Bringing some water, unpoisoned, back to the living room, August decided to first breach an easier topic: what must be done before they make their prison break. “Since Sam’s unconscious right now and I think he’ll be helpful in our other discussion, let's talk about what our next move will be.” Kayden realized that unconsciously, August had already begun to treat her as a part of their group, which made her quite elated. “Sure, whatever you want honey.” August blushed again, though he managed to suppress it with the thought of serious business coming up. “Before we break out, we need to consolidate our power within the prison. Everyone in my sector is loyal to me and will remain loyal even when we leave, but the other sector lords won’t be. From what I know, my organization has managed to stay afloat after my incarceration, but only a skeleton crew remains. Most have gone dormant or are in hiding. If we are to affectively combat the UN and the Order on a large scale, merely killing their super won’t be enough. Thus, everyone in this prison must become the foundation of a reborn organization, while we give the old guard time to regroup and come back to us.”
Kayden was rather unconcerned with these matters but decided that she’d at least put in some effort to help out her future husband. “Alright, how long will it take to do that?” August was rather happy that Kayden didn’t question whether he could do what he claimed, but rather only concerned with the time it would take. “Not too long, especially with you at my side. Vivian, Regulus, and Sonya can be convinced to join us rather easily. They all understand the tyranny of the Order of Twelve and the necessity of banding together. They also acknowledge my skill and authority, so a few talks each should be enough. The problems will be Hercules and Letisha. Hercules is a powerful deterrent and one of the few Super who can withstand a nuclear strike. His power enhances his physical prowess massively and makes his body extremely durable, especially to blunt impact. He also has a slow but powerful healing factor and he can be trapped. Either of us could kill him pretty easily, but it would be a waste of his talents. I’ll work on him and see if there’s anything he would want in the outside world. As for Letisha, I was hoping you could convince her.” August looked away guiltily.
“Oh?” Kayden raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Letisha is, how should I put it, very sexual. She fits the succubus stereotype quite well honestly, though her powers are more vampiric in nature. The more blood she consumes, the more powerful she is. Her full set of abilities includes hemokinesis, super strength and speed, regeneration, and flight. Every time I’ve approached her, she has sought to have intercourse with me. Thus, I was hoping you could handle her?” “Oh? Is that right?” The glass in Kayden’s hand shattered as a foreign feeling invaded her being. It was an ugly, cold, sort of rage that seemed to sap all color from her vision. “Don’t worry about it, darling. I will … deal with her.” Seeing the evident jealousy on her face, August wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or happy. On one hand, Kayden was feeling more emotions, and the little part of him that was infatuated with her really appreciated the attention. On the other hand, she was likely to kill Letisha before any sort of negotiating could be done.
August decided to procrastinate on that issue and moved on. “I will convince the three first, then we will work on the other two. If they cannot be convinced, we kill them. After that, I will turn every atom here into hydrogen and then fuse them. The total energy will be more than enough to get us out of this place. What you need to do is protect everyone when the time comes.” Kayden thought about it for a second. “Seems simple enough. I can redirect the energy to bring us out of the blast radius.” August nodded in appreciation. “That would be good. However, I’m still looking into other ways to get us out, as this one is pretty risky, and would leave everyone quite vulnerable to retaliation from the Order. But, let’s move on. After we get outt, we’ll find my old base of operations and let business resume. Once our foothold is stable enough, we can destroy the Order once and for all.”
“Hmm. Usually, when I want to cause trouble for the Order, I just wreak havoc all over the place. I suppose this method, although less active, provides its own brand of fun, like those strategy games.” Kayden, the hedonist that she is, related everything back to her entertainment. “I guess that’s about as good a result as I can expect.” August sighed. It seemed to become a common action ever since the woman sitting opposite to him entered his life. Now that he thought about it, although they had only met each other hours ago, the degree of familiarity between them was so great that it felt as though they’d known each other for years.
