You are Grav Lance, a mutant with fire blasting abilities according to his files. A damned good one too. Something has blocked your latent abilities, and I suspect that it has something to do with these gauntlets that the Circle of Thorns put on you.
Gauntlets? Grav Lance raised her hands. Her hands and forearms were covered in a hot pink and white pair of gauntlets. They felt strangely cold and annoying against her skin. Where did these come from?
I do not know yet, but a substantial portion of MAGI resources are going into searching for their origin and properties. When you are well enough, I would like you to come to my office in City Hall. I have some tests I would like to run that cannot be done safely here.
Okay, I will. Hopefully that will be soon.
Excellent. Antonio is planning on stopping by soon to make sure that you are feeling better. Also, the heroes that rescued you will want to see that you are okay.
Sherman something.. and a woman who floated. Yes I remember them.
Super-Sherman, Ishtar, Fey Wrath and Wicked Blade were the heroes who rescued you. I have heard tell that Statesman himself has awarded them with special recognition for saving you from the Circle's clutches.
It sure was nice of them. I will make sure to thank them when I see them.
Good. Azuria smiled. I will ask them to come in. Don;t forget to come to my offices when you are released, please.
I will. Thanks for talking to me.
Of course. I will see you in a few days.
Azuria walked out. Grav Lance heard muffled voices from outside the door. Shortly after, the door opened and in walked the four heroes who had rescued her.
Heya Grav! I am glad to see you are feeling better! The largeish man said.
Hi Sherman. Thank you, all of you for rescuing me. I don't know how you knew to come there, but I sure appreciate it.
Um... yes, well, you called me on your cell phone, actually, Sherman replied.
I am glad I was able to help, Ishtar said.
She has amnesia? The sword wielder asked. Like she cant remember ANYTHING?
Yes, I'm sorry, but I cannot remember anything from before you guys fighting. I am really glad you came though. According to Azuria, something is wrong with my abilities now, too. She is going to run some tests on me to see if she can fix it though.
Must be some sort of mystical bindings, Said Fey Wrath. I have heard of them using powerful rituals to turn folk to their way of thinking. Evil to the core, those guys.
The others nodded solemnly. Yeah they are definantly no good, Ishtar said. They should all be rounded up and imprisoned somewhere. Hopefully we can take the darkness from them and return them to society someday though.
I doubt it, those guys are just bad. All they really need is a good taste of my blade, Said Wicked Blade.
Easy, Wicked. They can be rehabilitated. We have done it before, Sherman said quietly.
Grav Lance looked around the room helplessly. She felt trapped by the walls, her hands... something was holding her down. All she wanted to do was escape and be alone. I'm sorry guys, but I need to get some sleep. I hope I will run into you all again soon though.
Oh! Yeah, sorry, Grav, we will let ya get some shuteye. See you soon I hope, Sherman said.
The heroes filed out the door talking quietly among themselves. Hey I have a question... After you are out of here and all better, We four have started a supergroup. You are welcome to join us if you want. You might want a team to help you out sometimes. We work really well together and we could use a good blaster. Let me know if you are interested.
Something flared up inside of Grav Lance. No... I am always... alone. I'm sorry, Sherman, I really, really appreciate the help you and your friends gave me, but I fight alone. It has always been that way. Grav Lance shrugged helplessly.
Okay, well you have my cellular if you change your mind. We will always be happy to lend you a hand. Get well soon.
Thanks. Take care of yourselves out there, guys.
Several days passed before the doctors felt that Grav Lance was well enough to leave the hospital. Once she was discharged, she headed straight to City Hall to talk to Azuria.
Knocking on the office door, Grav Lance heard Azuria's voice calling for her to come in.
Hello, Grav Lance. I am very pleased to see you feeling better. Now, come in and step into this protective circle so that we can take a look at those gauntlets.
Grav Lance stepped where Azuria indicated. Several people came in and started laying out arcane artifacts. We are trying to determine the nature of the gauntlets that are on your hands. Can you remove them at all?
