Genesis: World Gone Mad

Rapture

Derek Pov

Honestly, this is one of the few times where I felt sorry for the bad guys. If I learned anything from last year, it was never to underestimate how crazy things can get. And the only way to stop it for sure is to cut it out before it starts. All Kate had to do was give me the directions, Gargoyle, to give the timely distraction and my own 2 feet to wrap things up in less than 5 minutes. Even by my standards, they were pretty weak, but then again, the wackos start to blend after a while. Soon enough, the 3 of us stood in the center of the store, reassuring the hostages that they didn't have anything to fear. I wish I could say the same for us, but that was a lie as faster than even I can react. A massive orb of black energy enveloped us all, distorting our environment into one of the strangest sights of my entire career.

The once bloated market filled with reassured civilians now got filled with a small squadron of white-cloaked figures, the same House of Helix bastards we took out barely even a week prior. Stranger still was our location, however, as the scene now shifted into something out of an old film noir. As the figures remained nonhostile, they soon gave way to reveal their leader: a relatively skinny man with glowing white eyes and who emitted a faint black aura against his silver visor. A wide smile started to appear on his face as in excitement; he declared his introduction.

"Greetings Champions, I'm glad you could make such a speedy attendance, for we have much to discuss."

With Kate and David too bewildered to speak, I interjected.

"And you thought that the best way to have such a discussion was to hold a market hostage and kidnap us into some bootleg Felix the Cat mirror world?"

"Eccentric times call for eccentric measures Wildfire, and you may call both me and this world of mine, the same name my master gave to me: Limbo."

"Okay, Limbo, and what do you want to talk about, exactly?"

"Why revolution, of course!"

And at that moment, I officially stopped listening as I could tell how it was going to go down. Instead, I thought of the best plan that could get us out of this mess, Scott free. I may have known nothing of limbo, but if this nutjob can really control it or even travel through it, the health benefits literally can't be any worse given the added muscle. It may also mean that it could get deactivated by either his use or continued consciousness. Either way, one thing was clear, a classic hit and run.

Using my speed, I gave my team the split-second signal as in a flash; I made a b line straight for Limbo! But I don't even know if the blow landed as once again, a familiar black wave started to make my fist warp and also bend until the distortion grew too much, accumulating in a potent shockwave! The 3 of us were all sent flying into the painfully gray background. Before we even had a chance to take it all in, though, Limbo got back up with his now unstable aura flaring, and his chest clenched, gathering just enough power for one last chilling statement.

"Fine, we'll do it the hard way."

He then flared up his powers even more, sending all of us across the endless world of Limbo. By the time I touch the ground, I already get to work, blitzing two more cloaked men to the floor. But it seems they were also fast and prepared as their powers already took effect. Almost simultaneously, my body felt heavier and fatigued amid a blue aura with a black target symbol stained onto my right arm. In a nearly reactionary rage, I was about to question the two members, but they had vanished as suddenly as I arrived. What took their place was something far worse as from the corner of my eye, I saw something that filled me with instinctive dread. Seconds later, I found myself running harder than I ever had before, trying in vain to escape a giant orb of pulsating energy!