“That can wait until tomorrow.” August came to a decision. “I’ve had a long day and I don’t feel like working for the rest of the day, so I’m not gonna. Instead, since you’ve insisted on marrying me so much, why don’t you tell me a bit more about yourself? I hate to say it, but you’ve piqued my interest.” Since he had already acknowledged his attraction to Kayden, August decided to learn more about the woman, so as to see if they were truly compatible as partners. Kayden, although she didn’t show it visibly, was delighted at August’s interest in her personal life and promptly answered after a second of thinking. “Since we still have so much time today, let’s start at the beginning then. I was born in a little town called Calrona in the Rockies, in Canada. My mother was an alcoholic and my father … well I never knew him, but apparently I get my looks from him. My journey as an Super started in …”
2060 C.E. Calrona, Canada.
“Hey, freak!” A banana peel splattered on a young girl’s face, tainting her splendorous white hair with rotten juice. Kids laughed, while adults turned away, pretending to not notice the abuse being hurled at the small girl. The girl herself was too use to this treatment to care, lost in her own thoughts. This day was the girl’s eighth birthday, although no one cared enough to know. Her own mother was too intoxicated to even remember the date, and even if she did, she couldn’t have cared less. That’s what happened for the previous 4 years after all. The girl drifted through the school, aimless and lost, unable to find her way in the maelstrom that had been her life.
As the lunch period arrived, she shuffled quietly, trying to avoid attention. Unfortunately, it was not to be. A girl in a pink dress, along with her posse of young adolescents who all fit into the “popular kids” archetype approached the young Kayden Maxwell. “Hey freakshow, since when were animals allowed in the cafeteria?” The pink girl commented rudely. Her groupies laughed in high-pitched cackles, which reminded the young Kayden of hyenas. She kept her head down and tried to get out of the cesspool of cruelty with her sandwich. These school lunches were pretty much her only source of food, as shown by her skinny frame. The girl was tall for her age, but her thinness made her look incredibly fragile, which admittedly, she was.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. The girl in the pink dress, seeing an opportunity, jabbed at Kayden once more. “Hey, since when were animals allowed to eat human food?” Her idiotic followers, hearing her words, tried to snatch the sandwich out of Kayden’s hands. By this point, the whole cafeteria’s attention had been drawn to the confrontation, but no one said anything, not even the matronly lunch lady in the corner. Kayden was desperate for food, however, and as one of the short girls pulled on the sandwich bag, she threw a weak, sloppy punch to her face. As the girl fell to the ground with a cry, the prior laughter ceased as the crowed looked at Kayden in silence. Then, at some unseen signal, one of the wannabe jocks who always fought for the pink-dressed girl’s attention tried his luck and landed a punch straight to Kayden’s face, knocking her to the ground with a cry. The cafeteria was once more filled with malicious laughter, as the children, trying to imitate the popular kids, started to throw their own punches and kicks toward the downed girl.
Pain filled Kayden’s mind as bruises rapidly formed on her frail body, but still, she endured, hoping that someone would intervene. Sadly, it was for naught. The pink girl’s mother was friends with the principle, and none of the teachers wanted to get on her bad side. Plus, Kayden’s mother was a known alcoholic, and thus, while some felt a tinge of regret at not helping, no one lifted a finger. As Kayden watched the lunch lady, the last adult in the room, turn her head away from the scene, what little of her faith in humanity was shattered. Knowing that there was no escape in the outside world, Kayden instead tried to escape inwards, into her own mind. As she dug deeper and deeper into her psyche, something snapped into place.
Kayden had awakened. Instantly, all the kicks sent toward her were reflected back on the children with much greater precision and focus. The force of the children, although insignificant when considered by an adult, was quite great when forced into a point the size of a needle. Heads, bodies, and limbs burst into blood and gore as pure kinetic energy was sent all over the place by Kayden’s panicked mind. Electricity was pulled from the school building, seismic vibrations ruptured the ground, and air currents whipped around violently. Within seconds, everything within a kilometer radius was reduced to blood and dust, with a few ruins remaining behind, the sole lucky survivors of the aftermath. At least, that’s what Kayden thought as she slowly climbed up from the ground. Looking around in disbelief at the devastation she caused, a small part of Kayden felt guilty about stripping all these people of their lives. An instant later, that guilt was crushed by the rage and disappointment she felt at all those who held the power to help her as she slowly withered away into a husk of a human being but never did.
