ZephyrStarr

((mmmmyeah. I've come to the conclusion that my husband is better at fight scenes than I am So...I'll write the angst, and he'll handle the violence Next entry, coming up!))

Thank you for reading

I'll hopefully have a Red entry up soon.

Thank you very much! I've been hounding the husband to write up a "Quick's point of view" of their first encounter, but he hasn't yet.

I am working on some additional "adventures", though, stay tuned!

Red Luna has a Crey Threat Assessment available. I've been trying to get my husband to make one for Quick, but he's lazy.

((And here's part 2))

The Quick and the Red part two

Tears threatened to fall as she stared down the empty alley. He was gone. Marrowsnap had fled, her moment gone. She punched the door, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up her arm. Just as she reached up to a fire escape, she saw movement at the far end of the alley. It was him.

Marrowsnap was getting to a car, surrounded by lackeys. She crouched down, shaking. She had to move fast. She knew she couldn't rush them; they would have the advantage. She looked back up at the fire escape, her eyes following it along the building. It stopped at the corner of the building, covered in shadow. In one fluid movement, she swung her lithe body onto the grating, moving silently. She pressed her body against the cool, slightly damp brick of the building, assessing the situation below. Marrowsnap was standing beside the car, a streetlight shining off his bone white Skull mask. There were ten lackeys, and Marrowsnap was talking heatedly with them. One of the gang members had a slightly bent mask, and a streak of blood on his face. The young woman recognized him as the one she fought off the hero inside. A slight twinge of guilt flashed through her stomach as she thought of him, lying alone in the dark warehouse. She was taken from her thoughts by Marrowsnap's rough voice.

"I find out who squealed to the heroes, there's going to be pain." Marrowsnap stared menacingly at his lackeys, who all stood nervously, none of them speaking. Marrowsnap growled low in his throat and turned to the car door. This was the young woman's last chance. Taking a deep breath, she gracefully leapt from the fire escape, landing in the middle of the group.

"You boys look a little tired. Why don't you lay down for a bit?" she reorted, crouching down and in one sweep, knocked them all down. They gave suprised shouts and scrambled to gain their footing. She stood up quickly, striking a battlepose. A tight smile played on her lips, and with one hand, she beckoned them closer. With a unified growl, they rushed her, weapons at the ready. Time slowed down for the young woman, as she opened her mind to the fight. She saw each of them, their movements; she smelled their fear and anger. She switched to a defensive stance, fighting off their attacks, landing kicks in all the right places. One by one, the gang members crumpled to the ground. As she stood there, looking at the fallen Skulls, she felt a hand, cold as death, wrap around her neck.

"That's enough," a terrible, familiar voice whispered in her ear. She was roughly spun around until she was staring into the face of Marrowsnap, expressionless mask shining dully in the polluted moonlight. He pushed her down to the ground, his lips curling into a sneer. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. This was the moment she had been waiting for, what she had trained so hard for, and now she was frozen. She couldn't move, couldn't act.

"You ruined my party." Marrowsnap said, looming over her. "You. I know you. You're the one putting all my boys in the Zig."

She slowly stood up, staring death in the face. Her entire body was tense, ready to spring. Before she could react, Marrowsnap thrust his hand out. She felt her life, her soul, being wrenched from her body, and that's when she saw it again. Her older brother, a Skull, having his life taken away in the same manner. Her brother had angered Marrowsnap somehow. She had watched it happened from an alley. She heard his screams, his pleads that his life be spared. She felt the same helplessness she felt that day.

"No..." she moaned lightly. Marrowsnap smiled a cold smile.

"That's it, little girl. Beg. Beg for your life. Scream for me!" With another thrust of his hand, the young woman's vision started to cloud. She was being plunged into darkness. Just as she started to resign herself to her fate, she heard another voice, faintly in the background.

"Let her go!"

Marrowsnap looked up in surprise, and the young woman's body crumpled to the ground. The other hero was standing there, angrily. His eyes flickered down to the young woman on the ground quickly, then back up to Marrowsnap.

"Two heroes! This is my lucky night!" Marrowsnap jeered, kicking the young woman out of the way.

