20 Chapter 20: Whispers in the Dark

Word Count : 7156

Sorry for the long wait here, you have no idea how much I struggled with this particular chapter. But in any case, it's done now, and yours to finally enjoy.

Fighting for justice was a never-ending battle in many ways. For no matter how many disasters one averted, more would just continuously crop up like weed. Captain Atom knew this all too well, as he was towing a damaged ship safely to port. Having been caught in a powerful storm out at sea, the civilian cruiser had received a battering like no other. By the time League aid had arrived, the ship was only kept afloat with but a will and a prayer. Some hasty repairs made sure that it stayed afloat long enough to get it into a harbor.

And at last did he accomplish that, as the cruiser came to a halt next to a jetty. A ramp was lowered, and the passengers all streamed out in a calm and ordered fashion, to be met by medical personal and a huge crowd of friends and relatives anxious to find their loved ones. Captain Atom watched these tearful reunions with a smile on his face, glad that he was able to help these poor people. He soon came to a landing next to a couple of police officers in sight.

"Good Work, Captain. The ship would have sunk before the coast guard could have gotten to them," one of them congratulated the hero, who merely waved his hand dismissively.

"No need to thank me, I was only doing my duty," he answered, receiving a small laugh from the policemen.

"You heroes, always so modest after saving lives. Well in any case, it's good to have people like you watching our backs," he same police said before he walked away to make sure that there was no one left aboard the ship, leaving Captain Atom to stand by himself. Once again, he let his eyes wander across the people gathered here.

But then his eyes fell upon a young couple, embracing each other with relieved joy in their eyes. Their lips came together in a deep kiss, and Captain Atom felt a momentary stab of pain in his heart, or at least where his heart was supposed to be had he still possessed one. He should truly be grateful that those two had a chance to be reunited, and he did feel it to some extent.

But there was also a sense of bitterness that came with it. Not for the first time, he dreamt of his old life. His life before the test, before the accident, before he became… this. He was nothing more than radiation kept together by his suit, not a true living being. Once again looking upon the couple, he was reminded of that which he would never have again. he would never be able to feel the embrace of a loved one, never enjoy the pleasures of life.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" an insidious voice suddenly whispered in his mind. "To look, but never touch. To see that which others take for granted, you will never experience again," alarmed by the sudden intrusion, Captain Atom pun in every direction, wildly looking for whoever had spoken. None was near him, he was alone where he was standing. 'Am I going insane?' he thought to himself.

He listened for that voice again, but heard nothing. In the end, he dismissed it as a mere figment of his imagination. And with his duty done here, he flew away, heading towards the nearest zeta tube.

When he arrived at the Watchtower, Captain Atom's first desire was to find his room on the station and catch up to his reading. He had been halfway through a thrilling sci fi novel when he had been called out to save that cruiser. Now he intended to finish it.

"Hey, Captain! You're back!" but apparently fate had other things in mind, as arguably the most naïve member of the Justice League came flying up to him.

"I heard you saved an entire boat full of passengers, nice work!" Captain Marvel congratulated while Captain Atom steeled his features. He never truly got along well with Marvel if he was to be honest with himself. Not that he thought ill about his comrade, but as a former military man, he found the Captain's naiveté and almost childlike personality to be unfitting for a member of the Justice League. After all, this was not a kid's game.

That, and he did feel a bit miffed that he had taken the title of Captain Marvel. Seriously, Captain Atom had been in the army once, so he had at least a reason to take the rank of captain as his hero title. He doubted that Marvel, whoever he was under the costume, had ever done military service.

"Thank you, but as I said to the police earlier, I was only doing my duty," he answered politely, receiving a laugh and a friendly slap on the back from Captain Marvel. He did not even feel the blow.

"Yes, I know. We're all doing our duty, but that doesn't mean we can't feel proud about our work," Captain Marvel stated with a big smile on his lips, bringing a small smile to his fellow captain.

"I suppose you're right about that," he conceded. For all his supposed naiveté, the Captain still seemed to possess a surprising amount of wisdom from time to time.

