You Know What You Are

          “... That excuse is so 21st century.” The shorter laughed, far too bright for his disposition. He hadn’t expected to make a house call, but when one of his club members wasn’t acting up to snuff, was acting like a rat, well... What was he to do but remind them who their Rat King was? Phasing he couldn’t do, but he was fast enough to enter without a trace, to appear as if he’d just... appeared. Fear was always the initial goal, and though she hid it well, the speedster was sure he’d planted some sort of recoil. No regrets, no remorse, for any of his deeds and decisions. Which one was really the one without a right mind if neither reacted? 

          Well... This was entirely unexpected.

          And entirely moronic for the former Clown Princess of Crime to do so. In fact, Thad had almost begged to get swung at, to take a hit, just so he would have an excuse to cause more rugged chaos and paint the pavement red. Plunging the city into Hell wasn’t an ideal survival plan, but grife if he wasn’t going to get the best he could out of it. Crazed eyes, bloodlust making every neon green spark jumping off of his suit just that much more intense as he darted between the mobs, the riots, the looters. He caught familiar faces, some he’d seen many times before and some near regulars to his matches.

          They’d all be getting much less than they were already. Many of these fools who’d managed to catch his identity as he passed were enraged. They thought with the power of the law off their backs, they didn’t have to listen to any authority put before them. Little did they know, trying to fight their boss would end in immediate termination. Permanent. He’d been reeling back for a blow, vibrating and cracking pavement under his boots from the excitement of it all when she decided to walk into his little fight. Sprock it all. 

          There were very few faces Thad could count on being to nearly every bout he ran. Cutting them shorter and moving locations every week was tiring for many, and they made their complaints heard. There was talk of reasoning, of keeping the club away from the watchful eyes of the government, and they’d nearly be right... If it hadn’t turned into a test to see the true weak links in his little parade of fighters he’d gathered. If they couldn’t stand a direct order, then how fit were they to stay? The way the speedster saw it, they either adapt and overcome or get cut off, or possibly much much worse.

          Which resorted to meeting with his crew regularly, instead of sitting on his high shelf, a perch away from the action to resist getting... perhaps a little too excited about all the chaos. He had to make sure his word was law, however twisted it became in the eyes of those so-called do-gooders. Besides, making physical appearances every now and then made sure the company knew of the severity of his threats, of the lengths he would go to make sure the little organization he’d created stayed exactly how it was until he could finally fulfill his purpose. 

Shakesperian Names // Open!

Shakesperian Names // Open!

          “Attempted to play nice with inferior life forms. None of them understand.”

          . . . 

Of all people to, more than likely on purpose, run into, Cassie hadn’t expected Thaddeus. It had been a long shift at work and she was entirely too glad to be heading home. Home looked like movie nights with Conner and Jon bickering over what movie to play as Cassie merely laughed at the childish behavior from the brothers before ultimately being the tiebreaker. Home was warm and inviting now, not nearly as lonely as it once was. The only thing it was missing was…well. Her other two best friends. 

Though, it seemed she’d get a reminder of her speedster best friend, courtesy of his clone.

Cassie jolted back as soon as a green blur passed her by and stopped right in front of her. Her surprised features morphed into something akin to rage. Rage, a familiar feeling she knew too well. “Thaddeus,” she said in a cold tone, “still trying to pretend you’re Bart? I’m more than happy to kick your ass. Don’t start something we both know you won’t be able to finish.” The remark only made her sneer, fingers curling into tight fists as she pulled an arm back and immediately punched out right at the speedster’s face.

/

          “Oh, you do remember me! How c̕ut̢è̵.” Thad chuckled, the laugh laced with static as he caught her fear, the look, the adrenaline of it. It boiled in his lighting-laced veins, had his heart racing far beyond the pace it should be beating. Any normal man would die from the force, but he was pure perfection in it’s scientific form. Some would call him a genetically modified killing machine, but he just reveled in every scar left from his modifications. Years of being stuck in a surgery tank have you forgetting about the horrors of being under the knife.

.

Olivia knew that even if Thad didn’t look particularly dangerous he couldn’t have taken over the fight club if he wasn’t, and looks could be deceiving after all. She wasn’t scared of him but she knew to be cautious, while she could handle herself she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what he was capable of. She hadn’t told him about her powers, and she had no intention of telling him, it was an advantage she wasn’t willing to give up when dealing with someone like Thad.

Her eyes followed him as he walked over to the file cabinets and after some searching pulled out an envelope. She took the envelope from him when he held it out, opening it to confirm there was money in it before placing it in her pocket. “As long as I keep getting paid” Olivia commented, though she had considered telling him she was done, that she didn’t want to do this anymore but she wasn’t sure how well that would go over.