"Your luck just ran out, Snappy," the other hero retorted. He placed his hands on either side of his head, and a wave of psychic energy flowed through the alley. Suddenly, Marrowsnap stopped in his tracks, grabbing his head in pain, moaning. Quick as a flash, the hero was by the young woman's side, cradling her.

"I'm going to help you, but you have to trust me," he whispered, as she weakly protested, lifting her head. The young woman groaned, trying to focus on the hero. His face wavered in front of her, set in grim concentration. A wave of energy flowed through her body, clearing her vision, giving life back to her muscles. She stood up shakily. The other hero smiled.

"Go get 'im, Red," he said, referring to her dark red wig. She nodded quickly and turned to Marrowsnap, who was still clutching his head in pain. She walked slowly up to Marrowsnap, staring at his face.

"It's over, Marrowsnap. Your reign in King's Row has ended." she said, wincing slightly. Her muscles still screamed in pain, though it was subsiding. Marrowsnap looked up, a string of drool falling from his mouth.

"No," he sputtered. "You're fighting a war you will not win, little girl. You defeat me, another will take my place. The Skulls own King's Row. This is our--AUUUGHH!" Marrowsnap clutched his head again, doubling over.

"Oh, shut up already!" the other hero snarked. "Red, he's all yours." He smiled and gestured grandly. The young woman allowed a small smile as she turned back to Marrowsnap. In one quick flash of a leg, he was down on the ground, unconcious. She slapped a prison teleporter on him, and as he faded away she whispered: "For you, Chuckie. One down..."

She stood still a few moments, looking down the street. It looked quiet, and a feeling almost like peace flowed through her body. She turned back to the hero, who was leaning up against the building, smiling lightly. She walked slowly towards him and stared into his eyes. He cleared his throat and held out his hand.

"Name's Quick."

The young woman was taken aback slightly. All this time, through all her training, she had never thought of taking a name. She couldn't use her own name, it was too dangerous. She still had four more brothers, who all ran with The Skulls. If anyone found out who she was...she glanced up at the setting moon behind Quick. It had taken on a reddish hue.

"R-Red Luna," she whispered, ignoring his hand. Quick pulled his hand back slowly, scrunching his mouth up.

"You know...that kick really hurt."

Red didn't answer.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. Heroes aren't supposed to kick each other in the gut."

Red looked away. Quick sighed.

"Okay. You got your man. Shouldn't you be happy? Come on, I'll buy you a drink--"

"No. No I shouldn't be happy. He was right. I am fighting a losing war. But I can't give up. I need to give King's Row back to the people, and out of the hands of criminals. And if I have to fight Skulls and Marrowsnaps every night, I will."

Quick whistled. "How very...depressing. Come on, Red. You live in the City of Heroes. There's enough of us around to give you a night off once in awhile."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Heroes? Do you see any around right now? This area is overlooked. It's poor, a working class area. There's nothing flashy to save here. And heroes that DO come here, use it to just pass through on the way to bigger and better things. I said before, this is my hunting ground. And the Skulls are going to be kept up at night at the thought of me in the shadows."

"Hey. I was here wasn't I? I'm helping!"

Red snorted. "No. I recognize you now. I see your face all over sports endorsements and annoying energy drink commercials. You did it for exposure. You're one of them. You don't work the way I do." She turned to leave. In a flash, Quick was in front of her.

"Hey, wait, come on. Don't be like that. We work good together! You can be, like, my sidekick!"

Red glowered at him.

"Uh...ok, I'll be yours. Red and Quick. The Quick and the Red!" he said, chuckling at his own joke. Red rolled her eyes.

"I have to go."

Quick's smile faded. He sighed and pushed past her in a flash. Red shook her head, then looked down in surprise. There was a slip of paper in her hand. She unfolded it:

"Call me, Red. 401-555-8762
--Quick"

She smirked and crumpled up the paper, and moved to throw it in a nearby dumpster. She stopped herself and pulled her hand back slowly, smiling and shaking her head. She shoved the paper in the pocket of her jeans, straightening her mask and wig. She leapt back up on the fire escape, flipping onto the roof.

