Topic: RPG- Superhumans 2: Anarchy

"Jeez. How many a'you punks do I have to take?" Alastor swung Bradburry at the super, who conjured a blade of ice to block his blow.

"Oh, God, you're worse than Quicksilver over there." Alastor lamented. This one was going to be tougher. Time to cheat.

Alastor feigned left and moved right, elbowing Frost in the cheek before kneeing him in the chin and leaping into the air by springing off of him. He outstretched his hand , pointing at the fluorescent light bulbs all over the ceiling, and drained the electricity from them from his position in the sky, reenergizing him and slightly darkening the estaurant, although the lack of doors or windows allowed light to pour in from outside.

"Oh, I needed that." Alastor crowed, feeling good as new.

--------------------------------------------------

When Haze psychically shoved the ice cubes at Alastor, Anasazi saw his chance. While Chraze was distracted, he activated his energy blaster in his palm that was tuck to his foe's face. As silver goo splattered on the floor, Anasazi pulled his arm back, not surprised as the wound on Chraze's face healed itself almost instantaneously.

"Round two, then?"

Shift climbed up to the roof, where Jericho was. He pulled the knife from its sheath and slashed at him. Jericho ducked and punched Shift in the face, tripping him and kicking him from the roof. Shift landed on the road, hard. He pushed himself up, wiping a trickle of blood from his face. This wasn't going to be easy.

(( ok I don't have a fullpost now... but i did a drawing for M'Lure. Its  not the best, but its a general idea. Its all about the jacket and necklace.))

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23850407@N03/2275549168/

Jack waited for Jericho to return.  But no one came.  Instead he got a nasty electric shock.  Jack stood up legs still spasming a little.  After his muscles has settled Jack saw Alastor start after a downed Frost.  Jack put himself between the stunned Frost and Alastor. He smoothly pulled his katana and wakizashi.

"Ah  I see you have a sword.  I do too.  They are manly and tough.  Like me.  But I think we've already established that.  Through my many crusades.  You should know what I'm talking about."

Jack readied his multiple swordplay ready for any attack.

Frost was dazed. He'd been hit hard, and his brain was suffering. He spoke as if not all ther, "Manly, what's manly? I'll tell you what's manly... A&W Baby burgers... duuuuude. Um yes, I'll have 16 baby burgers, a small fry, and a large root beer."

Jack turned around to slap Frost before turning back to face Alastor. "Yeah, very manly, can ya focus now."

Frost was coming to, "Wh--what? WHOA! Umm, ice!" Frost immediately encased Alastor in a block of ice. Noticing the swords in Jack's hand, he asked, "You any good at ice sculpting dude?"

"I have a job for you two." M"lure spoke to her new recruits. "There is a mutant that goes by the name Atma. He is strong and he is angry. More importaintly he has not yet chosen a side, whether to Andromedia or to other supers. I want you to have him join our party."

"What's this party for?" Seth asked.

"To exact revenge. You'll know more when you need to. Just know that we shall take what is owed to us, the powerful."

She led Flame and Seth to part of her fortress. She handed Flame a slip of paper. "That is Atma's last known location. Come, I'll show you your ride."

M'Lure brought Seth and Flame into a garage area. There were several cars and motorcycles all lined up.  She pulled a set of keys out of the box on the other side of the garage.  She handed them to Flame. "Take the Camaro."

((This is a new black Camaro similar to the one in Transformers.))

"Oh, for Gog's sake!" Anasazi yelled as he watched his lackey frozen solid. "Cheap tricks, all of you! You guys really are one-trick ponies, aren't you?"

Anasazi sprinted away from Chraze, coughing up a fireball aimed at Alastor's noggin, which melted just enough for the villain to be conscious, if a little woozy.

"So then, if war is hell, and hell is hell, then hell is war, too, right? So, war is war? No, hell is war--no, but then there's the o--ro--roni--beefaroni? Yes I'll have some..." Alastor babbled uselessly.

"Oh, dear. This is gonna be harder than I thought." Anasazi mused, fiddling with his shirt pocket and ducking down as Jack attempted to tackle him. He pulled out a small black square with a tiny speaker in the middle and a small switch on the top. He flipped the switch, tossed the device on the ground,and a high-pitched squealing was emitted. Everyone, except Anasazi, doubled over on the ground, including Jericho, who fell off the roof suddenly, along with another super. Alastor could not doulbe over, being mostly frozen but still cringed.

"That's what I like to call a Brown Note. Its a special pulse that simply tells your brain to switch off. One of my favorite toys, I hate to use it this early. Hate to cut this short, but I have places to be." Anasazi reached over with his long hands, picked up Jericho from where he'd fallen, once again reached for his red button, and, while holding Jericho in one arm, and swinging his elbow around Alastor, pressed the button.

-----------------------------------

Back on Leviathan

Anasazi, Jerihco, and Alastor, appeared in the ship's main chamber.

"Damn, boss, what was that?" Jericho asked, unhappy about being exposed to the brown note.

"Oh, just a toy. Now I'l have to make another one."

Jack tried to cover his ears to block out the soun but to no avail.  But his healing factor was working.  Everyone else was twtching on the ground.  But he managed to fish out a gun of his and located the noise box.  He fired one shot destroying the little piece of equipment.

Haze slowly got up.  "That was like trying to tune out Jack."

Jack laughed.  "That's mpossible.  I've tried."

So, this is it, huh? I just signed up with a supervillain team? This crazy lady thinks I'm gonna run her errands? Maybe I should, I got nothing better to do...who knows, maybe I'll get something good out of it...better than being a street rat...

Seth didn't realize he'd missed some of what the blonde lady said.

"Seth? Did you hear me? You and Flame here, are going to..."

"Yeah, yeah...I heard ya boss lady..." Seth turned up the volume in his headsets. The blaring metal music was absorbed by his body. As the sound amplified his body's natural bioelectric output, dark blue swirls spread across his face, and down his neck, arms, and hands. Soon, his entire body was dark blue, and crackling with white hot energy. Globes of light began floating around him, brightening the room severely. As they began to collide with each other, flares of the dangerous bioenergy were released, lighting his face as a smile spread across his features.

"Call me...Lightshow".

"Just stick him in the engine room for a while, he'll be fine." Mr. Anasazi snapped to one of his workers when asked what to do with Alastor's frozen body.

