Basically as you may or may not know I've just started running a Role-playing game using the Hero System. So here in story form using the characters in the game I present to you the first in the continuing story chapters. If the grammar's off slightly I do apologise and hope you enjoy it regardless.

* * * Chapter 1 - Kitty Bank * * *

The sun gleams high in the afternoon sky bearing down it's warming rays upon the glistening metropolis of Titan City. The air is filled with the normal humdrum noises of the life flowing through it's streets. People going about their usual business, on their way to work with a quick "how do you do?" or "good day" as they pass each other in the street. Things couldn't be more pleasant for the people of this fair city. From street level to the highest point of Titan Tower everything seems to be fine. There perched on the edge of the roof stands a man in a long trenchcoat. It flutters in the wind as the force of it flows against him. Effortlessly he holds his own against the force of nature as he looks down upon the city through the tinted blue glass of his goggles. Without warning the man steps off the edge and is immediately pulled down by the strong hands of gravity. The falling man presses his arm against his chest and activates a switch. Shortly afterward there is a snap and them a boom as the man ceases falling. Instead he hovers in place for a few mere seconds before rising upwards, behind him the air turns white as it is super-cooled. He barrel rolls and then sweeps down away from the building revealing to the observing people below for the first time a gleaming silver engine on his back. The crowd below cheers and applauds the man they now know to be the latest in a recent surge of superhero activity. This one in particular calls himself the Rocket Knight.

As the Rocket Knight soars off into the distance as he starts his patrol of the city, a masked man watches from a rooftop below. He spins his guns around his fingers and places them back into their holsters with the greatest of ease.
"Showoff!" he says snidely, to no one in particular.
Calmly he walks to the edge of the building and looks down. There in the alleyway he spots his motorcycle, just where he left it. In an instant he flips himself over the edge, sending himself falling quickly towards the pavement. He reaches out for the nearby fire escape and grabs it. His shoulder cracks loudly as he swings himself outward and slows his fall, landing perfectly right beside his bike. Standing up the man grabs his wounded arm and tugs on it, snapping the shoulder back into place. He never utters a sound as the ripple of pain from it pulses across his body.

With a flip through the air he throws himself onto his customised Harley Davidson WLA. Once in the saddle he kick starts the vehicle, sending a roar through the dusky alleyway air. "Hi, Ho Silverrrr away!!!" he yells as he rears the motorcycle up on it's rear smoke kicking out from it's rear wheel. As he slams the bike forward again the motorcycle bolts forward and down the street, narrowly avoiding an oncoming motorcar.



Meanwhile across town a young lady walks through the streets of her new home. Having just arrived in the country for the first time she finds herself the centre of attention as she walks in the midst of the intimidating metal towers. People stop, stare and comment about her as she travels amongst them trying to keep her gaze placed somewhere else.
"Just look at her!",
"We don't want her sort in this city",
"Titan isn't a place for someone like her", they snap.
Some don't think she can hear them, she can. Some don't care, she does. Still she presses on, her head hung in shame for something she cannot help. A stranger in a strange land far away from home without a friend to her name.

She ducks in to an alleyway out of sight but not unwatched. Steadily she sets about ascending a nearby fire escape to the roof of the building next to her. Down below her the humdrum and comments die down into whispers until soon she cannot hear them at all. The young girl removes her clothing, baring herself to the gentle breeze. Unzipping her bag she removes a red costume and quickly changes into it. Placing her civilian clothing into her carry bag and hiding it next to a nearby air duct cover. Placing a green mask over her eyes she finishes her look off with a glowing silver quarterstaff. Snapping round one hundred and eighty degrees, she breaks into a sprint towards the building edge. Holding the staff outward from her body she slams the end into the ground at the last moment and pushes her weight into it. With ease she pole vaults to the next building and continues on from one to the next. Up here she is free, up here no one can touch her. Li Sun is a bird in the afternoon sun, her wings are spread and she soars effortlessly on the wind.