No, I tried in the hospital. All that happens when I try is shooting pain leaps up my arms. As soon as I release them, the pain stops. I feel like some sort of weight is pressing down on the inside of me, but I cannot say more clearly than that what they are doing to me, Grav Lance replied.
Okay, that's not as bad as it may sound. Myself and my associates here may be able to remove them through arcane means. Please just sit there on the floor and relax. This will most probably take a while.
With that, Azuria and the others all knelt around Grav Lance and began chanting and doing arcane things beyond Grav Lance's understanding. Several hours passed as they chanted and worked around her. finally after several of the others had left, Azuria called a stop to the rituals.
Grav Lance, the situation may be fairly grave. Those gauntlets may appear to be simple armor, but they are much, much more. They very nearly completely suppress your latent mutant abilities. They do have some inherent power themselves though. We are of a divided mind as to weather using those powers is safe for you or not. The gauntlets have instilled you with the ability to control gravitational fields. You can use these powers in a wide variety of ways. Once we have determined that they are at least relatively safe, we will instruct you in their basic use.
Okay, but.. What does this mean.. Will I ever regain my latent abilities?
Perhaps to some degree, but you will never be able to hurl fire as you once did. Unless we can find some way of removing them. We have been completely unsuccessful in that, however. I will consult with the mystical spirits on this matter in the hopes that we can find a way though.
Well, that is a real bummer. But I hope that they are at least safe to use. I feel so.. empty.. helpless somehow. Like a part of me is missing.
Quite so actually. You have used your inherent abilities for several years. Even if you have no memory of it, your body remembers. It is telling you that something is wrong. I will contact you in the morning. Here are directions and the keys to your apartment. I suggest that you get some sleep as it is quite late.
Okay then, I will see you in the morning.
Take care, Grav Lance.
After a restless night, Grav Lance awoke to the sound of her telephone ringing. She picked up the receiver. Hello?
Grav Lance, this is Azuria. How did you sleep?
Pretty poorly, actually. But I'm okay. Whats the news?
Not good, I'm afraid. The spirits were unable to shed any further light on your situation. But we have determined that the gauntlets pose no immediate thread to you, so we will instruct you in their use. There is another piece of information you will need. I'm afraid that this has also called into question your current security rating of 48. Statesman has been advised and will most probably be calling you for a meeting this afternoon.
Okay. Well, I will head down to your office then.
See you soon.
Grav Lance hung up the phone. This was just perfect. All of her abilities thwarted, stuck with some damned Circle of Thorns doodads on her hands and now Statesman himself was going to revoke her security rating. At least she could use the gauntlets, however useful they were.
Grav Lance walked into Azuria's office a few minutes later. Azuria turned when she walked in. Hi Grav Lance. I am going to give you instruction on how to summon up the power of the gauntlets. It is actually quite simple. First you must concentrate on focusing your energies through the gauntlets. They will react in varying ways depending upon what you want. She pointed at a hanging dummy on the wall. This is a practice mock-up. You can use your powers safely on this. Try to focus your energies on the mock-up.
Grav Lance raised her hands, mentally ordering the gauntlets do so something.. anything. A whooshing sound burst around her, and the mock-up was lifted off of the wall, floating.
Excellent, Grav Lance. Keep practicing.
What was that? It doesn't look like any of the attacks I saw before when Sherman and the others were fighting. It barely looks like it did anything at all.
The gauntlets focus very differently from your latent abilities, Grav Lance. You will have a very different role in combat once you master their basic functions. Please keep practicing.
Grav Lance worked for several hours in Azuria's office on the mock-up. None of the effects she was able to have impressed her very much. The mock-up never blew up, never was flung more than a few feet up into the air, never was ripped limb from limb. This is useless. I can barely do anything at all now! Grav Lance exclaimed in frustration.
Grav Lance, It is a very different focus from blasting. The gauntlets allow you to do things totally beyond what a blaster can do. You are much more a controller now. You may feel weak, but controllers are at once the weakest and the most powerful heroes. In time if you are able to fully master the powers of those gauntlets, you will be able to do things that will make blasters green with envy, but you will never be able to explode with flame again. Unless we can find away to remove them that is.