"Anyway, have you heard the latest? Krieg has apparently attacked Speedy," Captain Marvel suddenly revealed, his voice gaining a bitter tone when saying Krieg's name.

"What? Why would he do that?" Captain Atom asked in surprise. He had always known that Krieg was a bit of a loose cannon, but he would have never expected him to attack a fellow hero.

"Who knows? That kid is completely wacko if you ask me," Captain Marvel answered bitterly, clearly not feeling that many positive emotions for Krieg.

"I must admit, I'm a bit surprised that you show your dislike of him this openly. You're always someone who normally talks about giving people a second chance and all that," Captain Atom pointed out, receiving a resigned sigh from his comrade.

"Honestly, I've tried to put the past behind and give him a second chance. But he's just so mean to everyone and uncaring about the lives of others. I just can't get along with someone like him," he answered dejectedly. Captain Atom could understand the feeling perfectly well. Krieg was just not the kind of person one befriended. All one could do was grow to tolerate him.

"You're probably not the only one feeling that way. We can only hope that the other sidekicks will have better luck at cracking his shell than the rest of us," he commented. Before any other words could be exchanged between them, a third individual joined them, dressed in skintight black and green with a ring on one of his fingers.

"Hey, how's it going?" Hal Jordan, also known as the Green Lantern, greeted cheerfully.

"It's going good," Captain Marvel greeted back cheerfully, while Captain Atom gave a court nod of recognition.

"I was just heading for the cafeteria to grab a bite, wanna hang along?" Hal asked.

"Sure, no problem. See ya later, Captain," Captain Marvel announced before he followed Green Lantern towards the cafeteria, leaving Captain Atom by himself in the hallway, which suited him just fine as he could now at least rejoin his beloved book.

"Strange, wouldn't you agree?" he suddenly heard someone comment, causing him to freeze up in his tracks. He looked back and forth along the corridor, but saw no one else present.

"They just went without ever even asking you if you wanted to come along," the strange voice spoke again. It was seriously starting to spook Captain Atom a bit.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded as his fists became encased in radioactive energy. A creepy laugh was what he received in answer.

"I'm afraid I can't comply to your request, for I am not anywhere near you at the moment," the voice answered. Captain Atom gritted his teeth in anger at the answer.

"Then get the hell out of my head and leave me alone," he ordered furiously.

"But why would I do that? After all, we have so much to talk about, you and I," that infernal voice countered smoothly. Captain Atom was seriously beginning to dislike this mystery voice.

"We have nothing to talk about, whoever you are," he snarled out as he began stomping towards his room.

"I beg to differ, my friend. I have watched your Justice League for quite some time now, and I feel that you are the most reasonable out of them all, best suited to hear the truth I bring to you," but the voice refused to shut up and just kept on talking. But he had to admit, his curiosity had been piqued by the voice's words.

"Surely there would be someone better, like Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman. They are the core founders after all," Captain Atom felt like pointing out. Even though he could not see whomever the voice belonged to, he could easily imagine a sneer on his face at that moment.

"Superman is too naïve and gullible, he would never see the truth for what it really was. Wonder Woman is ruled too much by her pride and honor, her place is on the battlefield and nowhere else. And Batman is too paranoid and suspicious in his nature, he would only worry about non-existent threats that only he sees," Captain Atom would never admit it out loud, but he had been having similar thoughts about those three from time to time. It was only their undisputed success as heroes that put his doubts to rest.

"But you are different, you I can trust with the secret I feel must be brought into the light," the voice continued to explain, and for some reason his words made Captain Atom feel a sense of importance.

"Then out with it already," he snapped at the voice. Even though he was a bit intrigued by whatever the voice wanted to talk about, he still felt more than a bit angry at its unwelcomed intrusion into his mind.

"Patience, Captain. I need you to first promise me that no one else will know about what I'm about to tell you, not even the rest of the Justice League," the voice requested. Now that set off alarm bells in Captain Atom's mind.

"Now hang on a minute here. Why should I not tell my comrades if it's so damn important?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I do not trust them, and neither should you," the voice answered without hesitation.