Walking out to the edge on the other side, she saw two Skulls attempting to rob a frightened young woman. She straightened up, the red moon behind her, throwing a faint shadow over the crime. The two Skulls looked up, their eyes widening in fear. Red Luna cracked her knuckles and jumped down. She smiled at the frightened gang members.

"It's play time, boys."

((This is a story I've been working on for me and my husband's duo on the Protector Server, Red Luna (Natural MA/SR) and Quick (Mutie Kin/Psy) Any feedback or critiques are welcome!))

The Quick and the Red part one

The sun was setting in King’s Row, barely burning through the pollution that hung in the air. A shadow fell across the face of a young woman, crouched behind some moldering crates in the back of a building. She had been there for a good few hours, and it was starting to show. She quietly shifted her position, grimacing at the cramp that had formed in her leg. She made a mental note to work on her stakeout techniques. She was starting to doubt the information she was given when she heard voices in an alleyway. She held her breath as the voices drew near.

“The boss gonna be in there?” a snarly, deep voice asked. A more high-pitched, slightly maniacal voice answered.

“Yeah. It’s gonna be a party, yo! Hahaha! I heard ol’ Snappy is stoked about how good we done in this ‘hood!”

“Probably not a good idea to let the boss hear you call him “Ol’ Snappy,” yet another voice remarked. The men hooted and hollered, their jovial tone piercing the cold darkness of the alley.

The young woman peered out from behind the crates and saw a group of about ten Skulls heading her way. Her heart jumpstarted in her chest and her palms grew sweaty. Easy, girl, she thought to herself. You’re ready for this. You have to be. She reached down and picked up a dark red wig and a cheap mask. She slipped them on, smirking. Not Ms. Liberty level, but it’ll have to do. She glanced up again as the Skulls began filing into the warehouse. Breathing in slowly through her nose and out again through her mouth, as she had been trained, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a shiruken. It was the only one she had, so she had to succeed with her first try. She waited until the last gang member entered the building, just before the door slammed shut, she snapped her wrist and sent the shiruken sailing through the air. It made a quiet “ching!” sound as it lodged between the door and doorframe, leaving the door open by mere inches.

“Yes!” she hissed, hopping gracefully out from behind the crates. She quickly observed her surroundings, checking for any sign that she’d been discovered. When she was satisfied that she was alone, she sprinted across the darkened alley to the doorway. She popped the shiruken out with one finger, sticking her toe between the door and doorframe, leaving an opening just wide enough for her to slip through. She carefully closed the door and silently walked over to the wall, placed her back against it, and looked around the corner. The hallway was deserted, but she could hear the hoots and laughter of many Skulls having too good a time. Setting her jaw, she pushed herself off of the wall and quietly made her way down the hallway, her senses going into overdrive. She started feeling like she might be in over her head, but she forced herself to clear her mind. Eyes on the prize, girl. Remember what Blue said. They’re more scared of you than you are of them…

As she crept down the dark hall, two gang members rounded the corner. The young woman gasped and sprung behind some boxes.

“Didja see that?” one of the Skulls exclaimed, looking at the spot where she had just been.

“See what?” the other Skull said, sounding annoyed. She heard their footsteps draw closer. She willed herself to relax, and readied her muscles to react when they needed to. The footsteps stopped.

“Eh. Guess it was nothin'. Man, this sucks. We get stuck with lookout duty, and everyone else is in there partyin'.” Their footsteps faded, and the young woman let out a breath. She peered over the top of the boxes, and watched as the two gang members went back around the corner, each bragging about heroes they had probably never really defeated.

As she stepped out from behind the boxes, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A streak of black and yellow, moving incredibly quickly. She stared down the hallway, trying to focus on the spot she saw the streak. Convincing herself it was just a trick of the light, she continued down the hallway. She reached a corner, and peeked around it. There, in the middle of a large group of Skulls, stood a Bone Daddy by the name of Marrowsnap. She involuntarily stiffened, and fought the urge to rush into the room. As she mentally prepared herself for battle, she felt a tremendous rush of air rush past her body. She watched in disbelief as a young hero flashed into the room. The Skulls turned to him with surprise.