Twenty past twelve the clock chimes, ticking and tocking it's way steadily through the day. Everyday enquiries and chatter fill the void as they approach the teller windows. Still the tick-tock of the clock on the wall droans on it's loud tones echoing through the room like a knife through hot butter. The people wait patiently for their turn at the window as they can feel their dedicated lunch hours seeping away from them. Just pop into the bank they thought, it'll only take a few moments. Yet here they are still waiting as it seems to them that quite a lot of people had the same idea they did. So they wait.
The silence turns to screams as a gunshot rings out all around them. As they turn around to face a long raven haired woman dressed in a pink lycra body stocking. Around the woman a group of bruitish looking men stand with six shooters aimed at the various gathered people. As the lady in charge remains calm a pair of ears like a cat's twitch amidst the curls of her hair. Her goons start waving their guns in peoples faces and barking orders like,
"Nobody move!"
"You security man don't try anything smart. Get on the floor!"
"You lady open the vault. Give us the money now and no one gets hurt". They soon discover the bank manager and proceed to drag him to the fore of the situation. Throwing him down on his knees in front of their female boss. She looks down at him and licks her lips, purring.
"Now Mister Bank Manager you are going to tell your staff to open the vault. Whilst we go have a talk in your office about the contents of a certain safety deposit box." she meows slightly as she hoists the man off of his knees and marchs him into his office whilst leaving her goons to deal with the rest of the civilians.

Nifty, Ridge. I like it. Just a couple of questions to clarify things first. I got tripped up a couple of times in the second paragraph. I think it might help if you added that the motorcycle dude (don't know his name yet) was on the top of a building because it took me a few read throughs to get that.

Secondly, if he landed perfectly beside his bike, why did he have to stand up and then run and flip onto his bike. I understand the desire for acrobatics but it didn't make any sense to me if he's landed right next to his bike.

Oh, last question; after the costumed woman finished putting on her mask, she spin 360 degrees. Is she really spinning in a full circle before running off? That just seems a little unusual unless that's how you mean to be writing her.

Other than those minor things, I really liked it. My favorite part was probably the first woman's introduction and the people's reaction to her. I thought that was very well written. I look foward to reading more of this.

Thanks Twinky, I've amended those points you mentioned hopefully that flows a little better now.

Ah, much better. Very nice.

* * * Chapter 2 - Watched from Above * * *

Around him there is only black, a black empty void that he has come to love for it's calming effect. Every day he comes up here since his awakening. Called to duty by a bolt from the blue and informed of his responsibilities. Down below on that glistening blue and green orb known as Earth he can sense his family. A loving wife, a young newborn son who he misses ever so much, and finally his brother Theodore. All of whom believe him to be dead, struck down in his prime by a bolt from the heavens. Upon impact it had rendered his body limp with life signs so small no modern day medicine could detect them. Yet only hours later he rose back up from the examiners slab and disappeared into the night. Leaving an absense to be filled and people to wonder just why anyone would steal a dead body.

So instead he was left to fly high above his planets atmosphere appreciating the calmness of space that he'd never been able to feel before. All whilst stretching out with his mind down into the world where he can watch his loved ones without them even being aware of his presence. His wife looks as gorgeous as she always had, for a split second he can see a smile across her face brought on by his baby, their baby. Hopefully in that she can find solice and remember her husband who had brought her so much joy over the years they had been together. All that was gone now and he knew he could never go back to them he had died that day. That day he had been relegated to an observer and that was all he would be able to do until maybe one day he could find a way to explain what happened to him.

His attention withdraws from his family as he feels the energy pulled back into himself. In the back of his mind the observer knows of the threat that awaits the human race, as if he had known it all along. He just knew what he knew to be the truth and that soon all would be revealed. But he also knew that he could not combat this threat alone. He would need allies to join him in the fight. First him would have to find them and Titan City was the perfect place to start. Channelling his thoughts once more the watcher reached out in the direction of that city and scoured it's depths for the heroes he would need.



The air whistled past his ears drowning out the urban noises below him. The Rocket Knight loved it up here soaring through the air with effortless ease as those he was made of tissue paper. His every movement controlled by the natural force all around him. He'd always hoped that he might be able to experience this one day and had even tried enlisting in the Air Force. Only to be refused countless times, if it wasn't for his chance meeting with an unknown man who died in his arms he would never have been able to experience this kind of liberation. That strange man who with his dying breath had handed him a strange twin cylinder instrument. After a few days working out what the item was he knew all his dreams of soaring amongst the birds had come true. The Rocket Knight had been born that day and there was no way he was ever going back to his civilian mediocre life.