"Then this discussion is over," Captain Atom announced as he changed his path, determined to find J'onn and have him drive this infernal voice out of his head.

"Why do you remain so loyal to the Justice League? What drives you to stand with them so blindly?" the voice inquired, but Captain Atom remained silent. He would not be baited into another discussion with the voice.

"Tell me, did you once have the same level of loyalty to your country before your accident?" but that question was too much to ignore, and so Captain Atom came to a sudden halt in the corridor he was walking in, eyes wide as saucers.

"How did you know?" he asked in disbelief. Only some of the members of the Justice League and a few higher ups in the military knew how he came to be, none of them would ever leak that information.

"I have my ways," the voice answered cryptically, "But back to my earlier question, did you display the same level of loyalty to your country before joining the Justice League?" Captain Atom knew he should probably not answer that question, that he should just ignore the voice and continue towards his destination.

"Yes, of course I did," he nevertheless answered. It brought out a chuckle from the voice.

"And look how that loyalty was repaid. You were turned into this, and then discarded by your country when they found they could no longer control you," it said mockingly. Needless to say, Captain Atom did not like hearing those words.

"Lies! I was honorably discharged and received compensation for the damage caused!" he defended furiously.

"A polite way of getting rid of you and bribes so you wouldn't bring this to court," the voice easily countered. Captain Atom gritted his non-existing teeth in anger. But all that anger was not directed at the voice alone.

"Look at it however you want, the facts still remain. They had created a creature more powerful than themselves, and so they feared it and sought to be rid of it," Captain Atom knew that he should not listen to the voice, he knew that it would not end well. But despite knowing this, he could not stop a flame of bitterness from being ignited in his soul. Whether the voice knew it or not, the words it spoke were almost identical to the thoughts that Captain Atom used to think in his darkest of hours.

"And now, here you are, having traded one master for another," the voice added.

"That's not true!" Captain Atom denied fervently.

"Are you sure? After all, aren't you following the words of the Justice League like they were the law, do you not fight its enemies in the name of a cause that was never your own?" the voice asked curiously, or at least Captain Atom assumed it sounded curious.

"Now you're just spewing bullshit. I do believe in the Justice's League's cause, and I'm proud to fight for it," Captain Atom retorted with confidence in his voice. The mysterious voice was unmoved by his apparent conviction.

"You believe in its cause? Have you simply told yourself that until you actually believed it to be true, or are you simply that delusional?" it inquired.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Captain Atom demanded furiously.

"Come now, Captain. You're a smart man, and you've been in the military once. Surely you must have seen the folly of some of the Justice League's actions. Their policy of never taking a life, for example. No one can deny that it is a noble cause, to never take the roles of judge, jury and executioner. But how many innocents must suffer before they wake up and see the world for what it really is?" the voice asked, a hint of anger coloring his words.

"You don't have a clue on what you're talking about," Captain Atom stated with certainty, but the voice was unmoved.

"Don't I? Tell me then, how many people have the Joker killed over the years? How many graveyards have been filled by the League of Shadows? How many families will never see their loved ones again, all because murdering psychopaths are allowed to live?" it questioned. Captain Atom wanted so dearly to argue against the voice on that point, to defend the actions of his comrades. The truth was, he could not do so, not with a clear conscience anyway.

"What? Not even going to dispute my claim?" the voice asked with what could easily be interpreted as a mocking tone.

"Just shut up! Shut up and leave me alone!" Captain Atom snarled out in ager.

"Now, now, there's no need for anger here, Captain. After all, what's the point with denying the truth? As a matter of fact, why even get upset on the behalf of people who don't even respect you?" the voice inquired innocently.

"What the hell are you babbling on about? Of course they respect me," Captain Atom stated with conviction. But once again, the voice, whoever it was, remained unmoved his faith in the Justice League.

"That so? Tell me then, when was the last time they asked you to socialize with them? How many times have you been left out in the cold rain whilst they have gathered together? When was the last time they even extended such a simple courtesy as asking if you wanted to eat with them?"