If they wouldn’t help her, then why should she let them live? As Kayden pondered about the philosophical nature behind morality, a part of the rubble around here shifted. It was the girl in the pink dress. Somehow, she had survived the annihilation of the school and the surrounding area. “What … what have you done?” The girl screamed at Kayden in fear and anger. Kayden inwardly snorted. As if that bitch had any right to be angry. Kayden raised her hand, prepared to end the miserable wretch’s life, but was caught off guard as a fist buried itself in her stomach. Fortunately, she had instinctively layered her power around herself, significantly reducing the kinetic energy behind the strike. Otherwise, she would have been turned into paste.
Even still, the force of the punch sent her tumbling backwards. Kayden stared at the pink girl who looked just as surprised as she was at her sudden burst in strength. “So you’ve awakened too? So what? I’ll still end you and everyone who’s ever hurt me!” With a scream, Kayden launched herself at her enemy, an energy-coated fist smashing down onto the other girl's face. She stumbled back but was otherwise unharmed. The two exchange blow after blow, seemingly evenly matched, but after a few exchanges, Kayden began to feel the impacts in her hands and body. She was an energy manipulator, not someone who was physically enhanced. Fighting in close combat was her greatest weakness, but in her rage and inexperience, she completely ignored this and engaged in a brawl. As she sent an overpowered punch towards her opponent’s face, the pink girl rapidly accelerated out of the way and sent a fist straight towards Kayden’s unguarded face.
To her credit, Kayden managed to hastily draw energy away from the fist, but the force still sent her flying into the wall. As she coughed out blood, unable to even stand, the pink girl approached. “You should have stayed in your place you piece of trash! You’re just the punching bag for people to get more popular by beating on! An object with zero societal value! How dare you ruin everything for me! This school was my kingdom! My personal domain where everyone obeyed me and scurried for my favor! And you were just the whipping boy! And now everything’s gone because of you!” The sociopath in pink seethed with rage. However, her words ignited a red hot flame flame in Kayden’s soul, as she slowly, tremblingly, raised her head and snarled. “I’m no one’s whipping boy!” A blinding flash of light rose from the fallen girl, incinerating everything in its path. The wave of energy blew past the town, turning it all into rubble. Even the mountain it was on wasn't spared, it’s tip being evaporated by the tremendous amount of energy that was released.
2073 C.E., Tartarus
“After I recovered somewhat, I quickly left the area, knowing that the authorities would definitely come to investigate. I knew that no one would take my side, even if they knew my story, so I wandered around the world, traveling from continent to continent, left adrift without purpose for years. But the feeling of sitting still on all of my power was suffocating. I struck out occasionally against things I disliked and forcibly took things I liked, but I never truly felt as alive as when I fought that girl in my hometown, a battle of life and death. That’s why I seek entertainment. So that I never have to feel that soul-crushing boredom of stagnation again.” Kayden finished her story with a heavy sigh. She hadn’t thought about the past in a long time. Now that all the memories had resurfaced, she felt relieved in a way. It was certainly freeing, to be able to talk to someone about the past she buried deep in her psyche. All those repressed memories and emotions really took away from her ability to feel happy. In this way, Kayden gained an even deeper appreciation for August for listening to and putting up with her. Reflecting on the past made her realize that her actions these past few hours had been quite uncouth. Although she had proclaimed her love to August, she had acted rather similarly to how her mother treated her. Only using him for her own purpose and not truly treating him as one would treat a loved one. At least, not as how she would want a loved one to treat her. “August, I want to apologize to you. I’m sorry for being so rough and uncaring towards you. Thinking about the buried past has made me realize that I’ve treated you poorly until now, and I’m truly sorry. I promise I will definitely treat you better as your future wife.” Kayden concluded her apology with a deep sigh, feeling empty.
August looked surprised and happy and Kayden’s words, which raised her spirits somewhat. “It’s … well it’s not alright exactly, but I won’t blame you too much for your actions. You’ve been through a lot, and only now have you begun to accept the past and heal.” August took Kayden’s hands in his own and held them firmly, resolutely. “I like you Kayden, I like you a lot, despite our rocky beginning. Your fiery personality, your firmness, your determination, and your straightforwardness, I really appreciate all of it.” Breaking one hand off from their handhold, which Kayden was gripping onto quite firmly, August cradled Kayden’s cheek. “I want to help you heal, I want to help you feel again. And … I … I … I want you to love me. I haven’t felt loved in a long time, and having you say that you love me to my face, it was… it was a lot.” Kayden nuzzled into August’s hand, showing her agreement, but froze in surprise at what he said at the end. “Does… does that mean, you’re saying yes?” She asked hopefully.
