As Jackson goes flying into a wall, The Supreme leader retreats, Dale comes over to where a giant rock is hovering, in it is Lanna and Eugine. Unable to use their abilities. Dale looks over to Jackson, whose eyes glow with rage. "Hang on we're coming!" he yells desperately, remembering his chaotic run in with Hal as he and Dale run into the busted prison. How Hal took down several guards with his smoke blasts, and how he helped them navigate out of the area before getting caught up in a battle with the Supreme Leader herself. Jackson gets thrown to a platform by the Supreme Leader, she looks at Jackson from a high point. "Face it Jackson, I have the high ground!" Jackson chuckles to himself as he dusts himself off. "Ironic, considering you banned Star Wars and everything else that's fun in this country."
The red head tyrant signals for a brute soldier to jump down and fight Jackson. He slams to the ground, creating barriers of concrete and throwing them at Jackson, who uses his superspeed from Lanna's mimicked ability to evade the rocks. The projectile explodes everywhere as Jackson sends bolts back towards the brute. "This guy, he's no soldier rather a warrior" Jackson thought as he continued to evade the rocks. "Dammit! I'm losing her!" Jackson throws his weight against the brute and forces him down the icy waters, he then tries to follow her back to the fortress, only to watch a giant hand grab onto the side of the platform.
It consisted of muscular flesh that hardened many tiny plates of rock over the appendage. Its neck muscles were exposed at first as the rest of the rocky monster climbed out and over the wall. It stood at around fifteen to twenty meters. Its eyes are a dull black, a shell to the warrior inside. They soon began to glow yellow as the brittle plates of crudely formed armor began to construct themselves in a more organized fashion. The beast's eyes glow yellow, its teeth begin to form out of the same material. It crudely smiles before raising its arm into the air. "They're real," Jackson utters in horror before dodging its attack.
"If it was just rock I'd already be shitting myself" Jackson thought as he ran all around the beast, trying to look for a weak point. The monster stomped around, roaring into the air as spikes began to form on its body. "But if rock is its armor and flesh is its body, then…." Before Jackson could finish his thought the beast charges towards him and destroys the bridge connecting the base to the mainland. It looks up into the sky and continues to roar. "How the hell did she get one of them all the way over here. These people are insanely powerful, a mystery, they're..."
"Brother, are you alright?!" Dale yells as he looks up at the giant. "No way, Bob was right," Dale said in horror. "Y-yeah! Just meet me by Lanna and Eugine! I'll take care of this thing!" Jackson yells as he looks at the monster. It turned around, shooting rocks all out of its body. Jackson and Dale both retreat to take cover as the beast roars while continuing to shoot spikes. "I'm gonna have to use up all my energy to take this thing down!" Jackson yells as he absorbs some smoke. "Jackson?" Dale asks with wide eyes. Jackson smirks as he begins to power up and crouch. "It'll burn up the rock and char the flesh, one of them on their own isn't the worst." Dale sighs. "I don't have any significant ability, so technically you're on your own! Let's just go!" Dale yells anxiously as the creature continues to roar. In front of Dale, a second one emerges. This one stood at around ten meters tall and had hard rocks forming over its head. Its body is made up of smoother igneous rock that was a whitish grey. It looked down at Dale with no eyes and teeth that was stained with blood. "JACKSON!" Dale yelled as he drew his gun, his eyes glowing to enhance his strength. A third one arrives, much taller than the second, standing at thirteen meters. It has no eyes, but sockets for them. Its head is a mass of sharp rigid rocks and its body a less smooth igneous. Dale looks around as Jackson watches from above in horror. "The titans are real" were his last thoughts before he yelled and threw himself back to the ground, blasting the area with a mushroom cloud of ashes and smoke that could be seen all around the city. In an instant he could feel the presence of several more arrive, maybe about three. But his blast radius caught them all.
