Two hours later, the Nemesis landed on a massive private airstrip outskirts of San Francisco. The moment the ship touched solid ground, it crumbled as August collapsed from exhaustion. Kayden quickly swooped in and picked him up. Sam, who had mostly recovered from te overuse of his power, led Kayden and everyone else out of the rubble surrounding the ship and towards a ramp which had appeared on the airstrip, leading underground. Within waited a train, which the large group of over 600 supers rapidly boarded. Soon, they arrived at their destination, a massive sprawling compound which stretched over 10 km beneath the waves just off the coast outside of San Francisco Bay. Seeing that August wasn’t waking up anytime soon, Kayden took charge, although she wasn't really used to it. “Everyone, follow the posted signs to the resting area. If you have any questions, ask Sam in an orderly manner. We will assemble again in the morning once August has rested sufficiently.” With those parting words, Kayden quickly made her exit, uncomfortable with speaking in front of so many people, towards the direction which Sam pointed out to be August’s quarters. After a few minutes of walking, the map pointed her onto yet another train, this one leading her to the center of the massive compound. After swiping a card and entering the passcode she got from Sam, she carried August into his personal abode. The first impression the place gave Kayden was lavished. A massive snakewood coffee table sat in the center of the living room surrounded by leather couches and pelts from various animals. In the corner sat a grandfather clock carved from jade and the mini fridge under the table had at least 20,000 dollars of drinks in it. 

Gently depositing August on one of the longer couches and covering him with a beautifully golden lion pelt, Kayden decided to explore the room. On the left of the entrance was a sealed door while a hallway led out of the right side. Unsure of which way to go, Kayden went towards the door as it was closer to her. It opened with a gentle hiss, a telltale sign that the room behind it had been completely sealed off and had it’s own air supply. Casting a cautious look around the dark room, Kayden managed to find the light switch on her right side. WIth a flick, the room was lit up by harsh white light. It looked to be a lab of sorts, with pieces of machinery and various interesting devices scattered haphazardly around the place. The walls were a dark shade of black that almost looked like turned of tv screens. A multitude of extruding monitors lounged on the side wall with a console before it. Kayden tried to tap at it but nothing seemed to happen. Giving up on it, she turned around and went to explore the hallway. The hall led to 3 different areas. First, a dining room and kitchen, which then connected to a farm and garden area, both of which were well tended to by the virtual assistants that underworld had privately developed. One interesting thing about underworld that set it apart from other criminal enterprises was their surprising level of technological development. Due to rampant super conflict, most of the economy was geared towards fixing and maintaining instead of innovating, which resulted in an end to the space race and technological stagnation. In the outside world, it would take a few seconds to find information on the internet while through Underworld’s private network and archives, which were deeply entrenched in all corners of the world, it would take no longer than a dozen milliseconds. 

Opposite of the dining room was a study, likely where August would conduct meetings and manage the Underworld’s many operations and branches. Lastly, a bedroom lay furthest from the magnetic rail entrance. Walking in, Kayden marveled at the homely feeling the room gave off. Opposite to the bed was a fireplace and a tv, as well as 3 comfortable personal sofas and a small tea table. A chess set, halfway in play, rested on it. The canopy bed in the center back of the room was massive, being 3 meters in lengths and 4 in width, with nearly 20 pillows dotting the long headboard. Kayden indulged in her childish side and rolled across the bed, sinking into the soft mattress with every turn. Grabbing a pillow, Kayden buried her face in the fluffy softness. It was so comfortable that she might have suffocated herself pressing her face into it if it weren’t for a soft laugh interrupting. Looking up, Kayden saw August leaning against the bedroom door frame, softly smiling. “Welcome home, Kayden. I can see that you rather like my humble abode.” Kayden got up and pulled August into bed with her, giggling all the way, before answering. “I wouldn’t call this ‘humble’, August, although yes, I do enjoy it. Whatever happened to making the world a better place? With this setup, anyone who visits would think you were a greedy criminal.” Kayden jokingly poked at August. “Well, making my personal space better is also making the world better, no? Plus, material things don’t mean much to someone who can rewrite the fabric of physical reality at will.” The two talked and laughed for hours until exhaustion claimed Kayden. As she fell asleep cuddling August, he had no other choice but to indulge in some sleep as well. 