“I … I don’t think I can say yes quite yet, but, if you’re still willing, perhaps we could try dating first? Get to know each other a bit better? I can’t say that I’m in love wih you right now, only that I feel an attraction towards you.” August asked, feeling both guilty and hopeful. He didn’t want to take advantage of Kayden’s feelings, but at the same time, He felt that slowing down a bit would be good for the both of them. “Of course, that’s fine with me. You giving me a chance is basically the same as you saying yes anyway. I'm irresistible. I said I’d make you fall and I did, and now I’ll make you fall even more in love with me as your girlfriend.” August blushed heavily at the title and looked away. Kayden, feeling concerned, asked: “What’s wrong? Do you not like it?” “No, I like it. I feel like I like it a bit too much though.” August blushed even more, flustered. At this point, his whole upper body was probably red. Kayden laughed, having slightly recovered from her trip to the past. “Good. That’s good.”
The two fell into companionable silence, enjoying each other’s presence. After a few dozen minutes of cuddling, August waved his hand at the table and two plates of food appeared. With how long they talked, it was already dinner time. The two ate their meals with some small talk, but they avoided the heavy topics at least for the mealtime. When they finished, another wave of the hand ensured that all traces of food was gone. “Ah, truly one of the most useful things my power provides. The ability to clean up any mess instantly.” August said smugly. “You know, I have another question for you. Why did you suddenly attack the Order of Twelve after so many years of inactivity?” August asked the question that came to his mind when they talked, but he held back on it before due to the sensitivity of the time.
Kayden, realizing she left a hole of 3 years between the end of her story and her arrival at Tartarus, elaborated. “Remember that girl in the pink dress? Well, I saw her on television as a member of the Order of Twelve. Turns out she didn’t die that day and was promoted to one of the Twelve Great Apostles 3 years ago. I sought her out for a fight, but she died really quickly. It turns out though that her power allows her to revive herself every day at midnight, so I killed her a couple more times until I got bored.” August froze. “What’s wrong?” Kayden noticed that August had gone unnaturally still after her last sentence. “That Apostle. What was her name?” August asked shakily, his hands trembling on the air of his sofa. “Um, I think it was … Christina?”
August let out the breath he was holding. Then, he laughed. “FUCK!!!!!! Why is it that that fucking bitch always messes with my life in the worst ways possible?” August suddenly screamed in rage, throwing a flower vase at the wall. Now highly concerned, Kayden rose quickly and wrapped her arms around her new boyfriend. “I take it you have a history?” She asked, as soothingly as she could. “Yeah. We were… close.” After a few moments of silence, August swore. “Oh to hell with it. You’ve already shared your story with me. I might as well share as well. We’ve still got plenty of time tonight.” Taking a deep breath, and turning around so that he could snuggle into Kayden, August spoke of a tale whose broad strokes were well-known, but whose details were so intricate and secret that only 3 people in the world currently knew about it. Now, that number was about to increase to 4.
“Let me start from the very beginning, when I founded my group, the Underworld.” August took a deep breath. “When I was 13, my mother, Marianne, died in a car accident involving a drunk driver. He was going 100 on a 30 road in the middle of the night. My mom died as soon as they collided, but somehow, the other driver survived. My father, Kyle, became a miserable wreck, and at his Lawyer friend, David’s advice, decided to sue the other driver for as much as he could. During that time, he regained a bit of his spark, hacing something worthwhile to work towards. David was married to Angelica, my mother’s best friend from college. The two were as close as sisters, and their son, Max, was raised alongside me, like a brother. The proceedings were ongoing, but we ran into a roadblock.”