The T.V captures the horror of the blast. Remi and Blyke to jump out of bed and run to the hotel common room to join Arlo and Isen as they hear yelling from those in the lobby. Eddie stood apart from the group as the ashes and smoke formed into a mushroom cloud. The sun began to rise for the morning, yet the night was far from over for many. The Golden God found himself with the Time Ghoul facing off against the Supreme Leader. The four all looked at each other, exhausted as fellow New Americans stood and watched in panic. Headlines of their own government shutting down after congress members get caught being exposed as enemy plants. The four then smile with bags under their eyes, proud of those headlines, but still stressed as the night continues to weigh on them. "When will this end?" Remi asks as she turns to her friend. "Only he can decide that" Arlo says, staring at The Golden God on the tv.
Jackson rises from the ashes, reborn from violence as the charred remains of six giants blocked the sun from reaching him and Dale. Jackson's clothes begin to reform over his body from the ashes on the ground. He reaches his arm out to Dale, who gladly accepts it. "Let's haul ass" Dale spoke calmly as the two glanced around and began to move. Jackson pauses and takes one last look at the giants, who stood there with their mouths agape. "Are we ever going to talk about this?" Jackson asks. "Do we have to?" Dale asks back with a quiver in his voice. "This will not be our battle brother, not now anyways."
Suddenly, Jackson turns his head to see Eugine and Lanna about to be dropped into the ocean. He runs over to help them, but finds his feet trapped in rock. "MAN SCREW OFF!" Dale fires a rocket at the soldiers, blowing them up. Jackson runs to where he can get to Dale. Hal wakes up and goes to attack some more soldiers, suddenly he gets trapped in some concrete. His hands and feet were bound. "Hey!" Dale yells as he runs over to Jackson. "
"Yeah?" Jackson asks. "Don't flinch" Dale says back. "Alright." Dale takes his rocket launcher and brakes the concrete rocks off of Jackson.
Dale frees Jackson from his bindings. The two look at the rock with Eugine and Lanna, as they go over to help them The Supreme leader traps Dale with some rocks, using her hand to conjure them as her other hand keeps Lanna and Eugine trapped. "STOP!" she roars as Dale gets caught, Jackson looks back to see Hal trapped in rocks. "LEAVE US ALONE YOU BITCH!" Jackson yells back. Hal notices this as he finishes off a group of soldiers giving him a hard time and darts over to the Supreme Leader, without looking behind her, instantly summons a rock to pierce through the smoke, penetrating Hal in a way that causes him to form back into his flesh and blood filled self. He instantly dies from the rock puncturing through his body. The Supreme Leader then lowers the rock with Lanna and Eugine down onto Dale and Jackson. "DEAR GOD!" Dale yells in anger. He then looks down to see the rocks climbing up his legs as the rock smashes through the ground, causing Jackson and Dale to nearly fall into the ice cold waters of New Seattle. "Jackson, Jackson!" Dale yells.
Meanwhile Sera and John are fighting through auto turrets and God tier concrete manipulators similar to the one Jackson fought earlier, they throw giant rocks while John and Sera dodge and fight back, plowing through them one by one. "Alright, we're almost there! I can sense her aura above!" John yells back at Sera.
Jackson holds onto the ledge, keeping Dale from falling into the water. "Jackson, you need to let go!" Dale yells as he looks down to see the rock with Lanna and Eugine crash into the sea. "Nonononono, I got this, I can do this!" Jackson yells desperately. "Jackson, I'm so proud of you." Dale says as he looks up at his brother. "No!" Jackson protested. " I always have been." "No! Dale don't! PLEASE!" Dale sighs. "I love you bro!" he says as he instantly lets go.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Jackson yells as he watches Dale drop to the frigid seas. Watching in horror, he turns his head and climbs back up to the surface of the tower. He then looks directly at the Supreme Leader, who stood there as her trench coat flapped with the wind like a cape. The concrete drowns Dale, filling his lungs with icy salt water while the concrete suffocates him. He sinks to the ocean in his casket of rock that was growing around him. Jackson looks up at the red headed tyrant that took his brother, his eyes power up, glowing light blue as he charges with a giant computer sword. He roars loudly as rocks fly all around the supreme leader.
"Hello! HELLO?! Eugine yells into an empty void. He sees himself in a mirror, his reflection's eyes glow red. He then sees the reflections of others he knows.