"Devil went down to Georgia...no, north of Georgia, middle of the earth...when the king looked down, the jester stole his throne...that's how it goes...?" Alastor mumbled inanely.

"What was that?" Mr. Anasazi knelt down to here what he had said.

"Someone left a cake in the rain..."

"Yeah, just stick him in the engine room."

The worker complied, and without a word, got a group of three other identical workers to come over and lift Alastor's frozen form, leaving a puddle of water where he had been. They crabwalked away in unison.

"So...now what?" Jericho asked. "My car's back down there. And Gerrx..."

"We got lucky with Gerrx. Hopefully the brainfreeze will make Alastor forget about him. As for your car, I'll hook you up with a red button and send yo uback down to get it later."

"Why the red button?"

"Eh, it's a classic design. I figured why not. It doesn't set off nukes or anything, I just think it's kind of...whimsical. "

"Whatever, man. Your toys."

Suddenly, a computer began to buzz loudly and flash bright lights.

"What's going on there?" Anasazi yelled to the worker.

"Amateur home video just uploaded to the internet." The worker said in a montone voice.

"If it's another damn rap song remix, I don't want to see it."

"No, you want to see this."

Anasazi knelt down to view the video. It was only 17 seconds long, and depicted a large blue monster dashing through a forest. The beast was going so fast it was barely visible. The Andromeda buidling could be seen from far away, stretching to the sky, indicating this video was from Mission City.

"Well that's interesting. Jericho, grab some guns, let's go monster hunting."

((That blue monster's your guy, JustDave. If you've got a prob, I'll edit.))

Burnout woke up with a ringing in his head.  Stupid little box, and stupid noise....it was like listening to Jack all day long, played triple speed fast forward, and being able to understand every word...In other words, excruciatingly painful.  A quick survey of the area showed various heroes taggering to their feet, all woozy.  Jack appeared none the worse for wear, but maybe he was just used to meaningless noise.  Okay, that was good; heroes alive and well.  Aaaaaannnd....the villains had left....again. That was like, some sort of cliche.  Before he culd get another thought in, a sudden burst of pain and urgency flooded into his mind. He staggered aound at high speeds, looking like a drunk in a music video.

As he spun in circles, he noticed the pain lessened when he faced a praticular direction, and increased when he faced away from it.  Annoyed to an extreme, he sprinted off in the less painful direction, seeing a red haze in front of his vision.  What IS this?  He picked up speed until he was cruising at Mach One, outracing sound itself in his pain and rage.  The pain vanished suddenly, and he stopped, the sound catching up to him with a tremendous sonic explosion.  The ruins of the warehouse that he had stopped before were blasted away from the force.  And there before him sat two globes, one of shadow and one of light.  These again?  And Burnout reached out to grab the spheres of energy...

(( I had thought that JustDave was interested in my team? That's why I sent out Flame and Lightshow to get him/ convinve him. I had no intention of fighting your guys at the moment.))

((Well, my team is villains, your team is villains...ya see what I'm driving at here? ;) ))

Chink took the blast to the side of her face and the right shoulder. She hit the ground hard and winced. Thankfully her scaly skin had protected her from most of the damage, however she would end up with a very nasty bruise and as her attacker said a very bad headache.

Chink attempted to stand and felt someone assist her. She turned her head and this time she recognised who it was, Blur. She immediately shied from his touch, unsure as to whose side he was one, after all Haze had gone out to bring him in for questioning. She tensed in preparation for the first blow but it never came.

Blur raised his hands as if sensing Chink’s inner turmoil. He lifted one hand slightly higher as he prepared to give some back up to Frost and Jack. The most awful noise stopped him from doing so.

When the noise stopped Blur sat up and shook his head, “Did he say Brown Note? I thought that was a sound that made you sh-”

Haze cut in, “If you mean empty your bowels, then yes that’s what I thought it was too.”

“Thank heavens that it didn’t,” Jack said as he dusted himself off.

Chink flushed slightly as she saw that Shift had also joined the fight. He’d probably fought much better than she. Chink decided it was time she took up Chromium’s offer of combat training.

“So what now?” Frost asked as he shook his head and hit his ear with a flat palm.

“Search time,” Chromium stated.

Vandal let out a snort, “Forget it. We’ve all got massive headaches that are bound to blow out to full on migraines.”

Jack laughed, “You maybe. I’m fine.”

Vandal made a fist and headed towards Jack, “Let me fix that for you.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Frost said as he stepped between Jack and Vandal.

Vandal shrugged then used here telepathy to share some of her head pain with Jack. He flinched but tried to look macho. Vandal smiled and increased the intensity.

“Cut it out, Vandal.” Chromium boomed.

Vandal cut the connection. “Tyrant,” she muttered.

Shift got up, again. "Friggin idiot killed my brain...." The 'brown note' had caused him to collapse, loosing complete control of his legs. He heard Chromium say something about searching. "Alright. Tell me where to look.  Whose going with me?"

Desdemona opened her mouth to release the soul she had consumed. She watched the soul return to earth and down to the underworld. She prepared to also depart however something made her pause. A faintly familiar feeling touched her but she couldn’t identify what it was.

The transparent soul eater hovered as she reached out with her senses. Something was changing, shifting and coming to the surface. But what was it?

Desdemona flew higher into sky and froze, “Void.” There was only the faintest trace of him but Desdemona knew it was him. But where was he?

Lowering herself to the ground Desdemona studied the people around her. She changed her clothing to look similar to those around her. She morphed a low cut white button up blouse, short denim skirt, black stockings and ankle high black boots with extremely high heels. Desdemona allowed herself to fully materialise so others could see her. Little did she know that she was in one of the seedier parts of Mission City.

As she walked in the direction she had last sensed Void she heard some wolf whistles and someone pinched her on the backside. She coolly turned and stared at the culprit.

“How much, baby?” he asked with a leering smile.

Desdemona raised a delicate brow, “I’m only interested in your soul and you’re certainly not ready yet.”

A bunch of guys burst into laughter and the leering man quickly backed up and moved onto a more accommodating woman.