“Time for a quick headache, boys!” the hero cried.

The young woman grabbed her head in pain as a flash of psychic energy filled the room. The Skulls screamed and shouted, clutching their heads as well, trying in vain to shoot, stab, and punch the speedy hero as he dashed around the room, deftly avoiding their attacks. As her mental pain subsided, the young woman composed herself, growing angry.

No! This was MY mission! I’m not letting some cocky no-name hero take this away from me!

Jumping into the room, the young woman swiftly made her way through the melee, taking down gang members skillfully, towards the other hero, who had yet to notice her. He was surrounded by about a half dozen Skulls, but they were falling rapidly. She went into pure battle mode; her mind clear, her senses focused. She observed the movements of her targets, anticipating each attack and skillfully mastering each counter-attack. As she sent a gang member crashing through a pile of crates, she spied another sneaking up behind the other hero, baseball bat at the ready.

“Look out!”

“Wha--?” the other hero tried to say. A dull crack sounded as wood hit bone. The hero crumpled to the ground, clutching his head. The young woman gracefully jumped over to his side and kicked the surprised Skull in his face. She felt the satisfying sensation of a ruined nose through the sole of her shoe as the Skull fell backwards, howling in pain.

“Have a seat, scumbag,” she muttered to the Skull, kneeling over the body of the young man. His eyes fluttered open, trying to focus on her face. After a few moments, he smiled weakly.

“Am I dead? And, is this heaven?”

The young woman said nothing as she helped the hero to his feet. He was staring at her with an enraptured smile. She smirked at him angrily.

"You're going to be dead if you don't tell me what you're doing here." Her voice was perfectly calm, a few octaves lower than her normal speaking voice. The hero blinked.

"Uhh...I got a tip from Juan that some big time Skull was going to be here, trying to organize some big drug run. *I'm* here to stop him!" he grinned again, flexing his muscles. The young woman's face twitched slightly.

"Well, leave. This is my deal. Marrowsnap is mine." She turned and started walking through the room to the other side. Marrowsnap had fled from the room in the confusion, something that angered the young woman even more. This hero was ruining everything.

"Hey, wait!" the hero cried, rushing up to her. He had a strange energy aura; his movements were quick and fluid. "What's going on here? Did Juan give you this tip too? How did you know this was going down?" He grabbed her arm, and she spun around angrily, wrenching herself from his grasp.

"I have my ways. I don't need contacts. King's Row is my hunting ground. There's little that goes on around here that I don't know about." She knew about Juan Jimenez. A photographer for the Paragon Times, he would often listen to police scanners, searching for tips to send heroes to, requesting picutres of them afterwards for his own gain. She preferred to work in the shadows, delivering her own brand of masked justice. Already there had been whispers of a new heroine in the Row, operating under the polluted moonlight. The hero dropped his hands to his sides, looking at her questioningly.

"Well...we're both here. Why don't we take him down--"

"No," she whispered. "Leave."

The hero scowled. "Nuh uh. Nothin' doin'. I was given this job, and I'm going to finish it." He crossed his arms and looked at her stubbornly. A red hot anger boiled in her chest, and she fought to keep control. She stared back at him, unflinchingly. She turned as if to leave.

"Hey--!"

In one swift movement, she caught the hero by surprise with a kick to the stomach. A hard breath escaped from his lungs as he went sailing through the air, falling behind some boxes, unconcious.

"Sorry, hotshot," she whispered. "This is just something I have to do."

She stared at the broken boxes for a few seconds, then, shaking her head, she sprinted across the room to the door on the other side. She placed a shaky hand on the doorknob, and listened for a moment. Silence. Muttering a few curses under her breath, she opened the door and stepped into the darkness.

Zephyr Starr, Protector Server

A close up, in her Super Suit.

Wow, I have not written in awhile. Being a "Superhero" takes a lot out of me.

Just something quick, while I'm putting together ideas for my next big entry:

This dude, that's been helping me out, Oswald Cuthbert, was sending me after these crazy jerks called Sky Raiders. I'll get into more detail later. Suffice to say, I kicked their [censored] across Paragon City. And when I was done, I stole one of their awesome jetpacks:

A boy and his Jetpack

The POS stopped working after a couple hours though. I guess I roughed the previous owner up too much and it got damaged. It's in the shop, but the guy said it may never work again. Oh well.