I see, Grav Lance said unenthusiastically.
The phone in Azuria's office rang. Azuria went into her office and spoke into it for a couple of moments. Statesman is ready to see you. He is waiting in his office here in City Hall. Please follow me.
Grav Lance followed Azuria through the hallways to a door that was adorned with a simple star emblazoned across red and blue stripes. Azuria opened the door after knocking and motioned Grav Lance to follow her in.
Sitting behind a huge desk, Statesman regarded her levelly. Grav Lance, I understand you have been through a horrible experience. I have consulted with both Azuria and Antonio Nash. They assure me that you are not dangerous, but that you have lost all access to your previous abilities. I have carefully looked over your case and it is with the greatest regret that I must suspend your security rating of forty-eight. I am very sorry, Grav Lance, but until you prove that you have mastered your new abilities I cannot grant you a new security rating. If your old abilities are restored, of you prove yourself with your new abilities I will be happy to restore some or all of your old security rating. With that, Statesman held out a security I.D. Card. It was stamped level one.
Grav Lance looked at the card with a heavy heart and took it. Thank you for your time, Statesman. Azuria has told me that you are very busy. I appreciate the vigilance you took to seeing into my case.
Grav Lance, every single hero in this city is very important to me. I am sorry, very sorry, that you have had to take such a large backwards step. I hope very much that you will be willing to go on defending the citizens of this city.
You can count on me Statesman. I will not let you down.
Good, and I thank you for that. Good luck out there, and be careful.
Azuria escorted Grav Lance back to her office. Once there, Azuria turned and said, I am sorry that you have to start over, but best to get on with it, hum? She said with a sly smile. If you are ready, I have a problem I need taken care of. The hellions have taken over a warehouse and are ransacking the place looking for something.....
AND THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!
Warning: This post is extremely long! I hope you enjoy it
A Hero on the Edge of a Fall
Grav Lance paused, savoring the sound of the targeting drone humming near her head. Gazing down from the balcony from the safety of her cloaking device she selected her target carefully. Taking a deep breath, she felt the swelling heat building within her, nearly pummeling her apart with it's potency. An audible shriek of superheated air burst out as the bolt of pure flame pummeled the Rularuu watcher to the ground with no warning. Grav Lance darted back around the corner as the remaining Rularuu started in her direction, shrieking battle cries. The Rularuu failed to realize that a cloak was far from her only trick. From a safe distance, Grav Lance watched as the entire group of Rularuu were thrown heavily against the lab's walls from her hidden mines.
With a weary sigh, Grav Lance tagged each incapacitated Rularuu for teleportation to holding cells. Rularuu were fearfully powerful enemies, especially to a lone blaster. Grav Lance had always fought alone, others were simply a liability. Every time Grav Lance teamed up, invariably some member of her team would make a critical error that was beyond Grav Lance's ability to rectify.
Grav Lance darted out of the lab that the Rularuu had set up near Point Echo in the shadow shard. As with every time before, her breath caught at the stunning beauty of this realm. Ever since Statesman had felt she was ready to carry a security rating to enter this zone, she had always marveled at the awesome vistas of floating islands against an almost nebula like background. Reactivating her cloaking device, Grav Lance flipped the switch on her belt to activate high speed flight. She set her course for the mole point in the chantry.
Back in Paragon City, Grav Lance headed for the underground dance club, intent upon having a few drinks with some of her fellow heroes. With the day's work behind her, the relaxing thump of the subwoofers and the flashing lights were exactly what she needed to unwind...
That and a few drinks she thought as she settled into a rickety chair. The pounding beat, the flashing lights and the smoky air felt more like home than anyplace outside of a pitched battle to Grav Lance. She had always been a violent woman, even in her youth. Schoolyard scraps and street brawls had been a common occurance in her earlier years before her power manifested itself. The day her ability to manifest fire had first appeared she put a boy in the hospital with severe burns over most of his body.
After only a few minutes, a young man, still in his costume walked over to her table and sat down, gazing at her with the almost feral desire that young men often had.
