#kronosplot

JANUARY 7, 2040.

the dawn of a new decade is ushered in by fireworks, popped champagne bottles, and the promise of something great. or so says robert buchanan at his annual gala. every year since kronos’ inception, he has unveiled a new project, from mind-blowing virtual reality in 2028 to the robots in 2033 that changed the landscape of A.I. as we knew it. 

so what will 2040 bring?

only what some simply dream of.

a super serum. the announcement sends a ripple through robert’s guests seated for dinner, and as he launches into a speech about new beginnings and a way to the future, a pair of twins standing behind him are handed vials of pale blue liquid. it’s bottom’s up and waiting with bated breath until one of them lifts her hand, levitating a fountain of champagne glasses off a table. her brother makes bolts of electricity sing through the air, creating a lightshow to rival fireworks set off at midnight.

robert smiles and extends his hands. “thanks to the tireless work of our brilliant minds at kronos, anyone can be super.”

CANIS CANEM EDIT.

( tw: murder, death, experimentation )

in the dead of night, two supers face off: one, a hero, the other, someone who shouldn’t be super at all. the villain samael is known for his mechanical wings, sleek inventions designed by his own hand. technology made up for where he thought he lacked, and the hero is used to this—the glint of metal shining in the sky, the sheen of a high-tech dagger—but they aren’t prepared for his sudden indestructibility. 

it’s as if his skin has hardened to diamond. it’s as if he has superpowers. as they come blow to blow, the hero is forced to surrender, the unfamiliarity of samael’s new powers combined with a frenzied viciousness leaving them scrambling. nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. as he stabs the hero through the heart on the skyscraper rooftop, he leans in to whisper, now i’m just like you.

IN CAUDA VENENUM.

REPORTING LIVE FROM DELTA BOULEVARD: with a recent spike in crime throughout novus, our favorite heroes have their work cut out for them. how will they rise to the task of fighting these new villains, some with powers we’ve never seen before? 

the surge in superpowered villainy makes headlines, but articles fail to report one key detail: these new supers aren’t born, but made. a counterfeit serum has been making rounds through novus’ underbelly, whispers of its existence reaching crux. distributed by nero and created by trix, it promises everything that kronos did: anyone can be super. 

based on the original serum after trix had received it from corrupt company employees they’d been working with, it bestows powers that are stronger, faster, better, but at the cost of higher instability than its counterpart—and possibly even death. these staggering consequences are kept a secret from nero’s followers, the city’s kingpin vowing the rumours of what happened to the twins won’t happen to them.

the nsa has its eyes on it, too, launching investigations into the fake serum while making covert efforts to acquire the original version. behind closed doors, minds are split; some decry its existence while others can’t wait to get their hands on it. one officer beckons to think of the potential—kronos may be able to make supers, but the nsa knows how to make them heroes.

NERO ( david tennant ) the man of many faces.

known without a true name, nero controls much of the dark underbelly residing in novus’ depths, from human and weapons trafficking, assassinations and even the movement of super drug enhancements. known to be able to shapeshift at will, he matches a cunning nature with agility by being able to impersonate anyone and everyone to an almost perfect degree, getting to the root of their deepest fears. the city’s kingpin has been around for almost two decades, and his influence only grows by day with his followers being more than willing to die for his cause of being the catalyst to novus’ chaos. though, he prefers not to be in the forefront of many of his planned attacks — with the public having barely seen him despite a few rare occurrences. rumour has it, he was once a part of the nsa’s hero training squadron and even trained amongst paragon and sentinel — but just never managed to make the final cut.  inspired by the joker.