I had an idea that my character might keep a journal. You can read his origin here , if you'd like. Sorry this is go long, and if it's incoherent, it's just because it's almost 2am here. Give some feedback, if you'd like!

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Today was my 20th birthday. How did I celebrate? By getting together with seven of Paragon's Finest to take down some whacked-out SOB called The Clockwork King. What did YOU do today?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Tyler Morrison, AKA Toxic Marrow. Pretty cheesy, huh? About a year ago, I discovered that I had superpowers. Something that every kid dreams of, and I'd do anything to get rid of them. Just to have my old life back. I'd be in college right now, living in a dorm, making friends and good, normal memories. Maybe I'd have a girlfriend, a cute little brunette or redhead. We'd go the movies, maybe dinner. I could bring her home to my parents, and they'd approve of her. Welcome her into the family. Fat chance of that ever happening now. I'm not even welcome in my family. But you know all about that, and I don't feel like getting into it again. Anyway, I was told by a good friend that it might help to keep a journal of my, well, "adventures", I guess you could call em. I dunno who'll ever read these, but I guess I'll give it a shot.


A few months ago, the guy who scraped me from the bottom of the barrel, Antonio Nash, said to me, "Tyler, you have a gift. Now, it's your gift to use how you please. I can't tell you how or why to use it, that's your decision. But just know I'm always here to help you along." And that was it. No "Hey, man, you're a Superhero now! Go bring down some bad guys and have an action figure made of you!". And, I gotta respect that. He really picked me up when I was at my lowest. He hooked me up with all sorts of things; an apartment, a part-time job, a special bank account, the works. All in exchange for some crazy training sessions with some old Hero guys. And lemme tell ya, these guys were tough. I was in pain for weeks after training with them. I liked hearing their stories and stuff though. I even got my very own Superhero suit, though in all honesty, it's kinda [censored] looking. It works though, I guess.

After a month or so of training, Antonio comes up to me and tells me of something going down in a warehouse near Atlas Plaza. Some thugs stole some jewelry or some such. I tell him I'd check it out. And I did. And it was crazy! Creeps shooting at me from all sides, and let me tell ya, they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I put all of em away and found the jewels. Brought em back to Antonio. Next thing I know, he's sending me on another mission, then another...then he tells me to go see this other guy in Galaxy City. HE gives me jobs and missions...it went on and on. Some chick in Steel Canyon, Olivia somethingorother, who had me on a wild goose chase all over, looking for this guy, Dr. Vahzilok. He had been turning people into these weird zombie-bot things, and was preparing to unleash this crazy plague into the water supply. Well, right before I got to him, I caught the damn disease! It sucked. I was really weakened by it, so I had to go out and call for help to bring this SOB down. Up until then I had pretty much gone about my business alone. I wasn't sure how if I could play well with others, and my particular "gift", well...it's kind of freakish. But, that was the first time I experience fighting alongside other heroes. It really opened my eyes. We worked together and brought that freakish man down, and....it felt good. It felt right.

After that I would always call for help when I needed it. My doctor's bills were getting pretty high, and I needed all the jobs I could get. I fought all over the place; in Steel Canyon, Skyway City, Perez Park (which I used to go to all the time when I was little...it's f-d how that place is now), and Baumton, or "Boomtown" as it's known now. I've watched colleagues fall, and have been in some precarious situations myself. But every day I learn something new, something that helps me along for that next fight. Because, that next fight is always a bit harder.

Which brings me to today. I was hanging out in Steel Canyon, wondering if I should even acknowledge my birthday, when my buddy, Blue Wrecker comes up to me and tells me about this Clockwork King freak. He says he'd been talking to Synapse (hero from the Golden Age. But don't tell him I said that), and heard about this nefarious plan or something, and asked if I'd like to help him and some of his friends out and take this guy down. And I thought, Happy Birthday, Tyler! Sounds like fun! So, I got together with these guys (and gal), and fought those stupid, overgrown wind-up toys for hours. After all of that, and being chased down by some humongous thing called Babbage, after getting beat down ourselves a few times, we finally come face to face with the King himself.