2065 C.E. Santa Cruz
“What the fuck do you mean you’re dropping the case!?” Kyle questioned furiously, smashing his fist against the wooden table. David looked back regretfully. “I’m sorry Kyle, but there’s nothing I can do. The senior partners at my firm are pressuring me to drop your case, and if I don’t I’m gonna get fired. You gotta understand man, the guy who you’re suing is Senator Alcott’s son. I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.” With that, David stood up and hurriedly left the house. Kyle sat in silence for a whole minute, stewing. “Fucking coward!” Kyle suddenly smashed his cup against the wall, shattering it. After a few more seconds of seething, he slumped down. “Dad, do…do we have to give up?” A young August appeared from behind the kitchen counter where he was eavesdropping, tears starting to form in his eyes at the thought of his mother’s murderer escaping justice. Looking at his son, Kyle found the sputtering flame’s of defiance in his chest roar up. Light slowly returned to his eyes. “No. No, we’re not going to give up. I’ll represent us myself. August, can you help me look up a few things? I’ll need to know these laws well to beat whatever amoral sycophant’s the Alcotts hire to try and suppress our voice.” Kyle Presalis was not a weak man, a trait shared in the entire Presalis family, and he would die before he let the bastard that killed his wife walk freely. Hearing his father’s reassurance, August immediately perked up and nodded, before rushing off into his room to look up the laws surrounding their case. The next evening, as Kyle prepared to the library to research, August rushed through the door of their house in tears. Kyle embraced his son, concerned. “What’s wrong, August?” August sniffled. “Max…Max…” August was unable to finish as he burst into tears again. But Kyle could guess what had happened based on David’s actions the previous night. Understanding his pain, but unsure of how to comfort him, Kyle simply wrapped his arms around his son and held his firmly, trying to bring a bit of comfort to the boy, who had lossed both his mother and his brother in all but blood.
A week later, sitting in front of the judge, Kyle glared at Gregory Alcott with hatred as he prepared to present his case. August watched from the back of the room, weary and tired. The loss of his best friend had hurt him more than words could express. His mother was taken from him, that he could cope with, but Max, a person he considered his brother, had willingly broken their relationship of his own accord. That, August struggled to accept. He couldn’t belief how easily and readily Max had thrown away over a decade of friendship. As the proceedings went on, it seemed as though the judge was leaning in favour of the Presalis family, as Kyle spoke with a desperate fervor that seemed to draw people in. Kyle took all of his love for his deceased wife, all the memories of their time together, laughing together, crying together, witnessing the birth of their son together, and channeled all of it into persuading the judge to see the truth. It was a hard fought battle, the opposing side’s lawyers doing their best to disparage Kyle and paint Marianne in a negative light, and it pissed both August and Kyle off. Fortunately, by the time the day was over, it was established that Gregory Alcott would face a criminal trial for vehicular manslaughter, and conpensation would be paid out to the Presalis family after that trial concluded. Although they had won, neither father nor son felt like celebrating. Kyle drowned himself in alcohol, as the grief of losing Marianne finally caught up with him. He had used getting justice as an outlet to suppress his depression, but now that it was over, it all felt so hollow. As time passed, Kyle became a husk of a man, drowning himself in his work and booze, as August grew more and more isolated at school, being known as the depressed kid with no friends or parents.
August felt hopeless, his grades suffering due to his lack of effort. Once, he was called a genius, yet now he was the bottom of the barrel. He just couldn’t see a point to it all anymore. If a brother could betray him so quickly, if a mother could perish so easily, then what would academic achievement possibly bring him? As he despondently opened the door to his house late at night, after staying out at the park near the waterfront, losing himself in his own depressing thoughts, he discovered a chilling sight. These days, his father seemed to work 24-7, as August rarely ever saw him. Even when he did, it was with beer bottle in hand, swaying druenkenly on the couch. But today, it was different. Kyle Presalis layed dead in a pool of his own blood, a discarded gun by his side.
2073 C.E., Tartarus
“That same night, news arrived that Alcott was declared innocent and was released days prior. There was DNA at the scene, I saw it with my own eyes, strands of blond hair the same vile shade as that man’s. I could never forget it. Yet somehow, the police concluded the investigations in days, citing inssuficcient evidence and ruling it as suicide. But I knew, deep in my heart, that it was Alcott. As I beheld the world that took my family from me, the world that failed to enact even a shred of justice, I awakened as a Super. I wiped Santa Cruz off the map. I killed everyone in the city and reduced it to dirt and ash with my power.” August breathed heavily, his emotions in turmoil as he thought about the past. “It was then that I decided that if the system cannot be trusted to enact justice, then I would do it with my own two hands. Thus, I traveled to Los Angeles, where I found and killed the leaders of many of the local Super run gangs, and started recruiting for my vision. The Underworld, were the guilty are judged and punished and the virtuous are rewarded.” August looked towards Kayden, who listened, enraptured with his story. She did not shed a single tear, yet a profound sadness permeated he eyes. She grabbed his hand gently, reassuringly, as if to say that she supported him. August, feeling a bit beter, decided to continue. “My history with Christina starts around 6 years ago, when my underground empire was starting to jab it’s roots deep into the American Continents. I needed a lieutenant, and …”