DAHLIA & CHERRY ( lupita nyong'o & mia goth ) the queens of novus’ south side.

dahlia and cherry are the two names that always come to mind when you think of hijinks, heists and high-speed chases. both known survivors of a fire that engulfed an orphanage many years ago, the two outlaws were of the fair few who managed to wrestle their way out of the system and went on the run, despising most of the options laid out by the nsa’s policy, plans and programs department. dahlia wields the power of mother nature in her hands and cherry is a master mixed martial artist and trained gymnast — both formidable in their own ways, they have managed to make a name out of themselves even when starting from zero. known for their intrinsically distrusting nature, the two often only work together, though have managed to pull of the biggest bank heist to hit novus in centuries with record-breaking casualties. while the famed vigilante group crux has always come incredibly close to putting the two lovers behind bars, they never managed to strike the final nail on the coffin — at least not yet. inspired by poison ivy and harley quinn.

BEATRIX aka TRIX ( stephanie hsu ) the genius of novus’ underbelly.

with the motto of always searching for the big thing, and never cowering behind the boundaries of innovation, kronos has undoubtedly shaped some of the greatest minds of the last century. but what happens to those who had become a little too experimental? trix was fired from kronos five years ago for illegal experimentation concerning human subjects, with many of their projects involving life-threatening implants that resulted in the deaths of many. jubilant in nature, they were once the pride and joy of kronos’ ai execution and deployment team — known as bea. a bright future was set to be in their path, but they took one too many wrong turns. presently, however, their tale tells of a different story. trix often works with nero, as well as a few rumoured strays inside of the nsa’s tech and systems department, to manufacture and smuggle illegal technology for villains all over the globe. one of their most notable inventions rivals even the omnidroid itself, and there’s no telling what will come out of their brilliant mind yet. inspired by arcane’s jinx.

DANTE VITTORE ( giancarlo esposito ) the mad scientist.

JANUARY 8, 2040 — MIDNIGHT

( tw: violence, gore )

the gala of the year was in full swing; champagne showers under hung artifacts from the world’s most powerful fallen empires and crystalline chandeliers, shared laughter and the clinking of glasses toasting to new beginnings, the dawn of a new era is upon the citizens of novus now that kronos’ super serum had been brought to light. despite the whispers of the opposition, those who own the power in novus seem to be at an agreement — this is how the truly powerful will stay powerful.

it all happened in a blink of an eye; first started with a pained scream, accompanied soon after, the crash of the last surviving aztec sun stone, following suit, queen victoria’s most prized chandelier broken into indiscernible diamond specks and hurled into the unlucky few who were standing far too close. panic ran rampant across the packed halls with many rushing towards the double doors — until they slammed shut, and kept everyone inside.

it was the villains, it must be! they must have infiltrated! who else would do such a thing?

the heroes sprung into action, though their efforts deemed fruitless as … no one knew who to attack, and who to even defend. for once, they felt distraught. even.. powerless.

a few went to work on opening the double doors, eager to at least pave an exit path — until the newly appointed senator and his legislative aide are lifted off the ground, their bodies as if possessed by a force much greater than their own. 

one that can only be done if they carry the power of the mind.

the twins’ eyes trailed blood down their cheeks as if their tears were sacrilegious — as if even they couldn’t control the power they possessed. they had been taken over by something much more carnal, much more sinister, a surge their will couldn’t overtake.

the senator and aide screamed and begged for mercy, words hinting at struggle despite their strained bodies. blood trickled down their eyes similar to the twins’ until their heads mimicked victoria’s prized diamonds — split to millions, scattered viscera across the hall.

as the two bodies fell, so did the twins, over-exhausted by whatever overtook them.

ACTA DEOS NUMQUAM MORTALIA FALLUNT

this unfortunate incident was the result of unpredictable elements, says the official statement. the twins are the culprits; the blame lies not on kronos. any mention of the super serum is erased, and all recordings of buchanan’s speech replaced with the unveiling of a different way to the future. 

THE NOVUS TIMES REPORTS: MUSEUM RESTORED IN RECORD TIME DUE TO KRONOS’ NEW POWER ENHANCEMENT SERUM. 

the aztec sun stone was repaired without a single crack, diamonds once again whole — if you weren’t there, you’d think you were dreaming.

yet those who were remember. even as many found their chance to escape or to save a helpless few — no one quite got the answer to the one question on the tip of everyone’s tongue: is this the start of a new era, or a new evil?