It was hours later that Kayden woke up. Looking around, it took her many minutes of panicking before she found the bathroom, whose door perfectly blended in with the wall and could only be accessed by pressing on a specific section of a bookcase beside it. If there was any doubt that August was an evil villain, those doubts evaporated as Kayden looked all over the house. As she entered the bathroom, a breathtaking view overtook her eyes. The bathroom was merely fully transparent, and with the morning sunlight piercing through the crystal blue waters of the bay, the bathroom was illuminated by sapphire light. A few fishes swam around the glass, curiously looking at the human that entered their domain. Kayden decided to finish her business before admiring the view. After a relaxing shower where she seemed completely immersed in the ocean, she plopped herself back onto the bed, completely relaxed. August stirred awake from the movement, blinking as the natural bioluminescent light which he had constructed years prior hit his eyes. “Man, I’ve forgotten how nice this place is. And waking up to a beautiful woman beside me certainly doesn’t hurt.” He turned his eyes towards Kayden as warmth filled his heart, a sensation that just days prior would have felt so foreign yet now felt like it was an integral part of him. Kayden too felt joy spring up in her as the two enjoyed each other’s presence while lounging in bed. Eventually, Kayden got bored though. “So, what are we doing today?” “Nothing much really, I’ll take you on a tour of the facilities and let the men rest. The remnants of Underworld will arrive within 48 hours, at which point I will assign individuals and groups with territories to expand and take over. The most important part in defeating the Order of Twelve will be PR, so we can’t really start until my old PR department gets here.” August sighed helplessly. Although he wanted to start rebuilding his organization as soon as possible, he still needed to wait at least 72 hours until he could publicly announce his return to the world to have the greatest impact.

“Well, might as well take it easy for a bit then. My fighting muscles have been stretched pretty well these last few days anyways.” Kayden stretched her back, shaking the last vestiges of sleep from her body before hopping up. “Let’s go grab some breakfast.” August interjected. “Wait, put on some clothes first will you? I know it’s just us but still…” “Oh? Not used to seeing the bare skin of a woman?” Kayden smiled coyly. “No… I’ve… I’ve seen plenty of women! I’m just not … well…” “It’s alright. You don’t have to act tough in front of me, silly.” Kayden suddenly hugged August’s head into her breasts, causing a massive amount of blood to rush to his face as he turned from pale white to ruby red. As August’s executive functions struggled to reboot, Kayden donned a simple t-shirt and shorts combo and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, August walked in to the sight of a massive feast layed out in front of him. “I know you could just make any food you want with your power, but I find that actually making it by hand gives it an essence that is hard to replicate without abundant experience.” “Do you enjoy cooking?” August asked curiously. “Well at first, it was a necessity and I burned quite a lot of food trying to inject energy into it. But as time went on, I came to enjoy both the process and the result.” Kayden emphasized the result by placing a juicy slab of pork in her mouth. The two chatted and enjoyed their food for a while, able to truly relax after so long of being tightly wound up. After they’d had their fill, August vanished all the leftovers. “Alright, I’ll show you around the facilities now. Let’s start with the lab. It’s honestly the most impressive and fun thing here.” August led Kayden back into the lab she explored yesterday. She didn’t really understand why August would say it’s the most impressive, but decided to wait and see. Tapping away at the monitor, August turned the walls of the room transparent. Kayden was right in that the walls were giant tv screens. 