His glide about town was cut short as a siren echoed out into the city. Immediately he stopped and listened hoping to trace the origin of the sound back to it's source and investigate. He looked out through his goggles as he hovered in mid-air the jets burning the air below him as they held him aloft. Moments later below in the streets, between the rooftops Rocket Knight caught a glimpse of red lights flashing atop a patrol of police squad cars as they screamed through the streets. Adjusting his controls on his jetpack he soon took off after them leaving a trail of smoke in his wake.



The door creaked and almost broke free of it's hinges as it swung outward furiously. The body of Andrew Hanlon, the bank manager forcing it open with himself as he flew backwards through it and slid down heavily into the carpet below. Even with the soft carpet beneath him he cried out slightly as he hit the floor. He grimmaced in agony at the almost simultaneous blows he had received but had no chance to recover. For soon the cat like woman was standing over him and lifting him to his feet.
"Now come along Mister Hanlon we have a vault to open!" she commanded with a menacing tone.
Her solid demeanour was broken as she haulted in her tracks. Snapping her arms up to cover her ears in a movement almost faster than the naked eye could view. Mere split seconds later the internal alarm system of the bank fired off a loud shrill ringing loud enough to shatter the skulls of those unlucky few nearby. One of her goons fought against the discomfort and made his way around the tellers counter to find himself face to face with a young woman. At gunpoint he forced her up, dragged her around to the front of the counter and threw her amongst the others. Before he quickly returned behind the counter to remedy the alarm situation. Seconds later he held his arm aloft for all to see holding a few torn wires, as thought he'd just won the Superbowl. The bell stopped ringing moments later it's wail drowning out to a faint murmur, a whisper and then it was gone.
The feline lady was the first to speak up;
"I told you to check everywhere" she yelled, only half hearing herself speak.
"But we did Hades' Cat...." one of the goons replied,
"Well obviously you didn't check hard enough." she snapped, "Now we're going to have company sooner than we thought, on their way here right now. So do your job and put the hostages in the managers office. This time make sure you get all of them." Hades' Cat regained her composure and grabbed mister Hanlon's arm once more. "Now where were we?"



Li Sun hears the alarm bell ring all around her, as she quickly completes her jump by dropping into a roll and bringing herself upright. Her movements are swift and fluid throughout. She slowly walks over to the edge of the rooftop and peers out over the city streets below. The young womans body glows with a green energy as she focuses on the sound of the ringing bells that is all around her. Her life force stretches out from her as she meditates, concentrating on the bells and nothing else. In mere moments she takes off leaping again towards the origin of this strange alarm. As she leaps she thinks to herself, pushing aside the predujice that people had shown her only a short while ago. They may not like because she is different but they are still innocents that need protecting. This is what she came to this country to do. To prove to herself that she was not like the rest of her village.
"Jade Tiger stands for justice!!" she reassures herself.

Nearby the green masked man looks up watching the red clad woman effortlessly leaping from rooftop to rooftop. He thinks to himself how she is just one of the costumes he's seen around the city in recent weeks. The newspapers call them that, even going so far as to attribute their presence to the disappearance of Captain Family Values. He himself would probably be classed as one of these so called costumes. Which sometimes makes him laugh because to him he's never known how to be anything else. Whilst his past maybe a complete jumble of memories to him, he does know that he was meant to do good things with his gifts.
With that thought in mind the unknown man kickstarts his motorcycle back up and takes off down the street. His tyres screeching and kicking up smoke from the asphalt below as they scream to life. Soon he is gone flying down the street at high velocity towards his calling.

A nice second chapter to this series, Ridge. A couple of spelling and grammar typos but nothing crippling. It was still a manageable and enjoyable read. I like how you're getting them all together and I look forward to their inevitable meeting.


BTW, if you'd like any help with editing, I help out editing fan fiction on another site and I'd be happy to help you. Just PM me whatever you'd like.

Thanks Twinky I do appreciate the feedback. This is certainly a lot of fun for me to write at the moment and I hope to continue with the write up for these games that are taking place.

Of course none of this kind of thing actually happens in the RPG I'm running but I'd be happy if it did. I'm always looking to expand the storytelling beyond a point where the heroes show up fight some bad guys and then go on to another place to do the same.