As Desdemona walked she lost any trace of Void. She sighed as a touch of emotion reached her. She was going to have to stay if Void was near and there was one person she intended to visit, this time in the flesh. Once again she dematerialised and locked onto Jack’s presence and appeared before him. She solidified and noticed that his jaw dropped as he looked at her. “Hello again, Jack.”

Here's Dessie: 2.5b5*f1*Desdemona*Hair:Feminine,longfront,FFFA9C,FFF701,100,100,23,Eyebrows:Standard,thin2,FFFA9C,FFFA9C,100,100,21,Eyes:Standard,newplain,724D21,724D21,100,100,20,Nose:Expansion1,pug,FFD08C,FFFFFF,100,100,27,Mouth:Expansion1,closedsmile,EE694A,EE694A,100,100,18,Beard:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,26,Ears:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,19,Skin:,fraBlank,F8B684,FFD08C,100,100,6,Mask:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,22,Headgear:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,29,Undershirt:Expansion1,long,FFFFFF,E7E7E7,100,100,7,Overshirt:Standard,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,8,Coat:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,25,RightGlove:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,17,LeftGlove:Expansion1,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,16,Insignia:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,9,Neckwear:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,24,Belt:Standard,wrap,5A3410,EE9F00,100,100,15,Leggings:Standard,stockings,313131,181818,100,100,10,Overleggings:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,11,Pants:Dresses,skirtmini,101C42,002C53,100,100,14,RightFoot:Standard,lowboot2,070707,000000,100,100,13,LeftFoot:Standard,lowboot2,070707,000000,100,100,12,Back:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,3,Wings:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,4,Tail:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,5,Aura:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,2,Companion:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,31,Background:Expansion1,forest,014D49,8CCFF9,100,100,1,RightHand:Energy,light,FFFA9C,EE9F00,100,100,30,LeftHand:,fraBlank,FFFFFF,FFFFFF,100,100,28,#

and Hero Machine: http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heroMachine2/heromachine2.asp

With the battle over temporarily Chraze separated to become Haze and Chromium once more. Haze’s hearing had been sheltered by Chromium’s protective outer so she was one of the few without a headache.

She noticed that Vandal was in a fighting mood as she headed towards Jack. Chromium pulled her into line with his booming voice. It was then that Haze noticed that Blur was with them, as her curious gaze fell upon him he turned to look at her.

A look of panic crossed Blur’s face and then Haze watched as he turned to a fine mist and disappeared. Haze had a feeling that he’d be back in the questioning room when they returned. She turned to Chromium, “I think that Alastor is our man, perhaps we should release Blur?”

Before Chromium could answer a woman appeared before Jack. It took Haze a moment to realise it was Desdemona, as it was hard to tell in the clothing she was wearing, but not from Jack’s reaction.

Haze immediately moved towards Chink as she suspected that things could get messy.

Shift stepped over, he wasn't good at reading people, but he could tell Chink wasn't happy about this new woman and Jack's reaction to her.  He walked over and casually slid his arm around her shoulder, then turned her away from Jack and the new person. "Hey, I think it would be a very good idea if you went over this way, you know, in the general direction of away from them right now." She was incredibly reluctant to go, turning her head back to either look at Jack or glare at the newcomer, Shift couldn't tell which. He managed to get her to an area of the Cafe where she couldn't see Jack or the newcomer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flame caught the keys as Seth, or Lightshow as he seemed to want to be called now, made an unneeded display of power.  He made his way to the car and got in, turning on the stereo. Something in German began playing as he began to drive towards the city. Seth seemed to enjoy it, and he soon had the music at its max volume. Flame made his way to the Atma's last known location, tearing through the streets. He hadn't drove a car in a very long time.

Alastor slowly thawed in Leviathan's boiler room.

"How can there be one...when six-hundred and sixy five-O'clockenshpiel is ticking away to midnight...and then the pumpkin will...set on fire, get to the bridge and you'll be safe...a bulwark never failing...never failing...never fail, or boss man will get mad. Boss man wants me to kill, so I gotta kill. Can't let him down, right? Right. So I gotta kill anybody boss man wants me to kill, and maybe some he don't, to prove I'm loyal, right? Right. Good thinkin, Alastor. Good thinkin'. That's sound logic right there. That logic is ultra-sound. That logic is sound, you could view a baby with it."

Alastor was mostly free, only frozen form the waist down. Soon he would be ready.

Chink wasn’t very impressed with being led away from the exchange between Jack and the magically appearing woman. Shift had got her to a corner booth and had her pegged in. She considered shoving herself along the vinyl seat and making a run for it but Shift was quick.

With all the destruction of the Café, chances were that they weren’t about to be served. Some of the wait staff were busy cleaning up the broken glass and sweeping up the various razor blades.

Haze worked her magic and lifted the larger debris away. Somehow none of the remaining civilians had been seriously injured. Haze grabbed a couple of cokes and placed them on the table before she moved to stand in the doorway. She was intrigued to know why Desdemona had returned.

Chink took the coke and opened it. She glared at Shift, “Why’d you drag me in here?”

“I get a feeling that was someone important to Jack. I don’t want you get caught up in a jealous fit.” Shift said as he took a swig of his coke.

Chink’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t have jealous fits.”

Shift shrugged, “It’s pretty obvious you’ve got the hots for Jack.”

Chink felt her face burn and knew she was blushing, “I-I like Jack but…”

Shift leant his elbows on the table, “There’s no point in covering it, Chink. You’ve had goo goo eyes for Jack since day one.”

Chink swallowed, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

Shift leaned back, Haze was still standing in the doorway, and she was limiting his field of view. He wondered who the hell the new person was. "I'm not going to tell anyone." he said, Chink looked a little more relaxed now, she still seemed embarrassed though.

"Hey, relax. Really. Its probably going to be less then twenty minuets before we have to jump up again and hunt these sons of b-"

"Yeah I get it." Chink said, looking past Haze, she couldn't see Jack or the newcomer, but Shift was pretty sure she was thinking about them. They sat there for a few moments, Chink looking slightly upset, and Shift looking around. Eventualy he spoke, "Hey, you took a pretty hard hit back there, you ok?"

Chink was glad for the distraction. Her scales had retracted and she reached her hand up to touch the side of her face. “I think I’m going to bruise well, my scales took the brunt of it.”