“Welcome to the Armoury.” August smiled proudly. Kayden breathed deeply in wonder as she beheld the marvel before her. A fleet of airships stood before her, along with many attack helicopters, jets, and bombers. Of the fleet, most were carriers each equipped with dozens of tanks, APCs, and gunships. Others were empty, made to transport supplies like food or ammunition. There were also smaller attack ships with massive guns, plasma cannons which could match mid tier supers, and radiation based shielding technology developed from unique isotopes which August produces. Behind that were massive naval ships; aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and submarines of all varieties sat on drydocks, each and every one painted with the pillared parthenon symbol which represented Underworld. There were at least 600 airships and 300 naval ships in this single base, which really put into scale just how powerful the underworld once was. For comparison, the USA’s navy only had around 500 ships in total. “How did you build a navy, never mind an air fleet? And why is the Underworld in such a state if it was once so powerful?” Kayden asked August curiously, confused as to how such a powerful organization had fallen so low after their leader’s arrest. August shook his head bitterly. “For all its power, the Underworld was nearly completely reliant on me. Over 60% of our logistics costs were dedicated to transporting the things I made with my power to the various branches. And besides, the Underworld has never lacked resources, only people. The fleet can do nothing if there is no crew to pilot it.” August tried to move on from the heavy topic to one that he would enjoy much more, the matter of technology.“The air fleet is actually quite simple technology. The importance is the rare or non-existent materials that are needed to mass produce and operate it. I can create materials unknown to mankind with ridiculous ease, and turn matter into energy at merely 40% efficiency. It allows the Underworld an unbeatable edge when it comes to technology and is largely why the normal military doesn't bother trying to take us down. Any tech we capture from them would inevitably come back and bite them in the ass tenfold. ” August sighed. “Unfortunately, no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t seem to get the power amplification to work. Hopefully, we’ll make a breakthrough soon, with your help observing the energies coming and going between us. Speaking of which, I’ve called Vivian and Sam to meet with us. They should be here soon.”

Just as August finished speaking, Vivian and Sam arrived together through the lab door. “Boss, howdy! I was just talking to this pretty lady about yesterday and she says she can … like… see other people’s brains and stuff!” Sam greeted the two excitedly. August smiled, happy that Sam could be so carefree outside of combat. For Kayden and Vivian, who hadn’t known Sam as long or as well, the dichotomy was slightly disorienting, but they moved on quickly. There were supers with way weirder conditions than Sam after all. “I’ve already informed Sam and Kayden of what we’re doing today, so they can get started on preparations. Meanwhile, I’ll brief you on the project, Vivian.” Kayden and Sam got to work, following the precise instructions August had laid out. “So, the gist of it is that you’re trying to build a power amplifier, and you want me to observe if there are any mental signals being outputted when Sam boosts you?” Vivian asked for clarification. “Yes, that's pretty much it. Let’s go over there, they’ve finished setting up.” August led Vivian over to the experimentation site, where Kayden and Sam had set up a vacuum zone along with 2 space suits. “Ok everyone, let's get started! Sam and I will go into the vacuum zone, which has been set up with energy absorbent walls to keep interference to a minimum. Sam will initiate the boosting and if either of you see anything with your powers, let the others know so they know where to look. Do your best to record the results on the datapads I’ve provided on the table over there.”

Soon, August and Sam were in the vacuum chamber, while Kayden and Vivian were alert and ready. “Ok, commencing boost in 3, 2, 1!” Sam followed August’s instructions and boosted him. Immediately, Kayden noticed something. With the environment between them being completely energy free, it was extremely easy for Kayden to identify the strand of energy which was released from Sam and was continuously entering August at a steady pace. At the same time, Vivian could also observe a slight mental fluctuation from August, which seemed to increase his range. They both notified August of the results. “Ok, Sam, keep the boost steady. Vivian, could you share your senses and Kayden’s with me?” Vivian nodded. August observed the energy strands coming into him from Sam using Kayden’s ability. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much for him, so he decided to look smaller. With his own perception over subatomic particles, August looked closer and closer in until he managed to pinpoint the structure that was providing the boost. It was a specialized cell, which August quickly blueprinted. He constructed the structure outside of Sam’s body, and it seemed to function fine, but it didn’t produce any excess energy. Taking a risk, he grew one of the structures in his own body, connecting it to his nervous impulses, allowing his body’s bioelectricity to run through the structure, kickstarting it. Instantly, the cell began to operate, churning out boost energy rapidly. However, the small amount was quite useless to August, as he would need a lot more to see any useful change. Deciding to explore that route later, August focused on Vivian’s senses. Using her unique perception, August was unable to find any significant way that Sam seemed to be boosting him, but he did manage to see how his own power was being projected. Mental waves were projected outwards from a structure in his brain, allowing him to manipulate the physical reality around him. However, these waves seem to deteriorate into rapidly and turn into useless waves once they got out of his range. With his molecular sight, he looked into the structure in his brain which was emitting the waves, also committing that structure’s design to memory. “Alright, that's enough. You can cut the connection.” Sam stopped boosting, and the vacuum chamber was flooded with air. Vivian dropped the connection, and Kayden lost the boost energy strands amidst all the other strands of energy that had re-entered the room. “Ok everyone, thanks for your work today. I’ve made a significant breakthrough today. Kayden, Sam will show you the rest of the facilities here. I’ll meet you at…say 6:00 PM? Yeah 6 for dinner, ok! I just really gotta experiment with this!” Kayden, seeing that August was so excited over his discovery, decided to let him have his fun. She quite enjoyed seeing this excitable side of the man who was usually so calm and in control. It allowed her a better understanding of the man she had come to love. “Alright dear, have fun. I’ll see you soon.” Kayden turned and followed Sam out of the lab, Vivian following close behind, Leaving August to his work.