"They do so because they know of my… condition," that last word held a great amount of bitterness to it. "I don't require sleep, food or drink anymore, so what's the point of asking if I wanted to eat?"

"So in other words, they just assume you don't need any recognition and will simply come at their call like a loyal dog,"

"That's not what I was saying!" Captain Atom hastily corrected, but those words struck a small chord deep in his mind. He should really stop listening to this infernal voice, but somehow he found himself compelled to keep listening.

"Oh, you didn't? My apologies then," the voice answered, and it left Captain Atom seriously wondering whether it meant those words or not.

"In any case, your devotion to the Justice League does you credit, but it's ultimately a wasted effort. You of all people must realize the stagnation that the Justice League is creating, and such stagnation will only end in destruction," the voice continued.

"No, that's no true! It would never happen!" Captain Atom denied, sounding more like was trying to convince himself more than the voice, who merely laughed at him.

"Such confidence, but will it hold out, I wonder?" it was at that moment that Captain Atom nearly ran headfirst into Martian Manhunter, walking in the direction the Captain had just been going from.

"Sorry," he absentmindedly apologized, trying to appear unaffected by his recent discussion. But the Martian was not so easily deceived, and could see that something was deeply troubling his comrade.

"Is something wrong, my friend?" he asked in concern. He was met with silence at first, as if Captain Atom had temporarily lost the ability to speak.

"No. No, everything is just fine," he eventually answered, speaking like he was in a daze before he walked past the Martian, with no particular destination in mind. He left a confused Martian in his wake, and an amused presence in his mind.

"You are strong, Captain. But like Horus, you will see the truth," the voice spoke to itself, with the Captain not hearing a single word.

As usual, the Glades were ripe with crime on this fine evening. Robberies, pickpocketing, raping, drug dealing and the occasional murder. They all had their home in these downtrodden neighborhoods. But so had Mia Dearden as well, and she was determined to keep the filth in check. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, yellow cape flowing behind her, she was on constant lookout for any manner of criminals.

She spotted a robber trying to make off with his stolen goods. She stopped him dead in his tracks with an arrow that pinned his arm to the wall before a second arrow impacted right next to his face and released a cloud of knockout gas. Mia never even slowed down and just kept on going, searching for more prey. Every time she found a crime in progress, she would end it swiftly with a few well-aimed arrows before moving on.

"Hardly even a challenge," she muttered to herself after thwarting yet another robbery. Honestly, were there no challenges for her this evening? She received her answer to that when she heard wild gunfire a few blocks away. Without a second thought, she altered her course and headed straight for the inevitable fight. When she arrived, she found two gangs in the midst of a violent shootout with one another. Clearly another gang war for territory. A savage and bloodthirsty grin split Mia's face in that instant.

"Finally, some real action," she said sadistically as she nocked an arrow and attacked. She only fired one smoke arrow into their ranks and then dove in for close combat. As an archer, she knew this worked to her disadvantage, but she really felt the need to break some bones and spill some blood now. The crooks stood no chance whatsoever, being utterly decimated on both sides by this ferocious young girl.

"I don't get it," she spoke to herself whilst dodging a crowbar swung clumsily at her. "I'm strong, I'm fast, I'm agile, and I never miss my mark," even as she continued talking to herself, she kept up her relentless assault on the thugs, probably using far more force than necessary with some of them. But that was of no concern to her. She was angry, and she needed to vent that anger.

"I even have the grades to prove that I'm smart. So why won't he accept me? Why does he keep pushing me away when I offer to help him?" she kept asking herself whilst delivering a roundhouse kick that shattered a man's jaw before ramming an arrow into another man's groin. "What is it that I'm lacking? What is it that makes him think that I'm not good enough?" all of these questions continuously ate away at her sanity as she mulled over them time and again. She was never able to figure out an answer.

However, in her inability to let these questions go even in the middle of a fight, she remained too distracted to notice one of the thugs had finally managed to get a clear line of fire on her and was even now aiming a shotgun at her. Too occupied with beating up another lowlife scum, she never even saw the danger looming behind her. Though as it turned out, she did not need to, for a green arrow suddenly came from the rooftops and knocked the gun right out of the thug's hands.

