“Whoa. We’re alive aren’t we?”
Molly poked him in the chest hard.
“No damned thanks to you!”
She made a frustrated grunt and stomped her foot before she turned to walk away.
“You’re welcome princess.”
Molly stop dead in her tracks, and her body tensed.
“Princess?”
Locks and DD looked at each other and spoke in unison.
“Uh oh.”
Molly turned and got inches from Slasher’s face.
“Let me tell you something rookie, you ever pull a stupid stunt like that again and I’m gonna-.”
Slasher couldn’t stop himself, and he grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her deeply. She tried to push him away, but ended up giving in and letting him kiss her. Her eyes rolled up as they closed, and she even liked it a little. The other three just stood there dumbfounded as the man’s bold move. And for a few minutes the duo had forgotten the others standing there or that they had almost been killed only moments ago. Slasher pulled back from her with a dreamy smile. As his eyes opened the got big just as Molly’s fist found his jaw. She decked him so hard it spun him, and left him looking up at the sky from his back. She turned to Locks.
“I’ll see you guys back at base.”
She took to the sky, causing the dust to swirl where she had been standing. Slasher rubbed his jaw as he sat up. Locks offered his hand and pulled the scrapper to his feet when the hand was taken.
“Girl’s got quite a punch. Ahh.”
Locks shook his head.
“That’s because I think she likes you. That’d make you one of the luckiest men in Stryke Force.”
Psymen piped up.
“And if that be the case, you had better do right by her. Other wise I swear to the gods that I’ll scramble your brain so hard you’ll think you’re a circus monkey for the rest of your life.”
At that Psymen took off into the sky and disappeared in the same direction as Molly.
“He’s just a ray of sunshine isn’t he?”
Locks gave a quick laugh.
“Alright Beta, back to base for debriefing. Not that kind DD.”
“Aww man!”
Locks laughed as he and the other two activated their base teleporters, and were whisked away in a flash.

Subject: Re: Breaking Points Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:27 pm

Chapter 4

Psymen finally caught up to Molly. He found her sitting on the concrete edge by the ferry, looking out over the water. Silently he landed behind her.
“Is there anything I can do to help? I can see you are troubled, even without using my powers.”
Molly sighed and got up, walking over to him.
“I’m not like some of you guys. Many of you have regeneration powers. Locks has the ability to heal himself with flames. Some of them can make their skin like stone, or impenetrable. I don’t have any of those things.”
She sighed again heavily.
“I could have been killed Psymen, and that bastard didn’t even seem like he cared! And the nerve! Kiss me? How dare he after his little stunt!”
Psymen walked closer and wrapped his arms around her.
“You do realize that what he did most likely saved both your lives don’t you?”
She rested her head on his chest and listened to his even breathing.
“I know. It’s just-.”
She stepped away from him and looked back out over the water.
“It’s just that when he kissed me, I wanted him to do it. I wanted to kiss him back. For a moment, it let me believe that none of this existed. That I was normal.”
She turned to look at him and could see a slight pang of hurt in his eyes. It was no secret that even though they decided it best for them to remain friends after their tryst that Psymen still felt strongly about her.
“Look, I know what we had that weekend was special. You mean a lot to me Psymen. But you also know that I just could never feel towards you what you feel towards me.”
He nodded.
“I know. I have hope, but I know.”
She took his hand in hers.
“You’ll always be my friend Psymen. No matter what happens. You and I have been able to talk about anything right?”
He nodded.
“With him it’s different. I can’t explain it. He makes me feel almost like Jeremy did. I know he can never replace that for me, but I feel this connection with him, and it pisses me off that he was so careless, when I got the feeling that he felt the same way. Then he kissed me, and I just KNEW that he did.”
She sighed again and turned away from him.
“And therein lies the frustration. That’s why I punched him. I mean, why would he almost get us killed when he feels the same about me as I do him?”
He had stayed silent to let her vent; now he spoke. His voice was level and calm, but not all too loud, almost inaudible over the noises of the busy streets.
“Men do stupid things sometimes. It’s in our nature. You see it all the time, especially with heroes. What possesses a man to run into a burning building to save a helpless child against his better judgment? What makes a man Jump out a top floor window, with a woman he feels strongly about to save their lives? The answer? He doesn’t know why he does these things. All he knows is that he must do them.”
She turned and looked at him as she took his words in. He never spoke without a reason. She knew this about him, so his words meant that much more to her. Finally, she nodded in understandment.
“We should get back to base for the debriefing.”
He nodded.
“Aye. You go on ahead since you have the laptop.”
She smiled faintly at him and touched his forearm.
“Thank you Psymen, for listening.”
He nodded again and watched her disappear in a flash of light when she activated her base teleporter. Once she was gone, he headed off into the alleyways.

The sounds of heels clicking against the metal floor echoed down the corridor as she walked towards his personal office. He stood looking out over his domain and watched as the people moved about like ants. Behind him, the door hissed as the hydraulics forced it to open. The sounds of her heels stopped behind him as she waited to be acknowledged.
“What of our little informant?”
She bowed her head slightly.
“We received their transmission from Peregrine Island a short time ago. Everything is going according to plan. Just as you knew it would.”
He scoffed.
“Save me your petty brown nosing; I have no use for it. Did they give us anything useful, or do I need to have them removed and replaced?”
He turned to look at her, his red eyes glowing in the darkness.
“We have learned that her real name is Molly Decker. This has been very useful for us. I “persuaded” a couple of our contacts in Paragon to do some checking on her, and we found a good deal of information. Unfortunately nothing that we can directly use against her at the moment.”
He cracked his neck a little and turned to look out on his vast empire.
“Molly Decker. That’s what they’ll carve on her head stone when I crush her like a bug. I want to know everything we can about this hero. She is to be a thorn in my side no longer. Is that understood?”
She bowed her head.
“Of course my lord.”