In the lab, August had already reconstructed the wave-emitting structure outside his brain, and was looking at it with his molecular sight with curiosity. He modified the design slightly to accept energy from a specified port, and began his experimentations. Soon after, he began assembly of a large amount of something which was denoted “TOP SECRET” in his computer, before sitting down with a shocked expression. “I can’t fucking believe it. It was that simple all along, huh. Guess it should have been obvious.” August muttered. What had shocked August so much was the fact that all Supers used essentially the same type of energy emitted by their brains to use their powers. The difference in powers were merely a result of variations in these waves due to human’s brain structure, and how efficiently Supers could use this energy. In fact, all Supers had the same biological structure within their brains which emitted this energy for them to use. Looking deeper into this organ, August found something even more shocking. A message, encrypted into the DNA which allowed these structures to exist when they should have no place in a human body purely from an evolutionary standpoint. It was long known that Supers were the result of the Precursors, a fact that was proven by genetic memory shared by all Supers, but this message contained more than just that. It explained what precisely the Precursors were and why they left behind the bud of DNA that would become Supers. August committed all this information to memory, but was much too shocked to process it properly. He decided that he would discuss with Kayden about what to do about this later. Resolving to move on from these revelations, as they weren’t really of much use to him right now, seeing as he had no understanding of how to actually consciously direct the super energy and couldn’t really take immediate action with his newfound knowledge about the origin of Supers, August started to experiment with the boost energy emitting cell. Firstly, he had to understand what the boost energy actually was. Taking a look at its effects on various substances and energies, August concluded that it was in fact a form of temporal manipulation. Similar to what happens past the event horizon of a black hole, time moves independently of the unboosted world, thus making it much more difficult for interference to deteriorate the waveforms that all supers output to use their powers. Looking deep within it, August discovered a way to make it more efficient. Instead of converting bio-electricity into boost energy, he instead had the cells use subatomic motion and electromagnetism of protons and electrons to generate electricity, nearly doubling the energy production efficiency, without even hampering his own body's abilities to function. Seeing that it was improved to the max, August began to implant as many of these cells as possible into his body’s spare space, making sure to not affect his physiology. He soon discovered that the maximum amount he could implant would boost his power to a 10km radius, and stopped there. Looking up at the clock, he realized that it was already 5:30. He quickly waved his hand over himself, getting rid of sweat and debris, as well as changing his clothes into something more fashionable. Realizing that he could sense Kayden all the way across the base, August decided to play a little prank and constructed a metal hand, which tapped her on the shoulder before disappearing. Giggling at a successful prank, August made his way to the internal train system and headed to dinner. Soon enough, August arrived at one of the private lounges constructed in the base for him privately, which had an amazing view of the outer bay. There, he ran into an angry Kayden.