2067 C.E. Los Angeles.
“Fucking useless peice of trash.” August commented disgustedly as he disintegrated his newest assistant. It might seem extreme, until one realizes that this particular assistant’s lack of skill and laziness resulted in the death of dozens of good men and the loss of over 50 million dollars. “Calm down boss. It’ll be ok. We have you!” Sam did his best to reassure August, to limited success, as he was currently scrawled on the ground, having face planted due to tripping on the carpet. His friend’s words slightly suppressed his rage, but it still simmered beneath the surface, ready to explode. “No. What I need is a good right hand man. Someone who can handle the strain of keeping up with the Underworld’s rapid changes and run interference on multiple fronts. “If you need smart people, there’s plenty of them in the school down by Hilgard Avenue, boss.” Sam cluelessly commented as he listened to August speaking his thoughts aloud.
“None of those nerds have the guts to help run an organization like this. Then again, there’s always exceptions. Plus, there is that one professor we need to make an example of.” August seemed to have come to a conclusion. “Sam, stay here and relax for a bit. Don’t answer the door if anyone comes and if you here any disturbances, press the emergency button on my desk, alright? I’m going out for a bit.” At Sam’s nod, August called his chauffeur and left the penthouse. After a short drive, he found himself at the front of the university, a few hundred meters away from where intelligence stated that the professor who had embezzeld money from the Underworld was currently teaching.
“I haven’t had much time to truly cut loose recently. Time for a nice little stretch.” Unbeknownst to him, an undercover agent of the Order was currently undercover at the school investigating the very same professor. In fact, she was within the very building he was about to demolish. With a wave of his hand, August created a few ‘small’ nuclear blasts, completely devestating the buildings around him. As people groaned and screamed, the crime boss walked through the debris with not a single speck of dust on his pristine suit. As he walked towards his target, he disintegrated everything in his way and instead layed a marble bath beneath his feet. If an outsider were to loock at the scene, it would seem as if a god of death had descended upon the mortal world, his grace and elegance completely unaffected by the chaos around him.
The professor, smart man that he is, spotted August coming towards him mere moments after the dust cleared from the air. With a strangled cry of fear, he tried to run, only to find that his legs were gone, and he was bleeding out. Still desperate for survival, the man tried to crawl away with his arms, only to have them disintegrate on him too. August, waving his hand again, did his best to seal up the man’s wounds, but even with that, he was guaranteed to bleed out within the next 10 minutes. “You’ve been a bad boy, Markus. Taking money from us, what were you thinking. Now, I’m going to have to kill you.” August grinned at the downed man. “Unfortunately for you my friend, I’m going to have to make an example out of you. See that camera over there?” August gestured with his hand. “That will record every moment of your agonizing death as I pull you apart atom by atom. Ready? Scream!” And so the man did. He screamed and screamed until his vocal chords gave out, as his head and body slowly but surely dissolved into thin air. After a few minutes of silent, wide eyed, pleading, August decided it was enough and ended the man, leaving half of a skull and some ribs and a bit of spine behind.
Just as he turned to leave the gruesome scene, A punch came at him out of nowhere. Being quite experience in super combat, August immediately noticed that the fist was going at superhuman speeds and swiftly dodged the punch, knowing that his fragile baseline human body wouldn’t be able to take it. After he retreated to a safe distance, he regarded his opponent with a calm eye. It was a young women, perhaps a few years older than him, and she was wearing a UCLA hoodie which had been stained with blood. “You’re brave.” August commented at the girl. “Most would flee or play dead after witnessing my power, yet you still have the guts to challenge me, even as a freshly awakened super. Brave, but foolish of you. What’s you’re name, girl?” The girl glared defiantly and said steadily. “My name is Christina.” The now named Christina was not actually a student of the university, but a special agent of the Order of Twelve posing as one. She recognized August’s signature power the instant it was used on the building and had hoped to take him out with her surprise attack. Unfortunately, tt haden’t worked.