Subject: Re: Breaking Points Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:28 pm

CH. 4 (cont)

The base was quiet, and with the debriefing done, Molly had gone to the lab to work on her genome research. It always helped her to relax, and after the day she had, she needed the time alone to dwell in her own thoughts. She had her head down, looking through one of her high powered microscopes when the plasma screen in front of her chirped indicating an incoming transmission. There were only a handful of individuals who had her direct line; her family and Locks. She pulled herself away from her work and pressed the screen. The image of her youngest brother Jimmy appeared on the screen. She had given her parents the new technology because she wanted to see them instead of just hearing their voices. It made it so she could imagine that she was sitting right there with them, instead of the reality of how far away they really were.
“Hey sis. How are things out there in hero city?”
“Hi Jimmy. They’re ok I suppose. How are mom and dad?”
She realized that she was still wearing her mask, so she reached up and pulled it from her head, letting her blonde hair fall down around her shoulders. She absently ran her fingers through in an attempt to get some of the tangles out of it.
“They’re good. You know, I turn 14 soon. I think the best birthday present would be my big sister the hero to come and see me.”
She sighed when she saw his smile.
“You know I would love nothing more than to be there with you Jimmy, but it’s just not possible right now. I’ve been investigating some really weird crap involving the Malta group. I’ve been assigned a new side kick. Things here are just crazy right now buddy. I promise that I will come to visit soon. Just give me some time. Besides, you know that I always send you big gifts to make up for it.”
She smiled as she said that to him. Her parents didn’t particularly approve of her “big” gifts, but they made her brother happy so she didn’t care. Last year for his Birthday she had called in a favor to Sister Psyche to make an appearance at his party. She happened to be his absolute favorite hero in Paragon, aside from his big sister. Or so that’s what he had told her. She wasn’t sure why she was her brother’s favorite, but she figured that it was just because she wore tight costumes that showed a lot of curves so she left it at that. Jimmy talked about that gift for a good six months after his party.
“So, what are you gonna send me this year? Sister Psyche’s telephone number so I can profess my undying love to her? Or maybe an autographed photo stating that I’m her favorite fan and that she’s just waiting for me to turn 18 so she can come and sweep me away in the bonds of holy matrimony?”
Molly’s face kinda scrunched up.
“You’re a jerk Jimmy. She’s way too good for you anyhow.”
He stuck his tongue out at her and she smiled.
“A boy can have hopes you know.”
She glared at him.
“Hope or hormones?”
He looked like he was deep in thought for a second.
“Both?”
She laughed.
“Listen, I got a lot of work to do. Send my love to the family ok?”
“I will. Come see us soon Molly. Everyone here misses you and would like to see you sometime this century.”
She nodded.
“I know, and I will.”
With that said she pressed the button on the screen again and it cut the transmission. She sat there for a moment before a voice behind her startled her.
“Sorry to intrude.”
She whipped around and tried to avoid falling out of her seat.
“What are you doing here?”
She turned around and began to tidy up her desk area.
“I just wanted to come and apologize for earlier. You’re right, I could have gotten you killed, and I’m sorry.”
She scoffed.
“Not sorry you kissed me though are you?”
He absently rubbed at the spot where she had slugged him.
“Now that you mention it, no though after that right hook, I should be.”
She let out a little chuckle.
“Yeah well, I have brothers and had to learn to defend myself because I was different when I was a kid back before I came to Paragon.”
He smiled sheepishly.
“Either way my actions were out of line and I’m sorry.”
She regarded him for a long moment before looking down at her hands as they rested in her lap.

“What I’d really like to know is why you kissed me in the first place?”
She looked back up into his eyes. He carefully thought about his answer but didn’t give it right away. It was almost as if he wasn’t certain of how he should answer the question. In reality he had never felt towards another girl like he did towards Molly and it honestly scared the hell out of him.
“We’ve known each other for a few months now Molly. In that time we’ve been just about everywhere and have done a lot of things together. Ranging from almost getting us killed, to just hanging out doing whatever. I felt like we’ve grown close, and quite frankly, I have developed strong feelings for you. When I realized that we almost had been killed I decided that I had better take the opportunity to show you how I was feeling because our next mission could very well end up being our last together. We just can’t be sure of what the future holds, but I can damned well do something about the here and now. So, I kissed you.”
Molly got up from her chair and walked over to him. Gently she touched his cheek and looked into his eyes.
“All you had to do was tell me. I had hoped that you were feeling the same way as me, and now your actions make sense.”
She leaned up and kissed his lips, letting herself be overcome by the moment, as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Their moment was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throats. They pulled away from each other and looked in the direction it had come. Standing there was DD.
“I really hate to break up you two love birds, but Locks wants you both in the conference hall. Something big is going down.”
DD turned and stalked off leaving the two of them standing there. Molly looked at Slasher and grabbed his arm as he turned to go meet Locks.
“I have just one question. You know my face, and you know my name, my real name. Since we’ve been working together, I never bothered to find out yours. I don’t really treasure the thought of writing home to my parents to tell them about my new boyfriend only to have to tell them his name is Slasher. Sounds like the name we give serial killers ya know?”
He laughed at her.
“So I’m your boyfriend now?”
She smiled as she punched him in the arm.
“Don’t be an ass. I’m serious.”
He put his hands up in defense.
“Alright, it’s Michael. Michael Cavanaugh.”
She smiled and took his hand wrapping her fingers around his.
“Well then Michael Cavanaugh; let’s go see which bad guys we’ll be thrashing this time.”

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