Shift nodded and noticed that Chink’s face was returning to its normal colour. It seemed that the distraction was of benefit. “I’ve found this cream that’s great for reducing bruising. You can borrow it if you want.”

Chink nodded as she held her coke, she didn’t look Shift in the eye, she knew he was just trying to take her mind off Jack and the other woman. Chink swallowed and had to remind herself that Jack wasn’t actually hers to lay any claim to. Half the time he didn’t even seem to notice her.

Shift reached over to pat her hand. “It’ll be okay.”

Chink considered pulling her hand away but decided not to. Shift was only trying to make her feel better. Haze moved slightly and Chink was able to see Jack, he had his hands on the woman’s arms and was talking non stop. Not that that was anything new.

-

Blur floated back into the Andromeda building and noticed the lack of personnel. He wondered how the place hadn’t been infiltrated. As he floated along he noticed that Acero had made a stop in. He didn’t visit often Blur had heard, Acero tended to do missions on his own.

Blur found the room he’d been locked in and materialised back inside. He paced the room feeling edgy. He wondered if Haze would tell Chromium of his little venture out.

Shift followed Chink's stare. Haze had moved slightly and he was pretty sure she was watching Jack. Shift tried to think of something to distract her, this wasn't a good thing to think about for her right now.  If the newcomer became a more permanent member of Andromeda, Chink might have problems focusing, and she might even get violent. Infighting would not be good for Andromeda.

Before he could even remotely consider his options Chromium approached. Shift felt Chink pull her hand away, and he did the same. "Theres a bank robbery in progress." He said,  giving them the co-ordinates. "Shift, take Chink with you and catch whoever is doing this." Shift nodded and turned to Chink "My cars this way, come on." They got up and made their way to his car. Upon getting there he noticed that the passenger side had some scratches on it. He guessed it was from that razor guy. He would pay. Chink got in and looked out the window, watching Jack still. Shift drove off, heading to the bank. "So, you like music?"

Chink had been planning on staring out the window miserably but once again Shift was drawing her into conversation. “Yeah I like music. Preferably rock,” she muttered as she continued watching Jack until he was out of sight.

“I don’t know how good I’m going to be to you with this robbery. I don’t have much field experience.” Chink said miserably.

“Well you gotta learn somehow,” Shift said trying to lift her spirits.

Chink nodded still looking sour, “I guess so.”

Jack couldn't believe his eyes.  Dessie was here. 

"So  uh.  This is for real this time?"

"Yes and no.  I am really here as opposed to a dream but I don't know how long."

Jack put on a sultry tone.  "Any amount of time I can spend with you is heaven.  How was that?  I found a pick-up line book on the side of the street and decided to give it a chance."

Burnout rolled his eyes,  "Quality stuff there Jack.  The side of the street.  Ever wonder why it was there?  And would you mind introducing us to..."

"Well to all of you who don't know this is Desdemona.  She's a soul eater.  I hear they taste pretty good with salt and pepper.  Maybe a little bit of cayenne."

Haze put her foot down.  "Jack please stop.  Some of us are trying to work.  If you would like to chat, please go outside."

Jack led Desdemona outside and they began walking.  As they walked Jack began talking it up.

"It's so nice to see you again Dessie.  I mean in person.  I've dreamt a lot.  Of when you would come back.  Then there was the dream of the unicorn and the lake of chocolate..."

Jack was interrupted as a rather thuggish guy passed by whistling at Desdemona as he went by.  Jack turned and shot a look at him.

"Watch it punk."

"Oooh look at the tough man in the trenchcoat.  What you going to do, try and sell me some watches?"

Jack reached for his sword but felt Dessie's hand over his.

"Jack please don't..."

"Wonder who is the man in your relationship.  Come on with me and I'll show you what a real man is baby."

That pushed Jack over the edge.  "That's it kid.  You've just insulted my girl and my manlyness.  You better be preapred for a whoopin."

The man smiled a toothy grin and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and a chain.  Jack smiled and pulled his sword.  He turned to Desdemona.

"May I?"

Desdemona raised a brow, it seemed that Jack was determined to prove his prowess. “Very well,” she replied.

Jack grinned and flexed his arms. “Let’s dance,” he said as he prepared to fight.

Shift looked over as he took a turn. "The most important thing is to not just sprint in there. That could get you killed. Just watch what your doing and you'll be fine."  Chink continued looking out the window and sighed. "Hey, just because Jack is involved with her doesn't mean you should get all depressed. I mean, Jack has some serious problems." Chink continued to stare out the window, apparently not feeling like talking. Shift was silent for the continuation of the drive. 

As he pulled up near the bank he placed a hand on Chink's shoulder. She looked over, "You should smile." he said quietly. She smiled sadly and stepped out of the car. Shift followed slowly, pulling his gun from it's holster and stepping into the bank.

Inside there were people lying on the ground, a man stood above them, wearing gloves that were glowing red. He turned as Chink and Shift stepped in and yelled something, lifting one of the gloves. The glove darked and an energy blast shot from his glove, directly at Chink. Shift stuck his arm out, grabbing her shoulder and shifted, the energy bolt went right through her. When he pulled his hand away she looked down, apparently surprised. Shift pulled his pistol out and shot at the  criminal, who dived behind cover

Chink was gob-smacked, Shift’s powers were very impressive. She planned to stay close, she didn’t want to be shot. Shift returned fire and managed to store a hit to the robber’s shoulder. He went down with a grunt, but he wasn’t alone.

Chink decided it was her turn help. Her scales had already come up to protect her so she drew back her arm and let fly with a hail of loose scales that hit the second robber. He grunted as he took several hits. Then Chink flew into the air grabbing Shift as she went, she dropped him gently beside the first robber as she moved to the second and thumped his head into the table which knocked him unconscious.

At that moment the sound of Police sirens filled the small bank. Shift waved them in and they quickly arrested the robbers.

“So how was that?” Shift said still feeling the adrenalin of the moment.

Chink had to admit it was pretty good, “I don’t feel like a complete failure.”

“You did well,” Shift said as he gave her a pat on the back.

-

Haze moved back to Chromium’s side. “I don’t think it’s wise that we all pursue Alastor and his friends.”

Chromium nodded, “I agree.”

“I’m going to go back to base and see if I can dig up anything on our new friends,” Haze told.