Lanna experiences the same empty void, looking into the empty red and pink eyes of her own reflection. The two suddenly can't breath, realizing that they're drowning in a rock that's unbreakable. They suffocate while drowning in the water as their sinister versions watch from a distance. Behind them are evil versions of Maria, John the wire creator, and Grace, as well as the Rabbit, Sally, Luchia, Colson, and Jackson. All with Joker. Jackson attacks the Supreme leader with his abilities, Smoke, Neon, Concrete, and video, using all of the abilities at his disposal and their unnatural he so desperately tries to kill the Supreme Leader. His rage flows through his veins as he sees the Supreme Leader standing there desperately, trying to flee from Jackson's explosive rage.
She manages to out maneuver him, knocking him off the platform onto the beach. She then gets hit with a shipping container from behind. The Supreme leader looks back to see Bob with his yellow eyes. Her eyes glow yellow with a grey center. She levitates, sending rock flying at hundreds of miles an hour. "Bobby, how long has it been now? How long since your people terrorized our lands?!" Bob looks up at the Supreme Leader and says nothing.
Bob continues to levitate more shipping crates, throwing everything around him at her. The rocks shred up all of Bob's objects before they turn towards Bob himself. Their rigid edges are sharp like piranha's teeth. They fly all around Bob, shredding his flesh and clothes as they form into a giant creature around the Supreme Leader. A giant crab-like monster looms over Bob. "LOOK OUT!" Jackson yells as he drains more energy. "Come on! COME ON!" She turns into a giant monster and crushes Bob with her might, Jackson watches from afar in horror. "BOB NOOOOO!" Jackson falls to his knees as he watches his uncle disappear right before his eyes. He then sees Sera and John jump in. John's eyes widen as his blood turns gold, his eyes darken, and his aura ramps up. With rage he looks behind him slightly, expecting to see Isen armored up, Blyke in his ninja like outfit, Remi in her white tights with tails flapping around her and her white boots ready to summon lightning from the heavens, and Arlo in his angelic plague doctor. All of them to back up the infamous Golden God. Instead there was nothing but pitch black as the entire concrete fortress crumbles, nearly burying everyone.
"YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLED MY-!" Jackson gets punched, thrown far away, standing in front of him is himself with a red outfit on. He looks back, his own white jacket contrasting the bright red jacket with the grey vest. His own bird, blue and white and stretching its arms out for life, contrasting this new mens red bird that had the face of a skull, a bird skull. "Fuck" Jackson said softly as he crawled away. The face of his foe was red and sick, infected. He whips a chain that emitted dark red smoke. His eyes glowing a furious red. He laughs maniacally, looking at the horizon as more silhouettes suddenly fly down from the sky.
"We're so back!" he yells as he darts towards Jackson, the other Jackson, his literal better half. The two Jackson's suddenly fly up into the air, activating all of their abilities at once in preparation for a destructive battle for control. The good Jackson, without asking any questions, takes out his chain and whips it towards his evil counterpart. Evil Jackson takes his out to retaliate. Jackson the hero's was a grey chain that emitted smoke, his hand emitted a flame. Evil Jackson meanwhile had a dark black chain that burned to the touch and emitted sparks as well as flames.
Meanwhile, John and Sera are lying down on the beach as the Jackson's fight far away from them. John begins to pick himself up, helping Sera clear off debris. "Did she get away?" Sera asked in disappointment. "For now" John says as he begins to scan his environment. The two walk back to a roof top supporting each other, the fighting of the Jackson's disappears without a trace. The night was gloomy, dreary, depressing. John and Sera spent it in their ransacked hotel room, on edge for the night as they anticipated local enforcement. They spend the rest of the night on it waiting for anyone to communicate to them that they are alive. Everyone's watching TV, still hoping that The Golden God is alive. All while back at home, their friends stare at New American news reaction to the discovered traitors among their congress, and making promises of war upon the enemy nation. "Crap, I gotta go before he takes control" Eddie thought as he felt the demon within.