“What do you think you’re doing you little shit! You nearly scared me to death!” Kayden yelled, while swinging August around by the neck like a cartoon. “Ahhhhhh! KAydEn! Chill! It’s just a prank!” After an undisclosed amount of time during which August was scolded, the two finally sat down for dinner, which August made this time with his now much more refined and wide-ranged power. Cutting into his steak, August decided to breach the topic. “Kayden, I’ve found a way to artificially induce a permanent power boost in a super.” August dropped the bombshell just as Kayden took a sip of her drink, causing her to spray it out. August tried to duck, before realizing that he could just turn the spray into air, which he then did. However, his half dodge ended up making him nearly snap his spine as he tried to move up and down at the same time. “Gah!” It took the both of them a couple of minutes and some delicate back massaging before they were ready to talk again. “So… Power enhancement?” Kayden asked, curious. “Right, so basically, the specialized cells in Sam’s body release a mysterious energy, we’ll call it boost energy,  and when that energy is absorbed by a person, it increases their power. However, with my power, I've been able to recreate that power, and I’ve managed to create a specialized cell that directly powers the super in question, the boost being anywhere from 1.5x to 50x depending on the capacity of the super’s body for the boost cells.” August explained his experiments in a way that even laymen would understand, although in actuality, it was a lot more complicated. “So, I was wondering, do you want a boost? I’ve already given myself one, and it works without any side effects, but there's still some risk, so…” August trailed off awkwardly, not exactly knowing how to ask permission to do something he wanted. Usually, he would have lab rats lined up from Underworld operations to do his experiments with. There was never a shortage of rapists and child molestors in the world after all. Kayden, seeing and understanding his predicament, nodded. “Sure. I’ll take the boost. I have something to live for now, so the more power the better. Besides, I trust your judgment.” August nearly teared up at Kayden’s words, glad that the one person who could be considered his equal understood him so well. Without further ado, August began the boosting process, though he was surprised to find that Kayden’s capacity for boost cells was so great that her power would likely be enhanced 40 times over. After nearly an hour, August finished up. “Alright, starting energy generation in 3, 2, 1.” August withdrew his power, allowing the cells to start running. Instantly, Kayden gasped. Concerned August, asked. “Should I shut them down?” “NO!” Kayden shouted. Kayden’s eyes widened in shock at her own outburst, quickly calming herself down. “No, it’s fine. I’m just surprised at how… powerful I fee right now.” August nodded in understanding. “Yeah, there's nothing quite like feeling everything in your domain, knowing that you could redirect the flow of reality itself with a thought.” August sighs. “It’s a difficult power to control. The both of us could so easily destroy the world, and at times, it feels as though we have to purposely hold back from doing it due to how shit it is.” August’s eyes shine with determination as he looks up. “But soon, we will be able to change this world into our vision for the ideal future. And I promise you, Kayden, that you will never be so bored there again.” Kayden looks at August happily, although a bit confused. “I’m grateful for your sentiment and actions, August, but why so suddenly?” “Because… because I discovered something while performing my experiments.” Here, August hesitates, but at Kayden’s hard look, relents and tells her. “I was experimenting with the structure that forms the basis of my power, and while I was tweaking with the signal, I managed to pick up a message. It’s from the Precursors, Kayden, dated back to over 500,000 years ago. They didn’t go extinct, Kayden, they left the planet and expanded into the vast reaches of space, only to encounter a dastardly, powerful enemy. The final members of their race sent out ‘sparks’ throughout the galaxy, but only one such spark managed to land on a planet safely, the rest being destroyed. The planet that the spark landed on, was Earth, and it was able to land safely thanks to the subspace tunnel the Precursors constructed when they first left earth.” August took a deep breath, letting the shocked Kayden digest the information. “Somewhere out there, a race of supremely powerful aliens are lurking, trying to find us and kill us. We must herald a new age of advancement for Humanity, if we are to survive this threat.” August looks at Kayden seriously. “Kayden… I… I love you, Kayden. I don’t want you to be in such danger. We could run, you know. We could. I could build things with my power that can bend the laws of physics, we can escape to a different galaxy, even a different universe! But I… I want to stay, even if it’s selfish of me. The thought of ruling over all of humanity, of leading them into a decadently dangerous dance of death with this great enemy brings me such joy. But if you think it’s too dangerous, then, I would be more than ready to leave it all behind. I want you to be safe, Kayden, but even more than that, I want you to be happy. So please, Kayden, I know it’s selfish of me to place this burden on you, but please choose for me.” August gazes at Kayden desperately, with hope in his eyes. 