Seth, or Lightshow, as he prefered to be called, was nervous. Here he was in some strange car, with some wierd, scaly looking guy, headed after some unknown monster. Recruitment, he felt, wasn't the problem; although he wasn't entirely sure what he was recruiting for. If it came down to a fight, he knew he'd have only his street brawling to keep him safe. Not that he was a combat specialist, he won some and he lost some, growing up on the streets of Mission City. He didn't know if he'd be able to hold his own against proffessional supers.

The blaring of Rammstein's "Du Hast," helped to calm his nerves and focus him. He reached over cautiously to turn up the volume, but the scaly guy didn't seem to mind, so he did. He nodded his head to the music, eyes closed, for a bit. As he opened them, he noticed how fast they were moving through the city, and watched the scaly guy concentrate on his driving.

As Chink and Shift made their way out of the bank one of the Police officers moved towards them. “We’ve got a problem over in the East District, apparently some new super is causing trouble. We’re told the villain has the ability to turn invisible and is doing some rather disturbing things to the local pedestrians.”

“Like what?” Shift asked.

“Like dropping people’s pants when they’re trying to cross the road or grabbing their shopping bags and emptying their contents on the road. They’re just a general menace.” The officer said as he watched his colleges remove the bank robbers.

“I guess that’s our next stop,” Chink said miserably. She really wanted to talk to Jack.

"Alright, two in one day." Shift said, he usually didn't get to go and do this.  They got into the car, and Shift drove off. He turned on the radio. It wasn't a long drive but Chink wasn't as talkative as she usually was. He found a station he thought she might like and turned the volume up a little. He looked over and tried to see  what her reaction was. He couldn't see her face, she was staring out the window, watching the city speed by. The song that was playing ended and Enter Sandman by Metallica started.

About a quarter of the through the song Shift saw a man's pants inexplicably drop, as he very quickly bent to lift them up, he fell flat on his face. Shift stopped the car and popped the door open. "Looks like we found him." Shift left his gun and sword in the car.  He walked over to assist the man, and felt something snag his foot. He tripped, as he hit the ground he cloaked himself. He heard someone talk "What the he-" Shift kicked out and hit something, the super blinked into view for a second.  Chink came up behind him and punched him in the back of his head. Hard. The super went down, and Shift called for someone to come down and pick him up. He looked over at Chink, who hadn't even bothered to bring up her scales, and grinned. "So, where to now?"

Chink let out a sigh, she wanted to go back and talk to Jack but she was pretty certain that Shift was going to steer her away from that situation for as long as possible. “Let’s stop for coffee,” she said with little enthusiasm.

“To Starbucks,” Shift said with a grin as he revved the car a bit harder to emphasise his point.

It didn’t take them long to get to the nearest Starbucks and they quickly got in line. “So what will it be?” Shift asked as he pulled out his wallet and started counting his change.

“A latte,” Chink said quietly as she noticed a couple in the corner holding hands and smiling at each other as they talked. She wondered if Jack was doing that right now with that other woman. She felt her teeth grind together at the thought.

“You want some cake or a biscuit as well?” Shift said as he noticed her mood shift from miserable to angry.

“No, I’m fine.” Chink said between clenched teeth.

“The choc chip cookies are great,” Shift said as he realised what she was looking at.

“I don’t want a damn cookie,” Chink said as her eyes moved from the couple to focus on Shift.

Shift raised his hands in surrender only to have his change fall out of his wallet and scattered across the floor. Both Shift and Chink immediately moved in to pick up the change and banged their heads together. “Ouch,” Chink grumbled as she rubbed her head then moved sideways to help retrieve the change.

An elderly couple also assisted and handed Shift what they found.

“Maybe we should get a meal,” Shift suggested starting to feel a little embarrassed by their situation.

“Whatever,” Chink growled as she stormed out of Starbucks.

“I know this great place that does the best Chinese,” Shift said as they walked back to the car.

“Fine,” Chink said as she threw herself into the seat and slammed the door closed.

“Hey be gentle, the car hasn’t done anything to you,” Shift pointed out.

Chink let out a sigh, “I’m sorry. I just…”

Shift waited for her to finish but she just sat staring out the windscreen. Shift decided to try putting the words in her mouth, “You’re just disappointed that Jack’s interested in someone else.”

Chink nodded, “I thought I had a chance.”

Shift smiled comfortingly as he placed a hand on Chink’s shoulder, “Jack’s been in love with a mystery woman for some time. I’ve heard her name mentioned before. Dessie I think he calls her. He’s been smitten for a long time.”

“Then where has she been? She mustn’t love him if she’s been away for so long!” Chink said as she felt her ire rise.

“We can’t always have what we want, Chink.” Shift said softly.

Chink chewed her lip, “Chinese will do.”

The thug immediately charged at Jack.  Jack casually sidestepped and smacked the man on the back with the flat of his sword.

"Bad form chap.  Stand up and keep your guard up this time when advancing. Try to come at me like this."

The man got to his feet and Jack came at him with his sword causing the man to try and dodge but Jack knew it was coming and came at him with a punch to the gut causing him him to double over.

"Make sure the foes don't expect what comes next.  Now you try."

"I'm gunna gut you."

"Actually I'd prefer if you don't.  I like to keep my organs in their original container.  Gutting isn't cool.  I gutted some fish when I was younger.  Smelly stuff.  That could have been due to the fact that I was supposed to do it 3 weeks prior and I left it out in the sun.  Now try to get me."

The man feinted a punch a brought his chain out whipping it at Jack's legs.  It wrapped around his leg but Jack used his momentum to rip the chains out of the man's grasp and he delivered a kick to the man's jaw as he came around knocking him out cold.

"Good try but it looks like you lose.  The follow through was a bit sloppy and it looks like it cost you.  Oh and I charge by the punch for the lessons.  The knuckles don't heal themselves you know.  Wait...  They do!  Well I'd still like the money anyway."

"Jack he's out cold.  He can't hear a thing."

"Oh.  Bummer.  Who did that?"