"It's like we did nothing," Blyke says with disappointment. The four are now back in their room. Isen fidgets while Blyke sat in his bed. Arlo pondered in a chair while Remi got fresh air on the balcony. "What else could we have done though? The fight is now overseas." Arlo takes a deep sigh at Remi's comment. "She's right, let's just get some sleep. I'm sure our other two friends can handle themselves before the authorities act rashly." Blyke perks his head to Arlo. "Now that's new, Arlo talking about the authorities in such a manner?" Arlo turns his head to Blyke as his eyes glow blue. "We're the new authorities, it's time we get our turn to rule!" Blyke hides behind his bed as Arlo turns to the TV. "I believe in the hierarchy, because right now all of this is the result of those who are beneath us ruling on our behalf. Make no mistake, we will take their positions." Arlo grits his teeth as the room grows uneasy.
"Damn, No one made it" John says as he hugs his pillow tightly. He sighs as he turns his head to Sera. "We did what we could," Sera said softly back. "I know, but we're the only ones who can do anything right now. That number falls on us two." John grows frustrated as he rises from his bed and throws his pillow. "Where the fuck is Jake and Evie?!" Sera looks at John concerned, who turns his head back at Sera. "You see it now don't you!" John's eyes begin to stream tears. "This is power manifested! I wish I never had these!" John says as he looks down at his hands. "No, that's a lie. As long as the world has power I will always crave for the upper hand." John then clenches his teeth and holds back his choked words. "I wish, I wish the world was as crippled as me." He then slides to the ground ashamed as Sera walks over to him to console him. "You sound like them," she says as she gently hugs him. "Maybe she's right." Sera takes John's head and turns it to look her in the eyes. "No, because she's a hypocrite. She wants all the power, you simply want no power. Can't you see, maybe a perfect world would have us all at either 10's or 0's, but right now while the world remains rotten, it needs a figure of light." John sniffles, wiping his eyes as he gets up and looks down at Sera. She rises to meet his eye level. "You're not alone anymore. Not while you were in Wellston, and not now." John turns around and adjusts his helmet as he tries to put it on. "It wasn't always like that" he said looking away from Sera.
"Says who?" Sera asks. "I remember things, things from him, from Joker." Sera grabs John's hand. "Joker can-" John swipes his arm away. "I'm Joker Sera!" Sera takes a minute and looks at John confused. "I am him. I'm the monster that he is. I think he's somehow me. I just don't know." John pulls in Sera for a hug. "I'm sorry, this is not your battle." Sera embraces John back. "No it's not, but I'm here to support you during it. John you're not Joker, at least not right now. You're John Doe, the man who wears the mask. You're the Golden God. You've saved us from ourselves." John looks into Sera's eyes as he begins to water up. Sera wipes her own as she places her hand on John's cheek. "You saved me from this mundane life of power. From being used by the world and society. You've shown us all that there is real worth in everyone." John sniffles a little bit as he finds himself burying his face into Sera. "I don't know how I've done it this long without you" John whimpered. "I'm so sorry for hiding this from you."
"Hiding what?" Sera asks in confusion. "My powers, all of this Golden God shit." Sera takes a deep breath. "I've always loved you" Sera says with a wimpy voice. John looks up at her as her eyes grow red and teary. She looks into John's tear soaked face. "After really meeting you, knowing you since the cake incident. I really can say that this whole time you were the most special person to me I've ever had. When I saw this new side to you, I was so heart broken. So heartbroken that I couldn't share this burden. I was scared that I didn't know the real you, that this was all some lie. But even though I was hurt, and even though you have hurt me. I'll always love you because I remember all that you did for me. Powers, and lack thereof." An explosion shakes the foundation of the city as John grabs Sera's coller and pulls her closer, gently wrapping her with his arms and embracing her lips. The city outside is littered with soldiers and civilians clashing. Sera continues to kiss John with aggression as John holds her tightly, his hand on the back of her head as the two gasp for air. "Maybe just this once, we can save each other again, and not the world." John says as he holds Sera's face. "You save me a lot, you can take a break" Sera says back. "I'd do it all over again." Sera's lips quiver a little. "John please" she says as she caresses his face. The city outside grows more restless as protests grow larger and larger. "I'll do it all over for you" John says as he recalls the past. The two share one more kiss, gently parting for air as the sounds of riots get closer to them. "I think we have to go now" Sera says as she gives John another kiss on the cheek. John rises, allowing his cape to flap. "How do you have the strength to keep going?" Sera asks. John turns around and looks Sera in the eyes. "When everything is all said and done, I will sit at the top with you at my side." Sera gets up, putting on her suit as well. "Where is this top?" Sera asks. "I'll have to make it myself" John said as he fitted his helmet on. He then turns to see Jake darting to the rooftop of his building. "JAKE!" John yelled as he crawled out the window. Sera followed him, and the two found themselves in the presence of Jake and Evie. "Evie, you're here?!" Sera shouted. She looks at John, who stands there slightly dumbfounded. "Hey guys, check this out!" Evie shouts excitedly as she shows off her new ability while Jake explains why Evie is there with him. John turns around to face the flaming city. Evie, Sera, and Jake stood behind them as the four stood there coldly calculating their next move.