Kayden looked at her beloved, unsure of what to say. As she gazed deep into his eyes, she realized that for once in his life, August was torn. Always, the man before her had strived for a solid, personal goal. But now, he had something else, something more valuable to him than humanity itself to fight for. Her. And that thought, the realization that August valued her above the entirety of the human race, past, present, and future, was enough to make up Kayden’s mind. “Let's stay.” Kayden said, quietly but determinedly. “We will stay and lead this world, until a time comes when we wish to crown our successors. Besides, omnicidal aliens with powers surpassing the precursors? You know I can’t let such a valuable opponent slip from my grasp.” Kayden grinned bloodthirsty. August looked at Kayden in surprise, before a few tears grin appeared on his face. “Yeah. On that, we agree. It’s gonna be a WHOLE lot of fun.” August took a moment to collect himself, a grin matching Kayden’s in intensity gracing his face. “Thanks, Kayden. For standing by me. I… I want to do this, properly this time.” August got up from his seat, but Kayden, realizing what he was about to do, cut him off. Throwing herself to one knee before August could, Kayden grabbed August’s hand tightly. “You’re not taking this from me, August. I’m the one proposing, got it!?” She said the last part while glaring murderously, daring August to oppose her. “Oh…well if that’s what you want, dear.” August backed down quickly. “Hmph. Good. Now, hem hem.” Kayden prepare herself, retrieving a ring from her back pocket. “August Presalis, will you marry me?” August gazed at Kayden lovingly, and with a trembling hand, grasped the offered ring. “Yes. I love you, Kayden Maxwell.” August put on the ring, but looked questioningly at Kayden. The ring was… well, it didn’t exactly suit August’s image of a crime boss, being a platinum band with a large Australian pink diamond encrusted on top, with smaller white diamonds surrounding it. Kayden looked at the rather silly image August cut, wearing the ring, and blushed. “Sorry, I’ll get you a better one for the official cere-mph.” Kayden was cut off as August put a finger against her lips in the universal ‘shush’ motion. “Cradling his left hand gently against his chest, August looked at Kayden adoringly. “I love it, Kayden. I’ll treasure it, always.” The couple sealed the deal with a long, romantic kiss, as the sun set upon the ocean, casting it’s crimson light upon them.

The next morning, the base was a hive of activity, with hundreds of old Underworld members arriving in droves. August was busy styling his outfit, preparing for his big speech in front of his people. In the meantime, Kayden was still practicing with her newly expanded power, being kept from the interview as a surprise powerhouse for later. Soon, the time had come, and August arrived at the great hall, which was packed with members of the underworld, numbering well over 300,000, both powered and unpowered. Taking a deep breath, August began his address.

“Brother and sisters of the Underworld, my loyal soldiers, my fellow visionaries, welcome. 3 years ago, I was taken from you all, this organization betrayed by one we thought of as one of us. But now, I have returned, and we shall continue our mission where we left it. Together, we will herald the rebirth of this world, and at long last bring peace, stability, and growth to humanity. For too long we have stagnated! For too long, warlords and villains have been allowed to run rampant in our streets! For too long, Heroes have oppressed the common man and fought against change! No more! Now, we will bring the fight to them!” August decided to make this speech short and sweet. Still, it was enough to ignite the simmering drive within each and every one of these Underworld loyalists, who had endured all this time. “Look to the folders in front of each of you. Within contains your dispatchment and the name of your commanding officer. Please head to the hanger bay in an orderly fashion and seek out your squadmates. Today, the Underworld shall bloom anew and spread once more across the world!” A resounding cheer spread out around the crowd as they began to bustle and move towards their assignments. Earlier, August had already tasked each of the lords, now renamed the Overseers, to a continent, and appointed 5 more Overseers for the other continents. Aristotle and Aliana went to Australia and South America respectively. Regulus stayed in North America while Hercules and Sonya both headed to Asia, Vivian taking charge of Europe, and Africa being put under the charge of Ryker, Sebastian, and Niya, due to how many superpowered warlords plagued the continent.