And he looks like a reject from Mars Attacks. I mean, really. This guy was a loser. We took him down in no time.

It was an experience I will never forget, though. I made some great friends today, and I felt like I did some good for the city. And that's what being a hero is all about, right? Anyway, after we all went our separate ways, I hightailed it to the tailor shop in Steel.

I bought myself a new suit. It's pretty kick-***, if I do say so myself.

Happy birthday to me.

Thanks! I'll keep my eye out for your characters...

[ QUOTE ]
Excellent story...

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you!

[ QUOTE ]
Will you be continuing the story in writing, or will he be a living storyline?

[/ QUOTE ]

At this point, I'm not sure. I'm going back to college next month, so my playing time will be seriously shortened

[ QUOTE ]
If you ever see Varrik (Claws/Regen scrapper), Kinetra (KinPsy Defender), or Woodbind (Also Spines/Regen scrapper) on Protector, give shout for a teamup... always looking for good players to team up with.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll keep my eyes open!

[ QUOTE ]
It looks like you have invested in this character's nature enough to be interesting to play with. I look forward to it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Same here, and thanks again!

I haven't rp'd since I was younger, but this game has rekindled that old flame!

I've been a member of a couple of SGs already, but either no one is ever one, or it's just power levellers to choose from. I've been thinking about desgnating this character (Toxic Marrow) as my RP character and was just wondering if there's any RP-themed Supergroups that have room for a level 18 Scrapper? For now, I'm usually on daily and at night (Eastern Time Zone), but I am going back to college next month, so my playing time will take a big hit. Stupid school.

Let me know here or in a PM! Thanks!

Bear with me. This is my first MMORPG. Actually, this is my first attempt at roleplaying since I was a kid. But after playing a few characters on Protector and Victory, this one character took on a life of his own.
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Tyler Morrison is the eldest son of renouned Crey Geneticist, Dr. Franklin Morrison. Growing up in Founder's Falls, he and his younger brother, Michael, were very privleged. They attended the best schools Paragon City had to offer, lived in a beautiful home with a loving mother and a strict but doting father.

Tyler was well on his way to follow in his father's footsteps. he spent a good amount of time assisting his father in his labs, doing light research work. His father was working on serum that would isolate and destroy the mutant gene that was giving so many of Paragon City's residents extraordinary powers, though they were "demonic" in Dr. Morrison's eyes.

The Doctor wanted to "preserve" humanity. Every day he grew more fanatical, going from experimenting on animals to, sometimes unwilling, human subjects. Through all this, Tyler was becoming more uncomfortable with his father's work. He felt it was hypocritical to claim to be working in God's name while playing God himself. But, he kept quiet, dilligently working alongside his father.

One day after school, he went home before heading to the labs. His mother was out running errands, and she had left a note asking if he could watch his younger brother when he arrived home from school. Michael came home, and they settled down in the family room and started watching TV. Like most brothers, they had a bit of sibling rivalry running through their veins. Once they tired of TV, they started wrestling around the living room. Tyler, being the bigger of the two, usually had the upper hand in fights, but this time, Michael took a cheap shot. Blinded by pain, Tyler tackled his little brother.

Then, everything happened in slow motion. Tyler felt a deep, painful burning in his bones. Michael's eyes went wide with fear as he watched spikes spring from his brother's body. Everything went black......

A few moments later, Tyler regained consciousness. He was covered in a sticky green substance and was in excrutiating pain, but for some reason, it was subsiding quickly. He looked around for his brother, and when he saw Michael's lifeless body lying on the ground, he screamed. He got up and ran over to him, and saw dozens of boney spikes embedded in his flesh, oozing the same sticky green substance he was covered in. He called his name, and started remvoving the spikes. He tried CPR, he tried everything, but his little brother was dead.

"I did this?!" he thought to himself, "But how?" As he sat there, trying to control his sobbing, the spikes that were still embedded and the ones he had removed started to disentegrate. Thoughts started rattling through his brain. Thoughts about covering this up. Thoughts about what he was going to tell his parents. And the thought, the nagging, screaming thought that he might, just might be.....