Staring at his now empty hands with a stupefied look on his face, the thug never noticed the second arrow until it exploded into a net and ensnared him. More arrows proceeded to rain down into the fight, incapacitating the combatants one by one. In the end, only Mia was still standing, and she was not very pleased at the moment.

"I had it all under control, I didn't need any help," she protested irritably as she turned to face who she thought was Green Arrow. As it turned out however, it was a young blonde girl wearing a green costume and clutching a bow in her hands. Needless to say, Mia was greatly confused.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes. The so far unidentified girl responded to the hostility with an annoyed glare and a hand discreetly landing on a small crossbow strapped to her belt.

"I could ask you the same thing, considering you're running around beating up criminals in Green Arrow's city," the blonde girl remarked, equally suspicious of Mia as Mia was of her.

"That's none of your business, blondie," Mia bit out harshly, already developing a strong dislike for this mysterious girl. Just where had she come from? And what the hell was she doing in Star City, fighting crime dressed as a female teenage version of Green Arrow?

"Considering I'm his protégé, I do think it's my business," the blonde girl retorted. Mia barely heard the end of the girl's sentence, her brain had frozen up at the end of the first half.

"What did you just say you were?" Mia asked quietly. 'I must have heard wrong, there's no other explanation. There's no way I could have heard it right,' she thought to herself fervently.

"I suppose proper introductions are in order. Name's Artemis, and I'm Green Arrow's newest protégé," Artemis proclaimed proudly with her hands on her hips, still holding her bow and having her free hand within easy reach of her crossbow. At first, not so much as a sound came out of Mia, too shocked by what she had heard. But then, her so far blank face twisted itself into one of loathsome rage.

"You lie," she snarled out in contempt as she glared at the lying little bitch in front of her. However, said bitch did not apparently appreciate it very much to be called a liar.

"I'm not lying. I've been with him for weeks already," she defended herself. But that only served to ignite Mia's anger even further. And with it, her denial.

"You're lying! There's no way you can be telling the truth!" she all but screamed at her. 'It can't be true, he couldn't possibly do this to me,' Mia clung to that thought like a lifeline. Green Arrow could not possibly be so cruel so as to shun her all this time only to take someone else as his protégé.

"And why the heck not?" Artemis questioned.

"Because I was supposed to be his protégé!" Mia finally screamed in anger. Artemis's reaction to that outburst was akin to being slapped in the face.

"What?" she asked in confusion. This girl was supposed to have been Green Arrow's protégé? He sure as hell never mentioned her during their trainings.

"I've been helping him fight crime for months now, I've been cleaning up the Glades for him while he's been busy with the Justice League! I deserve to be his protégé, not you!" Mia did not care one bit that she was sounding like a spoiled brat at that moment, all she felt was rage over this hurtful betrayal. Artemis meanwhile was at a loss of words, having never in her wildest dreams expected this. As it turned out, she did not need to give Mia an answer, as Green Arrow himself finally arrived at the scene.

"What's going on?" he asked in worry, obviously having not expected Artemis to run into Mia of all people. He was surprisingly met with an accusing glare from Artemis of all people.

"Why didn't you tell me you already had another candidate?" she demanded to know. She had agreed to be his protégé, she had agreed to pose as his niece to avoid questions regarding her true family, but she had most certainly not agreed to steal the spot of another hopeful hero-in-training.

"I don't have another candidate," Green Arrow answered, instantly regretting those words that came out of his mouth. 'Dammit, I was never good at this stuff,' he lamented to himself as he saw the broken look on Mia's face.

"Look, Mia, I didn't mean it like…" he tried to explain, but Mia just ran away, vanishing into the maze-like alleys before Green Arrow could stop her.

"Okay, what the hell was that about?" Artemis asked in puzzlement. She was first met with silence, and it lasted so long that she began to think that she would never receive an answer.