Hey there, I'm Super-Sherman, whats your name? He asked, his voice giving away his apparent youth and inexperience. Grav Lance looked him over for a moment and considered weather blowing the table up would make him leave her in peace.
I'm Grav Lance, and I would like to be left along if you don't mind, She replied a but tartly.
Oh, well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you, He said as he got up to leave.
Sit down, I don't mind the company as long as you don't jabber on. I prefer to be quiet after a long day in the field, She said in a somewhat consilliatory tone.
Um... he looked uncomfortable, but he did sit down. What are you drinking?
Scotch, Glenfiddich actually, Grav Lance replied, neat.
I'm having a Mountain Dew myself, its loaded with caffeine, he offered. So what's your security rating anyways?
I'm rated at security level 48. Nearly the top security rating on the scale, Grav Lance replied.
Oh! Well, I am only a security rating of 28 right now, but I am doing pretty well I think. My contact sent me after some guy named Maestro a couple of days ago. He was a real pain, but my and a friend of mine were able to knock him out pretty fast.
I see. Well, thats well done. Here have a drink of scotch by way of congratulation for such a momentous arrest. From what I have heard he is not someone to be trifled with.
Yeah, well he was barely able to hurt me really, I'm a tanker. I use mental concentration to harden my skin to near imperviability. It sure comes in handy a lot, He said rather smugly.
I have seen tankers with similar techniques on several occasions. You guys sure are hard to beat. I am a blaster myself. Blowing things up is my real specialty.
Really? What kind?
Fire. Every since I was about sixteen, I could just make fire burst from my hands. A friend of mine at Cooke's Electronics helped me out with some gadgetry to compliment my blasting abilities though.
Thats pretty neat. What kind of gadgets?
Oh just some standard stuff really. A targeting drone to compensate for targeting errors, a flight belt and a mine dispenser. I also can carry a limited number of field deployable auto turrets, but I have not been able to find a way to carry as many as I would like so I rarely deploy them. I also recently got a medium duration adrenal injector that gives me a lot more hang time in a fight and an invulnerability field that protects me against some physical attacks.
Wow thats a nice assortment. He must be a pretty nice guy to help you out like that. I don't have any superpowers really. I just carry my axe and use my zen techniques to keep me from hard.
A natural huh? Rare thing around here. Most of us heroes are mutants or something. I bet that meditation technique was hard to learn.
Not really, I was raised to it, so it comes pretty naturally. Being in a fight I just fall into it and make sure that the villains are concentrating on me. I yell a lot and bash some heads with my axe a lot.
Grav Lance looked down and noticed that her bottle was empty. Well, Nice talking to you, but I gotta catch some sleep. I have a full plate tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Super-Sherman.
Sure thing. Hey! Take my cell number, if you ever need a tanker, let me know. I will be happy to help you out.
Thanks. I will remember that. Good luck out there.
See ya.
Grav Lance headed out of the dance club to head home. The pounding of the subwoofer still echoing in her ears as she flew towards her apartment. Suddenly, there was no warning, a bolt of mystical energy struck her from somewhere near the street and shorted out her flight belt. Grav Lance plummeted to the hard asphalt.
Shaking her head, she felt the burning within her very strongly. Glancing left and right, she saw the cloaked figures of mystics of the Circle of Thorns closing in on her from both sides. Trying to contain the rage she felt and the agony along her left side from the impact with the street, she bounded to her feet. Seeing that the mages moving in with their wicked looking daggers she let out a piercing cry and the world exploded around her. Flames burst on all directions with a deafening roar, knocking the mages to the ground.
Grav Lance gasped for air feeling near exhaustion from unleashing all of her power in a single focused attack. She saw a glowing, robed figure getting back to his feet. His robe was charred, but a mystical madness glowed is his eyes as he stalked towards Grav Lance. Raising his hand, he encased her in a stony wall that crushed the air from her lungs. Grav Lance raised her hands and shot bolts of fire at him, but he seemed barely hurt. Trying again, She fling a huge ball of fire at him, staggering him backwards.
The mage shook himself and made a snatching motion with his hands. Grav Lance felt the very earth encasing her immobile and helpless.