Shift pulled up in front of  restaurant. They went in, luckily there wasn't much of a wait, it was still rather early, and the restaurant was busiest later. They were seated quickly, handed small menus, and left to decide what they wanted.  Shift looked up, trying to make conversation "You like duck?" he asked. Chink continued to read through the menu. "Uh, yeah, sure, I guess." she said. Shift looked up for a moment, Chink was looking down at her menu the light above their table casting a warm glow over her features. She continued to read, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. Shift had a bit of a thing for Chink for a while, but she had always been so obsessed with Jack. He looked back down at his menu, trying to decide what he wanted.

Chink skimmed through the menu, she didn’t feel particularly hungry but she didn’t want to dampen Shift’s enthusiasm more than she already had. “I’ll have the Peking Steak with Sweet and Sour Sauce. You want to share a serve of Fried Rice?”

Shift seemed to perk up at her change in mood. “Yeah okay we can do that. I was thinking of getting a duck dish, we could just share all round?”

Chink shrugged as she closed her menu, “I guess so.”

Shift smiled and gave their order to the waitress when she came over. Shift opened his mouth to speak but Chink beat him to it.

“I didn’t know you could turn invisible,” she said as she fiddled with the tip of her fork, although her eyes were on Shift.

“One of my many tricks,” Shift said in response.

“So what else can you do?” Chink asked.

M'Lure walked away from the garage and towards her labratory. She needed to get back to work. It always managed to clear her focus, directing her in the way she was going to head. There were some new tools she needed to finish up for part of her plan. This was her joy now that she could work as she wished, never having to answer to no one. She checked some data, noticing that the Supers that had all flocked downtown were going back to "normal" activities. M'Lure always had a hard time tracking some of them, but it was enough to tell her what she needed. The minor conflict was over. "Good, let them wear each other out. All the better for me." she thought.

M'Lure took off her leather duster, to switch it for her lab coat, the only time she was ever seen with out the textured garment. As she changed she took notice of a long, messy scar on her right arm. She paused before putting on the sleeve, touching the scar carefully, as if the wound was still fresh.

Chromium had broke free of her control. It happened so fast that she didn't have time to try and take it back. What was that noise that had broken her concentration? She glanced in the direction the sound had come from and there by made an importaint mistake. Chromium had transformed his hand into a sharp blade and launched himself at her. She barely had time to dodge the full force of the attack, with the blade striking and cutting into her right arm. It was a bad wound, one that was intended to kill her, but hadn't quite succeded.

It seemed so close to her now, like it was yesterday, as M'Lure pulled out the preciese metal peices to be used in her construction.  "I finally get to finish this." she thought

She was eager to start work on a whole new project. The fact that she was choosen for the government funded labratory was special.  The fact that she had beaten out far more well known and accoplished scientists spoke volumes on her potential talent, and skills within the field. Rumors were that she had even beat out Nobel prize winners. But she tried to ignore them. If she did her work, and did it well, she would prove to everyone that she was indeed worth all the hype.

If Desdemona had been capable of laughter she would have chuckled at Jack. But since emotions were all but a fleeting memory Desdemona simply answered, “You did that, Jack.”

Jack scratched his head, “Oh yeah I did.”

“You are most peculiar at times, Jack.” Desdemona commented as she tilted her head slightly to study him.

“I like it when you say my name,” Jack said with a smile as he slipped his sword back into its sheath.

“Jack,” Desdemona said to please him.

Jack smiled and closed his eyes, he quickly opened them again. “I can’t believe you’re here,” Jack said as he reached out to touch her. His hands encircled her upper arms and he drew her close. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“I don’t remember how to dream,” Desdemona said quietly.

“But what about between soul collecting? What do you do?” Jack asked still holding her close.

“I return to the underworld and rest. I would not call it sleep though,” Desdemona informed him.

“I’m just glad your back, dreams can only take you so far.” Jack said with a knowing smile.

Desdemona did not understand his meaning. “As I recall you could do anything in your dreams.”

Jack’s thumbs stroked the skin on her arms gently, “Some things are much better in reality.”

Desdemona nodded, “That can be true, although some things can be worse.”

“Not when it comes to you Dessie,” Jack said as he leant forward, moving his face closer to hers.

Desdemona was unsure of what he was doing until his lips brushed against hers. Sadly her emotions were so minimal that she only felt a small tingle at his touch. She sighed and Jack seemed to take it as a positive response as he deepened the kiss. Desdemona raised her hand to cup Jack’s face, she gently pushed him away.

“No?” he asked looking confused.

Desdemona looked at him awkwardly, “My feelings are less then when I last saw you.”

“You mean you don’t like me anymore?” Jack said looking as though she’d just ripped out his heart.

“No, I mean that my humanity is further from my grasp so I feel less.” Desdemona tried to explain.

Jack still looked hurt, “So why are you here?”

“I had a soul to retrieve. That is now done but I felt something. I think Void is going to resurface from where ever he went.” Desdemona informed Jack.

Jack started to jump up and down clapping his hands, “This is great! This means you get to be human again!”

“Possibly,” Desdemona said cooling his enthusiasm.

“What do you mean possibly? I thought he completed your quota,” Jack said in confusion.

“I made a new deal, remember? I don’t know if the old one still stands.” Desdemona said telling Jack of her dilemma

“So what are you going to do?” Jack asked.

“I still intend to collect Void’s soul, it’s my duty.” Desdemona answered.

Jack stared at her for a moment and changed the subject. “So where’d you get that outfit?”

“I morphed it on. I was trying to blend in with this time period.” Desdemona told then blinked, “Is it inappropriate?”

Jack looked her up and down for the longest time, “If you were at my place I’d say no, but in public it’s a little revealing.”

“What do you suggest I wear?” Desdemona asked.

Shift looked back at Chink, smiling slightly. He was about to answer when the waitress came by, setting two plates on the table. "Your food will be ready shortly."  she said. She then turned and walked away, going to take the order of a group that had just been seated.

"I didn't know you could shoot your scales." He said, turning back to Chink. 

"I can fly too."

"You can? Thats awesome. Whats it like?"

"Its, well, fun I guess. I never really think about it."

"Wish I could fly." Shift said, still looking at Chink.

“I suggest we all return,” Chromium stated to those who were left at the café.

“Fine, let’s get out of this dump.” Vandal growled, as her headache was only making her mood worse.

“Would you like some ice for your head?” Frost asked as he opened his hand ready to oblige.

“No I just want to go home and lie down,” Vandal hissed as she stormed away from the others.