"It's complicated, and personal," Green Arrow finally said with a grim tone. Having her own fair share of personal issues, she quickly took the hint and backed off. Green Arrow meanwhile felt like pummeling himself for his mistake. How could he have said such a hurtful comment in front of Mia? Sure, he had tried to push her away ever since she began fighting crime, but he did it to protect her. She had a chance to have a normal life, and he did not want her to throw it all away like that.

Artemis was different in that regard. It may have been cruel to think like this, but her chance at a normal life went out the window the moment that bastard Sportsmaster decided to "train" Artemis. Had he and Batman not intervened when they did in Artemis' life, she would have either ended up a villain, or even worse, dead. Green Arrow had at least resolved himself to giving that cruel excuse of a father Artemis had an extra intense beating the next time he saw him.

But as his thoughts strayed away from Artemis' situation and back to Mia, he began to wonder if he may have done the wrong thing in the end. He had always done what he believed to be for the best. And look where that had gotten him. While Artemis went and inspected the thugs and securing them for whenever the police would come and pick them up, Green Arrow sent a discreet look of concern her way. 'First Roy, and then Mia. I just keep on hurting those close to me. I can't help but wonder, will I hurt you as well, Artemis. You who only wishes to be away from the bloodstained business that your family live in,' he thought to himself sadly.

For how long Mia ran, she had absolutely no idea. She just kept on running and running. Even as her legs began to ache, she just kept running. Only when she was far, far away from where he shattered all her hopes did she stop running, in a part of the city she was not familiar with. But that mattered little to her, all that mattered to her were Green Arrow's parting words.

It just was not fair. After everything she had done for him, after all the villains she had stopped, he just dismisses her like that and takes another one as his protégé. Why? Why would he do that? What did that blonde bimbo possess that Mia did not? What made her so special that Green Arrow would accept her so easily, whilst Mia have had to struggle for months just to be noticed?

"What is wrong with me? What is it that Green Arrow finds wrong with me?" she asked out loud, tears of betrayal running down her cheeks. How she so dearly wanted to break something at that moment, to inflict pain on others. Anything to make her forget her own pain.

"What makes you so sure that the fault lies with you?" a voice suddenly asked in her head. In a matter of seconds, Mia had an arrow nocked and was frantically scanning her surroundings for any hostiles.

"Who's there?" she called out aggressively, already prepared to put an arrow in whoever had managed to sneak up on her.

"A friend, seeking to offer help. And you are wasting your time looking for me, child, for I am many miles away from you. In fact, we are not even in the same country at the moment," the mysterious voice revealed. However, despite the reassurances, Mia never let her guard down.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't like to have strangers in my head, and I don't need any help. So piss off and leave me alone," she snarled out in anger as she stomped away from the scene. That did not deter the voice in the least.

"So you say, child. Yet I can feel you anger, your sorrow, your rage. I know how you feel all too well," it assured her, causing Mia to grit her teeth in anger.

"You don't know anything, you fucking creep!" she shouted in anger, whirling around as she said it even though she knew there was no one there.

"You've spent so long fighting for a man you considered to be your guiding star. You've sacrificed so much to honor his name and his beliefs. But in the end, how is your faith rewarded? With scorns and dismissals, to be humiliated in front of someone who was meant to be your comrade-in-arm, yet who now takes your place," the voce explained, the bitterness in its words as clear as daylight. It was easy for Mia to see the cause for it.

"Speaking out of experience?" she asked quietly, her earlier rage at the voice slowly dying out.

"Yes. We've both suffered the pain of betrayal from someone we looked up to. That is why I am reaching out to you now, to aid a kindred spirit in her time of need," the voice spoke sadly.

"Well, thanks for the offer, but I can take care of myself," Mia said as confidently as she was able to.

"Maybe so, but it never hurts to have a friend at your side. Especially when one have been betrayed by one so close to you," more than anything, Mia wanted to deny the voice's words, to deny that Green Arrow had betrayed her. But the truth was, she could not. It felt too much like a betrayal for her to deny it. And that hurt her so damn much.