"CITIZENS OF NEW SEATTLE! NOW IS THE TIME TO RISE UP AGAINST THE SUPERHUMAN THREAT!" Loudspeakers roared all across the city as Jackson ran from protest to protest, blasting soldiers and civilians alike. He wore red, his jacket scarred with a picture of the infamous bird who's skull stared into the souls of those looking at it. Smoke shards blasted limbs off and video turrets took down entire platoons. Jackson ran at superhuman speed, leaving traces of neon that pierced the hearts of many. "She's right! The leader of our nation is our only hope! LET US SEEK TO CRIPPLE THEM ALL!" Citizens ran out into the streets with weapons of all kinds. "JACKSON IS THE MAN WHO KILLED OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS! WE MUST ALL RISE UP TO FIGHT AGAINST THE TRUE TYRANT. JACKSON IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD'S TRUE NATURE. POWERS ARE EVIL IN THE HANDS OF ANYONE. WE MUST USE WHAT POWER WE HAVE LEFT TO DISABLE THEM ALL!" Citizens continued to die along with soldiers as Jackson darted through the streets, blowing up entire street blocks. "THIS TERROR SPREE WILL NOT LAST! WE WILL SPREAD OUR WAY OF LIFE ACROSS EVERY LAST INCH OF EVIL LAND" Jackson laughs. "This is evil?! This is terror?!" He then finds his way towards the tower. Lanna and Eugine manage to decimate city blocks of their own to meet at the capitol building. From there, the three manage to scale their way to the top and breach it. From afar, a dark figure watches smiling.
"MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN! I IMPLORE YOU, DO NOT LET THIS TRAITOR DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE! WE MUST FIGHT TO THE BITTER END AND END THE SOURCE OF ALL SIN AND DISGRACE ONCE AND FOR-" The battle inside the capitol building was quick. The screams of the supreme leader could be heard by all through the loudspeakers as Jackson destroyed her giant rock form. From above, the smiling figure watched as Lanna and Eugine powered up. "Who are you?!" Eugine yelled as he got ready to turn into another giant demon. "Easy there!" A man says, wearing a red t-shirt and black jeans. He jumps from above with a staff in hand, slamming onto the roof with red and black lighting striking down. The smiling figure walks over to Jackson, who's torturing the supreme leader. "They call him Joker," Cole said as Joker approached Jackson. "What do you want?!" Jackson yelled. Joker smiled as he looked into Jackson, his eyes forming a portal in the pupil to a world where John and Sera fight the same soldiers along with Jake and Evie. "I just want to make a deal."
Jackson layed on the ground dead while his evil counterpart stood over him, the group of evil doppelgangers stood behind him. "Good, glad you can make it, come on, we need to wait for their move now!" Joker announces to the group.
"Alright, here's the plan, Evie, you said you were gonna go in and take out the power!" Jake says as the four look up at the capitol building, now fortified by concrete and powerlines. Jake looks at Evie. "Please, be careful." Evie nods and smiles with cheer. "John, you will go and take on the Supreme Leader herself while Sera covers you. Her time ability and unnatural devilman kit is more than enough to cover whatever the army throws at you" Jake says as he looks at Sera. "What about you?" Sera asks.