/

          Ah yes. Payment. Greed. Need. Desire. All connected to the green leaflet currency he distributed on a daily basis, dead papers he could use as fire kindling back in the 30th century, if there was even any left to care about. “Oh, of course.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes, his head tilting a little too far to the side. “That’s why we have these matches after all. The patrons pay big sums. And they really like you, dear.” Seeing a non-meta take on metahumans and win? Now that was getting big bucks circulating. Funny, he thought, that he didn’t keep nearly any of it for himself. But gaining enough took time and patience, something the man who literally named himself after the immovable force knew everything about. Smaller cuts made it less noticeable, less arguable. He’d hate to lose a few contestants over some... Petty payment squabbles. 

          “If I was you, I’d accept some of their more extreme offerings. You could be seeing a thicker paycheck.”

Shakesperian Names // Open!

          “I am not trapped, I can run free wherever I want. Nothing can hold me down.”

Gabby narrowed her eyes, cocking her head slightly. “Definitely suss. But no, I’m not your contact. You sure you’re not dealing?” She was incessantly curious, she knew that. But it felt more like normal than the anger and guilt she’d been carrying. So she pushed, maybe a bit more than she should. 

“I remember you, y’know. You’re from another universe, right?” And the last time she’d seen him, he’d been in so much pain. At least that seemed to be gone now. Although not the standoffish attitude. Good thing Gabby was used to letting that roll off her.

/

          Suss. Grife, when were these people going to get with the times? So many lost vocabulary words, so little time to care about them when they’re going to be dust in the next ten centuries. Thad had to scoff, a quick shake of the head following. “I am not.” Far from it. But he was dealing, in sort, a different drug. Adrenaline, pure and plenty, through no direct contact of his own. So, in a way-

          “... If it’s easier for you to say that, then believe it.” Another exasperated breath and the speedster finally let tense muscles loosen, his shoulders sagging nearly uncharacteristically as he continued his allegedly tragic tale. “I was created in the 30th century and sent back here... Though through no fault of my own, I was sprung ahead a few years after being held in a state not unlike suspended animation.” Arms crossed tightly over his chest, Thad knocked his back into the wall behind him, tired eyes losing most of their malicious glare. “But yes, another universe would be easier to recall.”

[ ONE NEW MESSAGE ] @mxrrormatch

> … > text 📩 unknown: i heard from a… “source” that you’re looking for new members for your “club”? > text 📩 unknown: didn’t give me a name, so in my head, i’ve just been calling you big papa > text 📩 unknown: let me know if i’m in or out so i can swing by the store for a new leather jacket

          It wasn’t someone Thaddeus had expected to run into casually on the street. It wasn’t someone he’d thought to actively seek out, if not for fear of possible retaliation. He’d been so focussed on his efforts as an agent of chaos, in finding his genetic originator, that he’d forgotten to attempt going to the source: his pathetic friends. No one brought him more fear and joy in one swoop than the Wonder Girl, Cassie Sandsmark, the demi-goddess of lightning. Sure, she would be a wonderful addition to his ranks, but after their previous encounters... Hell, he’d be lucky to get close without a punch being swung. He had to be careful, cautious...

          And absolutely relentless in his pursuit.

— kaine rolled his eyes. with being a vigilante and all he himself should have not joined in on the fight, but it felt nice to let lose for a bit. even more so he had alot of aggression pent up with everything going on and his dorm mate not making things easier every time he entered at his dorm and got mad of his mess of his side. not his fault he was in major that had alot of books or other matters. 

still, here he was trying to do the right thing and stop a fight before the other was right. maybe he should just end things already, clearly the other guy was causing too much of a commotion that last thing they needed was those robots showing up or worse. using his Mark of Kaine, he burned the guy in the face and even though he let out one loud scream, he stopped. “there you happy now? he’s quiet. doubt this will attract any unwanted attention.” kaine said as he turned to thad.

          To say the speedster was shocked was... an overstatement. In this day and age of budding ‘heroes’, he was bound to run into metas on the streets, humans that had developed their powers and felt they had to do something good with them. Idiots, believing responsibility is what comes with great power. But with that martyrdom comes... repressed anguish, a need for release. That’s what he was looking to do, after all: A... ‘safe’ space for these banned genetic powers to be used, awarded even, and perhaps... something a bit more nefarious down the line. 

          For now, he was interested in this poor street-brawling sap who’d just done the physically impossible of nearly lighting skin on fire with a touch. 

[ ✉ ⟹ Fucking asshole ] : I remember our agreement, the one that says I get paid for fights [ ✉ ⟹ Fucking asshole ] : you don’t scare me

[ ✉ ⟹ Fucking asshole ] : the gravity of what exactly [ ✉ ⟹ Fucking asshole ] : please, I’m the reigning champion, I bring in more sponsors than anyone else [ ✉ ⟹ Fucking asshole ] : you can’t afford to lose me so cut the crap already