"It doesn't matter in the end. I'm through with this," Mia announced dejectedly as she let her bow drop from her hands and clatter to the ground. "Why should I fight the good fight when the one person I took this challenge up for is so adamant on ignoring me?"

"You do that, and you're letting him win," the voice spoke sternly. "If you throw your arms down lie that, you're letting Green Arrow win. And after all that you've gone through, don't let him win," those words brought a spark of determination to Mia's soul, but it was not nearly enough to make her reconsider.

"Why? What's the point?" she asked out loud.

"Because you're good at it, and because you enjoy it," the voice answered. "You must have realized by now the truth. The fighting, the bloodshed, the mortal risks taken. It's a thrill to you, it makes your adrenaline pump and your blood sing with joy. You are a great warrior, Mia, one meant for great things. Don't let one man rob you of your glorious future," those words, they would have sounded so wrong to a hero like Green Arrow, but not to someone like Mia. To her, those were just the words needed to ignite her spirit again.

It was true, she enjoyed fighting, and she found great joy in it. Saving lives and protecting the innocent had always been important to her, but that had always felt more like a duty to her. Standing in a fight all by herself, now that was where she truly felt alive. So, with newfound determination, she picked up her bow again, fires of rage burning in her masked eyes.

"I'll show him, I'll show him just what I'm made of. I'll show them all that Mia Dearden is not one to be trifled with," she spoke out loud before sprinting away, off to find more criminals to beat up.

"That was almost too easy," the voice spoke humorously, but Mia never heard those words, and so remained oblivious to the snake that she had allowed to whisper honeyed words in her ear.

"Now remember to take it easy with that leg of yours for a few days," the doctor kindly told the young boy lying in bed with a cast around his leg.

"Yes, Yao Fei," the young boy answered shyly with a lowered head. Yao Fei just smiled at him and ruffled his hair before walking out of the small house and out on the street, if such a term could be applied to the dirt road going through the village. People passing by gave the middle-aged Asian man respectful nods, which he returned. Walking around the village a bit, breathing in deeply the fresh mountain air of Tibet whilst stroking his beard, he could not help but sadly reflect on recent events.

Ever since becoming the Accomplished Perfect Physician, he had done his best to protect the people of Tibet from the Chinese army. But no matter how many times he beat them back, they always came back for more. It was a never-ending battle, one Yao Fei was growing weary of.

"But what else is there to do but keep on fighting? Because if I will not, then who will?" he asked himself out loud as his path led him out of the village and higher up on the mountain. He now stood on a rock high up above his adopted home, watching fondly as the people went on with their lives down below.

"Wise words, Yao Fei," an insidious voice suddenly spoke from behind him. The voice sent chills of revulsion down his spine as he spun around in a combat ready stance, to be met by a giant in armor. Dressed in robes and clutching an ornate staff, whose eye seemed to constantly glare at Yao Fei no matter where he went, this metal behemoth seemed to radiate a foul and corrupting aura, the likes of which Yao Fei had never felt before.

"What are you?" he asked with trepidation, fearing for the safety of his home. The unidentified being merely chuckled at him, completely at ease in the face of Yao Fei's obvious hostility. It could only be interpreted one way, he was not seeing Yao Fei as a threat.

"Relax, I'm not here for a fight. My name is Azkillon, and I'm here to bring you a proposition," Azkillon answered smoothly. Yao Fei never once lowered his guard. This being was dangerous, and should not be taken lightly.

"Then speak what you must and then begone," Yao Fei ordered harshly. Despite wearing an intimidating helmet, Yao Fei was certain beyond doubt that this Azkillon was smiling at him.

"I am currently trying to put together a team of gifted individuals, in order to help me with future endeavors, and I would like to offer you a place on this team," he revealed. Yao Fei's answer was instantaneous.

"Not interested," as he saw it, this man, if he even was a man, could not be trusted. And so he was determined not to make any deals whatsoever with this devil. But Azkillon was about to test that determination to its limits.

"Are you sure you will not reconsider? There are many benefits that come with the offer. Power, riches, knowledge, anything you could desire," Azkillon tempted, but Yao Fei was unmoved.