I'm a goner, Grav Lance thought as he closed in on her. The mage stood before her for a moment, as though savoring her appearance as he reached out with his dagger and cut into her shoulder. NO! Grav Lance thought, Not my transponder! Without her transponder, she would not be teleported to a hospital if she was incapacitated. The mage cut into her shoulder and with no regard for the pain that Grav Lance felt, he roughly reached into the wound and pulled out the small blinking node. Grav Lance watched in horror as he raised his knife again and struck her across the head with the hilt of his dagger.
Darkness closed in around her.......
Heartbeat...
Heartbeat...
I'm alive.. I think...
Voices... muttering and chanting around her... Circle of Thorns... maybe...
Apply the artifact, quickly A rasping voice ordered from somewhere off to her left. She must be taken before the Master returns.
Grav Lance felt something.. a strange numbness around her hands and wrists. She felt someone lifting her arms. A sudden burning pain crept up her arms. I cannot let them do this to me, she thought suddenly. Her head was clearing now, and she knew she was probably in mortal danger of becoming a Circle of Thorns puppet if she allowed them to continue.
Cracking her eyes open she spied two guards and a mage of some sort moving around her. She was lying on something hard and cold. The surroundings made it clear that she was lying in a chamber in the Oranbega. She tried to summon up the fire from within her, but it was dulled, suppressed somehow. Desperately, she tried to make sense of her situation. Captive and apparently helpless she was frantic for a way out of this situation. Opening her eyes fully, she glanced around. She spied her clothes in a heap on the floor only ten feet away.
Grav Lance lurched to her feet and dashed towards her things, grabbing her cell phone up as the mages cried out in surprise. She stabbed at the dial button frantically. The phone connected instantly, a clear youthful voice coming out.
Super-Sherman here, whats up?
HELP! Grav Lance shouted. Just as the mage brought his dagger down in a double-handed blow across the top of her head. Darkness closed in once again.
Shouting...
She heard the sounds of a battle. Somehow that sounded familiar. Pain. She hurt from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Where am I, she wondered. Opening her eyes, she made out the forms of several people fighting with some other people. Bright lights flashed and bolts of energy sprang from the hands of one of them. Another carried a monstrous sword as he laid into the robed figures with blood curdling screams. A third figure was hovering on the fringe of battle casually tossing out healing energies and throwing some sort of mental energies at the robed men.
As the last of the robed figures crumbled to the ground, the large man, glowing with some sort of energy turned towards her.
Grav Lance! It's me Super-Sherman. Are you okay?
Who... What....?
Oh man they really did you bad. Lets get you out of here. Ishtar! Port us out whenever you are ready, please.
Okay, just a sec, Sherman, The floating woman responded.
The hovering woman suddenly glowed and all of them simply appeared at a sagging wooden door. We'll get you to the hospital and get these things off of you soon, Grav. Just hang in there, Sherman said.
They carried her through the door to a hillside overlooking a sprawling city. The scene looked somewhat familiar to her, but she did not know how or why. Who... what... did you call me? She said.
Grav Lance? Are you okay? What did they do to you? Sherman said again, looking over her bruised figure. They sure rouged you up. I am sure that the folks at the hospital can help you out though, Ishtar... can you do anything for her at all?
She is very badly wounded. I can ease her pain some, but she needs specialized medical attention. This is probably beyond my immediate abilities, the woman said. Hang on I am teleporting us to the hospital.
In a couple of blinks, the whole team was in front of a large building. The sword wielding man and Sherman carried her inside. Nurses and doctors, seeing the terrible state she was in rushed her to emergency surgery.
The next several days were a blur. She could not remember much of anything what had happened before now. Her next clear memory was of a shortish unimposing looking woman walking into her room and looking at her... or rather at her hands.
Hello, Grav Lance. I am Azuria. I am a representative of MAGI. Do you know who I am?
No, I do not. Should I?
We have met a few times. Antonio Nash asked me to come over and take a look at you. I understand that you have suffered from a memory loss?
Apparently. The doctor said that something bad happened to me, but I do not remember anything.