Haze linked arms with Chromium, “You look stressed,” Haze said quietly.

“Sometimes I worry that I’m too powerful,” Chromium replied just as quietly.

Haze’s brow furrowed, “If you don’t want to merge anymore I understand.”

Chromium shook his head, “No, I do that for your added protection. Besides there are things you can do that I cannot.”

Haze smiled, “We are good together but as I said we don’t have to merge. I can protect myself with my telekinesis.”

Chromium raised her hand to his lips, “I know that, but it reassures me to know that I can protect you. You’ve said yourself that you can only protect yourself when you see things coming at you.”

Haze shrugged, “That’s true but I’m so much more aware of what’s around me these days. Vandal and I have been teaching each other methods we use with our mind control. I even helped her to move a pencil the other day. She’s starting to extend her telepathy to telekinesis and I’m starting to learn how to strengthen my weak telepathy.”

Chromium smiled, “That’s great.”

Haze noticed that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You really are concerned aren’t you?”

Chromium nodded, “In that attack we didn’t even build up a sweat.”

“But you don’t let the power go to your head, Chromium. That’s important.” Haze pointed out.

Chromium wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He placed a kiss on her cheek then moved up to her ear, “I knew there was a reason why I love you.”

“For my good looks and witty humour?” Haze said cheekily.

“Well there’s that, there’s also your wisdom.” Chromium said as he wrapped his other arm around her. He launched into the sky to give them a little privacy from the others.

“We don’t fly like this often enough,” Haze said as she wrapped her arms around Chromium.

“Life is too hectic these days,” Chromium replied with a weary note to his voice.

“Maybe we should take a holiday together. Just you and me, we could go to Austria. I’d love to see the castles and try the chocolate.” Haze informed him.

Chromium chuckled, “You’d sell your soul for a good block of chocolate, wouldn’t you?”

Haze laughed in response, “Nah, but I might dance naked for it.”

“Now that I’d like to see,” Chromium said with a twitch of his metal eyebrows.

Haze grinned, she was glad to see a genuine smile on his face, “I’m serious about the holiday. I think we deserve it.”

“Let me think on it some more,” Chromium said as they landed back at their headquarters.

Haze held him a moment longer, “Work isn’t everything, Tanis. We may be Supers but it doesn’t mean we always have to save the day. Sometimes we need to be selfish and take some time for ourselves.”

Chromium nodded then rubbed his nose against Haze’s. She moved forward to kiss him and they stayed in the moment for a while longer. The sound of an internal siren made them part. “Can’t we ignore it, just this once?” Haze said.

“We’re here, it’s our duty.” Chromium said as he started forward. He stopped to take Haze’s hand, “Come with me.”

She smiled, “Okay.”

-

Vandal was ready to scream, “Shut that damn alarm up before I rip someone’s head open!”

“Charming as ever I see,” Burnout commented as he moved to the nearest console. We got a fire at a Gas Station.

Frost was up in a second, “Oh pick me, I want to go.”

“Fine just go already and turn off that alarm,” Vandal growled as she put a pillow over her head.

-

Chink picked up a mini spring roll and dipped it in the sauce bowl. “If you want I could take you flying.”

She took a bite then looked up at Shift, “That would be awesome.”

Chink smiled, “I see you neatly avoided telling me what you can do.”

Shift cut a into some of the duck on his plate. He was glad that Chink didn't seem so depressed now, she actually seemed t be enjoying herself. "I can really just cloak and walk through stuff. Oh, I can make other people do that too, but you already know that."

"Thanks for that, earlier, in the bank."

"No problem," he said "I didn't want you to get hurt."  he added quietly

Chink didn't hear him. "What?"

"Uh, nothing." he said quickly.

Chink studied Shift for a moment, he suddenly seemed very intent on his food, his eyes stayed on his plate. Chink shrugged and took a mouthful of her fried rice. Her pager went off and Shift’s quickly matched the sequence of bleeps.

Chink looked at hers, “Fire at a Gas Station. Isn’t that the Fire Brigade’s responsibility?”

Shift dropped his fork and looked at his own pager. “It might be too dangerous for them.”

Chink rolled her eyes, “I should have stayed in the Control Centre.”

Shift put his pager back in its holder, “We should go.”

Chink sat firm, “I’m finishing my meal. I can walk back if I need too.”

Shift looked surprised, “Enough action for you today?”

“I thought the aim was to keep me away from Jack,” Chink said cuttingly.

Shift sighed, “I thought we were passed this.”

Chink didn’t say anything for a moment then picked up her fork, “Just go play hero. I might be here when you get back.”

Shift watched Chink, trying to figure out if she actually wanted him to leave. She looked like it didn't matter to her if he left or not. "I need to go." He said, calling a waiter over. He paid the check, and got up. "Sorry." he said, then he was gone.

Shift's car sped through the streets, heading to the fire. He wondered why the hell the fire department couldn't deal with it. He regretted leaving Chink there, and he felt like he should have stayed with her, they always could have went after they were finished eating. He hoped she wasn't angry with him.

Jack thought.  "I liked how you looked before."  Obligingly she changed back to the form Jack knew. 

"Does it please you?"

"Very much so.  Now we need-"

At that moment someone came whizzing up to them.  Burnout.

"Jack.  I need to talk to you."

10 Minutes Ago...

"I think I'll go stir up some trouble. I'll be back." Jericho nodded to Mr. Anasazi and pushed the red button, teleporting his down to his Charger parked in the alleyway. He got in and started it up, it sounded good, but began to stall as it got to the 3000 RPM range. "Oh frick, better not do that." Jericho frowned, and put it in gear. He had to get to a fill station quick, and luckily there was one less than a block away. He pulled in and got out, it seemed there were no cameras...Jericho smiled as an idea popped into his head. "Panama..."
After filling it up, he unnoticingly placed his cigar next to the pump nozzle. Interestingly enough, this new syntheticly created zero-emission fuel was more dense than gasoline, and also gave automobiles a better MPG rating. BUT, it is also converted to vapor rather quickly in regular air...
Jericho got into into the Dodge and drove off like a regular customer. "Oh this will be good."

KAKRAFOOM!!!