August, seeing that the operations were proceeding smoothly, with the massive airfleet and naval fleet being divided up to disembark to the different continents, retreated to his study, where he was meeting his head of PR, Michael Agnus, whose power was to split his attention up to 10 different thought/action streams. August was having Michael plan a press meeting which would take place at the same time Underworld operations would pick back up the next day around the world, to show the world that he did not just make empty promises. To those ends, August had Michael gather reporters from various news agencies around the globe, as well as hack into the most notable and well-watched programs, live streams, and even adverts around the world, to spread his message far and wide. “How are we looking on the preparations, Michael?” August asked as he adjusted his outfit. He was wearing a stylized 3 piece suit with a cloak, in dark purple, black, and gold. “Your eminence, we’ll be ready to stream in 3 hours, for maximum impact. I’ve had our agents and remnants spread rumours already, so a lot of people are waiting in anticipation. All attempts at finding us and preventing the broadcast by the Order has failed so far. The reporters are set to arrive in the grand theater in two hours.” Michael dutifully reported as he clicked away at his tablet, managing many different operatives over the world and maintaining the secure lines they had to the necessary networks. “Very well. I will arrive at the stage after the reporters have settled in. We will have the livestream be pre-recorded of course, edit out anything that is bad for image, so…lets say start the stream in 2 and a half hours, half an hour should be enough of a time difference for the editing team, right?” August asked, deciding to take precautions just in case. “Yes, your eminence.” August nodded at the confirmation and stalked off to find Kayden for some relaxation. Kayden was in the lab, working on creating a more efficient energy transfer system for the airfleet, which would reduce their need for August to great fuel. Although she wasn’t much of a scientist, most supers had an intuitive understanding of their power, meaning that those who influenced a large enough field with their ability would be able to bring about great advancements in those fields. Such was the case with August and materials, Regulus and ventilation, Vivian and virtual simulation and AI development, and now Kayden with energy systems, despite none of them having graduated highschool. As Kayden worked on her design, August stealthily snuck up on her. Unfortunately, he forgot that, like him, Kayden basically had omniscience of the surrounding area with her energy-sight. Just as he was about to try and scare Kayden, the white haired woman turned around and bonked him on the head with a magazine. “I’ve always wanted to do that, you know. What do you think? Does it suit my image?” Kayden asked as she spun around on her chair, smacking the rolled up magazine against her hand in the classical ‘angry teacher’ pose. August glanced up at her while nursing his head. “It suits you perfectly, until you open your mouth.” Kayden flushed bright red, embarrassed. “Why you little!” Raising her weapon, she chased August around the lab, trying to extract her vengeance upon him.

After running around for a few minutes, the two collapsed on the sofa. “How’d the speech go? You finished surprisingly early.” Kayden asked as she stared up at the ceiling, the top of her head touching the top of August’s as the two layed there, catching their breath. “The first one went fine. I haven't done the second one yet. I kind of don’t want to. Speaking in front of strangers is hard.” August complained as he pouted. “I thought that was your specialty?” Kayden asked, amused. “Well, it is, but I’m going to be speaking to the entire world this time. A single screw up, and we’ll have to kill all the two hundred reporters we’ve invited, and then we’ll have to replace basically every news agency in the world with our own men before they disclose the story about how we killed their reporters. It’ll be sooooo bothersome.” August complained, as he rolled over, staring at Kayden upside down. “You’ll be fine. Confidence has never been an issue, right? There won't be one here either.” Kayden comforted. “You know what. You're right. I’m going to have Micheal delay the livestream by 30 minutes. That way, it'll actually be live. It will give the people a more real, sincere, experience” August decided as he got up to make some food in preparation. The two enjoyed themselves for a bit, until the time for August’s entrance came. August kissed Kayden goodbye and departed towards the grand theater. 