However, Christina wasn’t about to give up on bagging one of the most notorious villains on the west coast, and quickly retreated back a hundred meters, at which point she began to throw massive chunks of building materials at August with her super strength. August, seeing her futile struggle, simply chuckled and disintegrated every projectile that came at him. “Smart of you, to engage me at a distance where my powers don’t work, something the law enforcement of this city can’t seem to grasp.” See, August was smart, and purposely undersold his power to make it seem weaker. This was why Christina only retreated a hundred meters, instead of the 500 messacery to get out of August’s range. Seeing that her attack’s wern’t working, and August was getting closer and closer, Christina decided to go for broke and propelled herself with all of her might straight at the man. August was suprised at the gutsy move but rapidly built walls of concrete and steel between the two of them.
Christina’s monstrous strength manage to break through nearly every wall, but unfortunately, her momentum ran out. The girl collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and resigned to death. Although, she wasn’t that worried. Regardless of what happened, she would resurrect at midnight at the location of her death anyways. However, much to her suprise, August din’t immediately vaporize her but instead approached. “Determined, smart, powerful, and unwavering. Truly, it almost seems as if the universe is on my side.” Looking down at the young women, he spoke. “Tell me, how would you like a job?”
2073 C.E., Tartarus
“And that was the beginning of my downfall. Christina, despite my now burning hatred for her, was extremely good at what her job. She managed more work then my five other secretaries combined and after a year, she earned my trust. With her by my side I was able to expand the Underworld to all corners of the American Contients, and I gradually came to see her as a friend, and more.” August looked down and clenched his hands tightly. “We dated for months, and I was … prepared to ask her to marry me. During those days, she was the light of my dark, blurry life. I worked so much that I forgot to live, and it affected my personality deeply. It was my feelings for her that pulled me back from being consumed by my hatred for the world, and the systems which government it, and for that, I valued her above all else. When I had asked her to meet me at Santa Monica, I brought a ring with me, ready to pass on my legacy as a villain to a successor and live a peaceful life with her. It was a trap. The Order was there, with a bomb implanted in her chest, pumping her blood in place of her heart. If I were to destroy it, she would lose her life. If I didn’t we would both be sent to Tartarus. I chose the only option where she lived. The Twelve brought us both to Tartarus, and as I was bing lowered into the pit, they shot her. Right in the head. In my shock, I had completely failed to react and by the time I recovered from the shock and anguish, I was already down here.” August couldn’t help but let a sob choke out. Kayden wrapped an arm protectively around him and tried her best to sooth him. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, dear.”
August shook his head. “No, if I am to be your partner, then I need to let the past go.” Taking a deep breath, August forged on. “It was a month later that I realized the truth. As I scrolled on the internet, aimlessly drowning myself in memes to dull the ache in my chest, I found a news article, about the coronation of the new member of the Twelve Great Apostles. And on that cover page, was the love of my life. My right hand woman. Everything was a lie. She had been with the Order the whole time and played a long con to win my heart so that they could take me down. They knew that whatever trap they designed, I could simply erase, but I could not erase a trap of my own heart’s making. It turned out that her power was not only physical enhancement, but also the power to revive herself. On that day, a flame was lit within me. I swore that the Order, and Christina especially, would feel my wrath. Never had I been more glad that I never told anyone what Sam’s power was, as he turned himself in and joined me here to help me break out. Unfortunately, I made the Order fear me too much. They had built precaution after precaution, and made these walls too thick for me to completely breach even with Sam’s enhancements. So I waited, day after day, year after year, hoping that a new arrival’s power would be able to synergize with mine. Nothing worked, until today. The day I met you.”
August finished his story with an exhale as he gazed deeply into Kayden’s eyes. “Never had someone make me feel so alive after that incident. I am damaged, we both are, but perhaps together, we could … heal?” Kayden smiled, both saddened by and glad about her beloved’s tale. While it saddened her that he had to go through so much pain, she was glad that those experience made him who he is today, the man that she fell in love with. “Yes, I think I’d really like that my dear.” Hesitantly, August brought his arms around the back of Kayden’s neck and pulled her down, inch by inch, until there lips met. For the first time in what felt like a thousand years, the both of them felt a little less broken.