Chink stabbed violently into her food with her fork. She was tightly strung with a mix of emotions as she looked up at Shift’s empty seat she realised she owed him an apology. She’d taken her anger and frustration out on him and he hadn’t deserved it. “I’m a mess,” she muttered quietly to herself.

When she finished her meal she got Shift’s boxed up and started the long walk home. After a few blocks she stopped and wondered what she was doing. She had the ability to fly, so why wasn’t she using it? Chink leapt into the air and let the wind sail through her hair. Its coolness calmed her heated temper, “I should have done this earlier.”

But the truth had been that no one had trusted her to be on her own, they’d all expected her to go rushing back to Jack at the first opportunity. The truth was that they were probably right. Chink sighed, sometimes she was her own worst enemy. She had known that Jack had been into someone else. She’s just figured that the mystery lady had not felt the same for him.

As Chink flew over the streets she noticed a woman carrying a basket full of single red roses in canisters. Chink lowered herself to the ground and walked to the woman, “Can I buy a rose?”

“Sure,” the lady said as she allowed Chink to pick which one she wanted. Chink selected a red rose, she noticed it had a heart chocolate in the bottom but it didn’t really matter. This was an apology gift for Shift, she was certain he’d understand it was an impulse buy.

She took the rose in her left hand while she carried the remainder of his meal in the right. When she got back to the Andromeda headquarter she found it relatively quiet. Vandal was asleep in the main lounge area, crashed out on a sofa with a pillow over her head.

Chink made her way to Shifts quarters. She knocked on the door and was not surprised at the lack of answer. She moved her hand to the handle and was surprised that it opened. The room was remarkably empty and Chink wondered if he only used it on odd occasions. Most of the other supers had somewhere else to call home but liked to sleep at Andromeda when things were hectic.

Chink laid the rose on his bed then moved away. She took a marker and wrote Shift’s name on the plastic container so no one else ate it. As she placed the meal in the fridge she looked at the marker in her hand. She decided she should write a note to go with the rose. He might not know it was from her.

Chink replaced the marker and retrieved a pen. She scratched around for a notepad but could only find some purple sheets of paper that Vandal always insisted on having.

Vandal stirred slightly as Chink walked passed and she decided to go back to Shifts room to write the note. She sat on the edge of the bed trying to think what to write.

3 minutes ago..

Burnout quickly bored of staring at computer modules, and that mystery and allure of the warehouse tugged at his mind.  Unable to contain himself any more, he turned and sprinted off, covering the distance between the headquarters and the warehouse in a minute or so.

When he arrived, he picked up the globes of light and darkness, and stared into their depths.  In the sphere of light, he saw a titan of darkness attacking.  In the globe of darkness, he saw a titan of light engaging in combat.  It was as if he were simultaneously staring trough the eyes of both titans.  As he thought this, he felt a magnetic-like pull, as the globes began to gravitate towards each other.  He was unable to resist them, and they merged into one single globe, that altered between light and shadow swirling across its surface.  And the visions within the former globes vanished amid the swirls.  Weird...  This whole situation was weird.  And he had no idea what to....wait.  Jack was around when this warehouse had fallen, hadn't he?  That final battle of the heroes and villains?  Maybe he would know...He raced off through the streets in search of Jack.

Now...

He finally found Jack talking with a woman beside an unconscious thug.

"Does it please you?" The woman appeared to be talking to Jack.

"Very much so.  Now we need-"

Burnout approached at a high speed.

"Jack I need to talk to you."

"Um.  Okay.  I think you are talking to me, yes."

"Look, sorry to interrupt, but I found something...odd.  Here, take a look."

Burnout showed Jack and the strange woman the globe he had found in the ruins of the warehouse.

Jack's eyes widened. "Holy mother of chimichangas! I have...no idea what this is."

The woman beside him looked intently at the globe.

"This is very interesting.  It has the sense of Voidhunter.  And Darklight.  But as if it is but a small reflection."

Burnout's eyes widened in surprise.  He had known Darklight had vanished a while back, but he had no idea where he had gone, or what had happened.  And this litle shiny ball was a clue? Very nice.

Flame stopped the car. There was a huge pillar of smoke coming from the city. He opened the door and got out of the car.  He stood there for a moment, before ducking his head back into the car. "You know where to go. I will meet you there." Lightshow moved to the drivers seat and began to drive off as Flame lifted into the air.

--

Shift forgot about Chink momentarily as the gas station came into view. A huge fire was roaring, and a pitch black pillar of smoke rose from it. He something happen, the smoke stopped rising from the fire and seemed to hit a wall. The radiant heat from it stopped as well. He looked over and saw Haze, he assumed she was holding the fire in a telekinetic bubble or something . The fire slowly began to die.

At the sight of Void Desdemona felt a jolt go through her body, her emotions were starting to wake up once more. Her hand reached for Jack’s, “This is like a prelude to their return.”

Jack was surprised at her grip on his hand. Desdemona closed her eyes and laid her head back. Jack watched as she turned translucent. He immediately grabbed harder at her hand which was fading along with the rest of her, “Don’t go!” Jack said with more desperation than he realised.

Desdemona opened her eyes and looked back at Jack. “I was searching for Void. I wanted to know if he was on this plane yet.”

“Stay with me,” Jack repeated but this time it was a command.

Desdemona raised a brow, “It’s unlike you to be so serious.”

Haze and Chromium had been the first on the scene. Chromium had stretched himself out into a thin sheet. He had then laid himself over sections of fire to smother them. Haze had adopted a similar strategy but used bubbles of telekinesis. It wasn’t something she did very often so it took a lot of concentration.

Shift rolled up next, followed by Frost who looked annoyed that he wasn’t getting to play with his icing skills. Haze reduced the size of her bubble so Frost could put out the fire.

“Where’s the Fire Brigade?” Shift asked to no one in particular.

“Coming,” Haze replied as she continued to reduce her bubble so Frost could do his work.

Jack was surprised at the words that exited his mouth.  BUt he thought about it.  It had been five long years.  And now she was leaving.  So close.  But now she was literally escaping his grasp.

"Promise me you wil return. I need you to stay sane."

Burnout nearly collapsed from laughter.

"That would imply youare sane in the first pace."

Jack shot him a murderous look.

Burnout shrugged.  "Right.  The one time you choose to be serious I happen to be around.  Why do these things always happen to me?"