"You have nothing to offer me," he spat out in contempt. Azkillon was however unmoved as well, as he began to slowly circle Yao Fei. He suddenly had the feeling of being a wounded and dying animal, with a vulture circling him and waiting for the meal to come.

"I suspected you might say that, so I brought a gift for you, as a token of my goodwill," Azkillon said, the smallest traces of cruelty coloring his words.

"I want nothing from you," Yao Fei stated with finality, and received yet another chuckle from Azkillon.

"Oh, but you will like this one, I promise," he said with amusement as he once again came to a stop in front of Yao Fei. "What if I could show you… the future?" the moment those words had been spoken, Yao Fei felt something enter his mind. A dark presence that wormed itself into the deepest parts of his soul, showing images of horror the likes of which he had never seen before.

"No! No! Stop!" Yao Fei pleaded, not wishing to behold whatever nightmare this being was showing him. But his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Know the fate of humanity. See what will become of this world," Azkillon spoke before he backed off. Yao Fei desperately tried to close his eyes, to block out the images. He plugged his ears to stop the noises. Neither worked. Despite having his eyes closed and his ears plugged, he saw and heard everything with clarity. And what he saw made him want to scream in terror. He saw fire. Everywhere he looked, he saw fire.

The Earth cracked and splintered, ravaged by foul power not of this world. The oceans boiled away, cities were laid to rubble, forests withered and died. Vile daemons ran rampant across the Earth, slaughtering all before them and bathing in the blood of humanity that flowed like rivers over the land. Festering corpses, swollen with puss and bile, rose in their thousands to devour the living, clouds of fat flies flying over them. Glittering constructs that defied logic and reason rose from the ashes of old cities, ever changing in their shapes as they spewed out eldritch fire and lighting into the skies and mutated everything around them into grotesque shapes. Alluring temptresses dragged hapless humans into their carnal orgies, inflicting pain and pleasure to such extent that the two became one, and their victims screamed for more even as they were slowly tortured to death.

And above it all, above this uncontrollable Chaos engulfing Earth, there could be heard the laughter of thirsting gods.

At long last, the vision ended, and Yao Fei collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. His body trembled with fear as his eyes looked beyond the horizon. Even now, when the vision was over, he could still hear the screams. He could still see the horror, the destruction. So shaken was he by what he had seen, he did not notice Azkillon's presence until the aforementioned placed and hand on his shoulder.

"What-what was that?" he found himself asking hoarsely.

"The future of this world, or at least its future unless something is done," Azkillon explained gravelly. At last did Yao Fei tear his eyes away from the horizon to turn them towards Azkillon.

"And something can be done?" he asked hopefully. The horror he had witnessed, he could not allow it to come to pass, for it would be the end of humanity.

"Yes, and that is why I am gathering this team of mine, to stand against the evil that is swiftly approaching. And now that you know the truth, I ask you again; will you join me?" as he asked this, he held out a hand for Yao Fei to take. He stared long and hard at the offered hand, wondering what would be for the best. This man was undoubtedly evil himself, but maybe he was the lesser of two evils here.

"Will we save this Earth? Will we save humanity from the evil that I saw?" he asked. Azkillon looked down upon the man, gazed into his eyes.

"Yes," and lied without the least bit of trouble. And Yao Fei believed him as he grasped the offered hand.

Far away from Tibet, in Los Angeles, Krieg was standing vigilant over the city atop a skyscraper. His cold and unflinching eyes glared out from behind his gasmask, as if challenging anyone in this city to incur his wrath. But then, his eyes were drawn away from the city, towards the north. There, he saw dark clouds looming ever closer, and he could hear the telltale rumble of a thunderstorm.

"A storm is gathering, and it looks like a powerful one too," he spoke to himself. "Let's see if we can weather it," as he said those last words, he heard a police siren going off somewhere below him. With one last look at the approaching storm, Krieg leaped off the building and fired his grapple gun.

By the way, if you're wondering how Azkillon's voice sounds like, just imagine Sindri's from Dawn of War.