As he arrived backstage, August observed the massive crowd of reporters. With a gesture, the lights dimmed, the cameras began rolling, and August made his entrance. Across the world, on screens big and small, on various websites, platforms, and media, the same thing began to play, to the confusion of most. Dark curtains were drawn back and August walked, from what appeared to the observers as an endless abyss, down a set of staircases that was constructed step by step as he walked, down towards the stage. The ominous clicking of his boots on the marble staircase brought a sense of gravitas and suspense, as the room, and the world at large, held it’s breath, waiting for him to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am August Presalis, founder and leader of the Underworld, and I have come bearing a glorious purpose.” In the Order of Twelves temporary headquarters in Washington DC, panic ensued as they tried to shut down the broadcast, to no avail. “For too long, mankind has stagnated. Poverty and disease run rampant, wars are waged over petty pride, technology plateaus, the world as we know it has remained constant for over 80 years!” Although the people were still confused, murmurs of agreement began to break out through the watching crowed. Perhaps less than one percent, even less than 0.1 percent of the people watching agreed, but even that was over 10 million people. “Why is that! Why, even with the decent of superpowers, has humanity failed to surpass our past?” As August asked the most asked yet never answered question of the 21st century, sentiments of agreement from the crowd began to increase. “I will tell you. It is because change benefits all, but the most elite of men wish to remain in their ivory towers, sitting above all others. Their pride compels them to chain all others beneath them, so that they may remain in power, even though their power is insignificant in the grand scheme of the cosmos. They do this, when humanity has the potential to conquer all of creation! Powers allow us to rewind time, to mold space, to rewrite reality!” Blood was pumping, people were roaring, and across the world, Underworld operatives began to lead the people to agree with August’s sentiment. People were simple creatures. If even a single being did something, than it became so, so much easier for the rest to follow. At the same time, relief was being provided to the most desperate, infrastructure rebuilt by Underworld technology or supers with specific power sets. “Yet we, who hold such power, are held in contempt for it, seen as ‘unnatural’, or ‘uncontrollable’, and thus, dangerous. But humanity was never meant to be controlled! Never meant to be chained down, to be kept in place! We are a species that thrive in adversity, in constant change! But the Order of Twelve has denied us that. Our most basic requirement to live a life beyond mere survival, but to thrive, as a species! Thus, at this moment, 15:32 UTC, June 24, 2073 C.E., we, the Underworld, hereby declare war upon the Order of Twelve and the Remnants of the old world!” August finished his impassioned speech, allowing his arms, which had swung around in coordination with his words, to drop to his sides. Around the globe, coordinated assaults began on all Order of Twelve bases and outposts. Within seconds, over 10,000 casualties occured, none of which belonged to the Underworld. “I know that may of you will have doubts of my words, my intentions, and my abilities. That is why I have gathered all of these fine reporters and journalists here today, so that all may see the truth. If any amongst the crowd has questions, ask now.” The camera panned to the crowd of reporters. At the same time, many nuclear capable launch sites came under attack and were swiftly taken over. Aquatic capable Supers ripped apart hundreds, perhaps thousand of nuclear submarines, completely crippling the UN’s ability to respond to the threat posed by the Underworld’s forces. After a brief silence, a single, brave soul came forward

“Mr. August, you claim that you organization is for the benefit of the people, yet why do you not use your powers to solve prevalent issues in the world, such as hunger?” A reporter from CNN asked. “Well, the answer is precisely why I founded the underworld. At most, I could provide food for a city, but food decays, and the problem of world hunger will remain unsolved in spite of how much I could do to feed people. Thus, this organization exists as a way for like minded individuals to reach out and help the world together, with support from others like them. It is the dream of the Underworld to become the pillars which shall hoist the world to greater heights, and no single pillar can bare the weight of the world. But a thousand, a million, ten million, might just be enough. This is why those with power flock to the Underworld, because here, they can make a difference they can’t make on their own.” The crowed is silent as it absorbs this information. “But actions speak louder than words. Watch.” August commanded with an undeniable charisma. The screens changed to show Underworld relief efforts in Brazil, Africa, China, and all corners of the world. Warlords were forced to submit or executed, food and water was distributed, shelter constructed, and around the world, the least fortunate rejoiced as the most powerful were slaughtered and subjugated. Question after question came, but all were answered, and the world was silent in the face of the truth. Humanity sat still, as it judged August’s reasoning, and his conviction. And it found him worthy. Able bodied men and women soon began to pour into recruitment centers and bases in droves, looking to join the revolution. The Underworld’s numbers swelled, and the Order of Twelve was pushed on the back foot. In a single day, the world changed.