"When the time comes, I'm gonna blow this place to hell." Jake says as he begins to glow black and red. John, Evie, and Sera immediately gun it away from Jake, who glows devilish colors as the city burns all around him. Soldiers and civilians clashing back and forth while loudspeakers project propaganda from the Supreme Leader herself. The three go off into the night to go up the tower. "Okay just gotta take these dudes out" Evie thought as she begins to encounter her first group of soldiers. Evie sneaks around and shoots her lasers, picking off guards. She gets to the generator and goes to destroy it with her laser eyes when a guard points his gun at her. "FREEZE!" Evie panics when suddenly he gets thrown into the generator, it fries him up. "SERA!" Evie yells. "Come on, we gotta take some assholes down! You take out the power! I'll cover you!" Sera yells as she creates a blade from her unnatural and blocks several bullets. "RIGHT!" Sera and Evie go charging at some more soldiers who surround John, as he poses with his ability they take the soldiers out with their abilities. John goes dashing up the building as helicopters surround it, the media films him from a distance. "GUYS GUYS, JOHN IS BACK ON!" Reim yells from her hotel room as the world wide news manages to get leaked footage back on the air. Everyone watches as a gold figure scales a building taking down helicopters. "YEAH GO JOHN!" Blyke yells, everyone but Arlo smiles. The whole world is now watching as The Golden God breaks windows to get to the top floor, he jumps up high in the sky and goes flying back down through the roof into the Supreme Leader's head office. At that moment, the power is disabled as Evie celebrates landing a successful shot of energy at the generator.
John lands in an Iron Man pose, he then gets up and stands strong and proud at The Supreme Leader, who sits on her throne. She gets up and walks towards John. "Oh my, look who it is, the Glorious Golden God!" she yells sarcastically. "And look who it is, the bitch who tortures her own people!" John retorted. "What a mouth you have, do you even know why I am Supreme Leader?" she asks. "Does it look like I give a shit." John then takes a step back as the Supreme Leader continues to walk towards him. "It's always women with boots and trench coats" John thought, remembering the Ember woman with golden eyes. He grew angry at her look. "Mother" he thought bitterly.
"Back when I was in the military, I was assigned to the 607th Army division for this nation. We faced a new threat among our populous. UnNaturals, people who had the power to destroy entire cities with their abilities."
They also had the power to unlock other people's UnNaturals.
"I found a survivor among the rubble of the city, she too could manipulate a substance, hers was paper, mine was concrete."
"We wandered around an empty wasteland of a city, New Pompeii was nothing but rubble, only that wasn't the only city, many more were just like it. We eventually found help…"
"But they didn't see us as human."
They saw us as monsters.
People who were too strong to keep alive.
So they fired at us.
"Not knowing what to do, I had to make a choice, I was part human, but also part UnNatural, I could use my ability in ways others could never."
So I made my own third path. I took in the girl and framed her as an UnNatural. By turning her in, the government trusted me to rule the military and hunt down anyone with abilities while they disabled them by the masses, our country would be a nation where only the military is trusted with that kind of power. Eventually I rose to power, elected as this nation's last president before I ruled it as Supreme leader, where I would take every last high tier and keep them safe from the mobs while I ruled the cripple population. Keeping both of them safe."
"You see, powers are evolving whether you like it or not. The solution is not a hierarchy, or to kill them. Reform is impossible with temptation constantly lurking. The only rational choice is to take the choice away!" John looked at her with disgust. "You ruined lives, stripped people of their free will and autonomy. You're the very thing you feared that powers would bring." The Supreme Leader barks back at John with rage. "I am the last high tier! I am the bridge that breaks! I am the broken link! After me it will be over!" John laughs a little. "They all say that."
"Abilities only hurt others, besides, your government just gives people a number and labels them a tier! To downgrade others and put them into poor areas as low tiers, some abilities are better than others not just in raw strength. Your system is flawed! You're just a child yourself, you'll never understand." John cracks his knuckles. "I see what I need to see. You're city is burning down right now because of your army!" John then pounds his knuckles together. "I'm ending this now." John and The Supreme Leader power up all while Sera and Evie battle the soldiers around the area to protect John in the tower.
To be Continued....