No. He picked up his little brother's body. He looked around the living room and saw that it was in disarray from their wrestling. I know, Tyler thought, I'll tell them it was a break in. Some type of monster broke in, looking for money or things to steal, and killed Michael. I couldn't save him......

The day of the funeral came and went. Tyler's parent's were devestated, distant. They seemed to have believed Tyler's fantastical story about monsters and villains. Little did Tyler know, his father had ordered an autopsy done on Michael. The poison from the spines had been analyzed. Tyler's own DNA had been found. His father had only kept it quiet so as to have a proper funeral for his youngest son.

A few days after the funeral, Dr. Morrison confronted Tyler. He knew what Tyler was, the very thing he had been working so hard to wipe from the Earth. He was disgusted, devestated. To him, he had lost both of his sons. He ordered Tyler out of the house, never to return.

Tyler went from having everything to having nothing but the clothes on his back. He ran to Atlas Park, staying in shelters for the homeless. He begged for money and food, and even stole a couple times. One day, as he was wandering the streets, he came upon a couple of thugs attempting to mug a young lady. While she was putting up quite a fight herself, she was still outnumbered. As he watched, he started growing angry. He knew he could help, but why should he? People feared those with power greater than their own, though he did live among heroes, he felt he could never become one. Suddenly, one of the thugs saw him watching, and yelled out "You want some of this too, wimp? Bring it on!" The one who yelled pushed the young lady into his accomplice's grip and started for Tyler.

"You might want to just back off," Tyler called out.

"Yeah, and why is that? What are you gonna do, little man?"

That was the final straw. Tyler felt the familiar sting in his bones, the sting he hadn't felt since that day. Everything came rushing back, emotions he'd done his best to bury these last few months. As the thug drew near, he let himself go. He felt the spines pop out all over his body and hands.

"Holy crap, he's a Mutie!" the thug called out. That was the last thing he ever said. Tyler went to go after the other one, but he was already gone, leaving the young woman laying on the ground, sobbing.

"You ok, miss?" he asked, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Y-yes," she stammered, "I don't know what to say....you saved me!"

Tyler just stared at her a second. "Yeah, well....you probably shouldn't be walkin' around in alleys by yourself at night." He bent down, picked up her purse and handed it to her. She started duting herself off.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway...?" she asked, but Tyler was already gone.

Tyler wandered around that night, thinking. He killed that thug, just as he killed his brother. It was a different feeling, and that bothered him. As he sat in a park, pondering this, he felt someone come up behind him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Tyler asked

"Whoa, it's ok kid! My name's Antonio Nash." the man said, and held out his hand. Tyler didn't take it, and said, "Yeah, so?"

"So, I saw what you did back there for that young lady. Don't worry, I'm not going to call the cops on you", he said quickly when Tyler got up, "rather, I'd like to help you. I'd like to help you with your abilities..."

A couple months and many grueling traning sessions later, Tyler is starting to become comfortable with his growing powers. He's already defeated many villains, including the dreaded Dr. Vazhilok, though he still has much to learn. Antonio was able to give Tyler a special, regenerative suit that works with, rather than against, his powers, though Tyler thinks he looks ridiculous in it. He's been saving his money for a different one. Through the months, he's gone on missions by himself and with other Heroes, fighting the good fight and becoming stronger by the day. He knows now that this path was meant for him. But the thought that he might one day come up against his father or people his father works for nags at him daily. Until that day however, Tyler will continue fighting as Toxic Marrow!

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There it is. Sorry it's so long, sometimes when I start writing I get carried away

let me know what you think!

Nice thread!

Character Name: Zephyr Starr

Server: Protector

Archetype: Empathy Defender/Dark Miasma (Magic)

Inspiration: The name Zephyr Starr comes from a short story I wrote a while back, though the actual characters are nothing alike. I just liked the name.

In her description it states that she receives a vision of the problems on Earth, so she travels from her home planet to Paragon City to help out. I've been meaning to write out more, but I just haven't had the time...