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[The following story contains some potentially more adult content than some of my other stuff. Much blood and death ahead so if you’re of a younger age or just don’t like such things, maybe give this one a skip.]
For years now, the shadowy organisation known as Evolution Inc has been abducting people and performing experiments on them against their will, turning them into human-animal hybrids. The Web, Throwback and Deathstalker are just some of the known results of Evolution Inc’s genetic tinkering on their unwilling victims.
Hardly anything at all was known about Evolution Inc for the longest time. They guarded their secrets from all prying eyes and hid behind shell corporations and all manner of shady tactics. It was almost entirely by accident that the secrets behind Evolution slowly began unravelling.
During a seemingly unrelated investigation, the hero Airborne broke into a hidden lab full of Evolution Inc personnel. He was taken aback when he encountered fellow hero and former teammate Milo Ryder (a.k.a Hybrid) in the facility, seemingly working with the scientists.
A fight broke out and Hybrid escaped, setting the lab to self destruct in the process and killing those who didn’t evacuate in time. Airborne barely managed to escape with his life but was in critical condition for days.While many of the scientist Airborne encountered at the lab were later found dead or mysteriously vanished, apparently ruining any chance for them to be tied to either Evolution Inc or Hybrid, an investigation into Milo Ryder himself slowly began to reveal more of the so called heroes connection to Evolution Inc. At first it was suspected that Ryder was just working with Evolution Inc. Perhaps he was employed by the mad scientists as a base subject for their experiments. Ryder did, after all, possess the ability to shift into all manner of human-animal hybrids, which seemed to be what Evolution Inc wanted to do to others. Their sick “gift” to humanity. Further investigation into Ryder later revealed that he wasn’t just involved. He may actually be running Evolution Inc. Everything pointed to him trying to spread his ability to others with the eventual goal of turning everyone into hybrid creatures, with himself as some modern day Dr Moreau.
While the authorities and superheroes conducted their investigation, Ryder went deep into hiding. Unbeknownst to everyone though, while some of his former friends and allies were questioning his involvement with Evolution Inc, he was doing the same.
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Even he didn’t fully understand why he was doing the things he was doing. He didn’t really want to turn people into hybrids…did he? He used to love helping people but the things he had done for Evolution Inc were far from helping anyone. Experimenting on people against their will? Tossing their dead bodies aside when the genetic reshape didn’t hold? That wasn’t help–“You’re helping them.”
The words rang in his ears again “You’re helping everyone.” His assistant, Piper, had entered the room with some papers for him to sign. The young french woman had apparently seen him lost in thought and picked up on his self-doubt. The simple words of encouragement that Piper had given him seemed to lift the fog of confusion in his mind and he understood his mission again. He was helping everyone. He was going to make them better. He was going to make them more than human.
Milo Ryder was again firmly in control of Evolution Inc…Or so everyone thought. Questions still remained in his mind. Questions about Piper. Why did he only feel better when she was around? Why did he question things when she wasn’t? Why did it only take a word or two of encouragement from this young woman to set him back on course? There was something not right here.
It took months of leaving himself notes (Liar!) to find in places where Piper wouldn’t see them (She’s manipulating you!) to even begin to break free (You’re hurting people!) of whatever whammy that had been put on his mind but eventually (You need to remember!) Milo Ryder remembered everything. He remembered all of those people. He remembered their screams. He remembered the whispers in his ear and the atrocities they had made him commit. He remembered that he had just been a puppet and a fall guy. Piper was the real brains behind this abomination of an organisation.
Unfortunately for him, Piper was faster on the uptake than he was and she realised that her powers of persuasion were losing their effect on Ryder and she had been preparing.
Before Ryder had time to truly break free, he was sedated and bound in thick chains strong enough to hold even his hybrid forms. Piper planned to restrain him for as long as it took to indoctrinate him all over again.
She hadn’t counted on the level of his rage though.
As Piper, overconfident in her own abilities, began once again whispering in the ear of Milo Ryder, he was also being bombarded with memories of everything she had made him do and he was furious. Rage triggered a change in him no one had ever seen. He became a hulking, raging wolf-man driven entirely by his own anger. He broke free of his chains, killing two of his guards almost instantly and sending Piper fleeing from the cell in terror.
The rampaging beast that had once been Milo Ryder was now a wild animal. All muscle and teeth as it tore through the Evolution Inc complex, killing everyone in it’s path as it pursued Piper, intent on revenge. Piper locked herself and several scientist in the complex’s control room but even that wouldn’t stop the big bad wolf. He didn’t huff or puff. He simply battered the heavy metal doors with an incredible strength until they broke open.
Ryder barely remembers the next few moments beyond a hazy red blur of blood and screams as he slaughtered everyone in the room. He remembers slashing at Piper’s throat and he distinctly remembers the blood that spurted from her body as she screamed without sound.
And then…nothing.
Everything went black.
Ryder awoke, still in the facility but now back in human form. He was surrounded by what remained of the scientists, which wasn’t much, but he noted that Piper was nowhere to be seen. Had she somehow escaped? Ryder wasn’t sure but he knew that he was horrified by what he had done here. He once again set the base to self destruct and left, hoping that the ensuing fire and explosions would be the end of Evolution Inc.
Milo Ryder was finally free of Piper’s corruption but he couldn’t just go back to his old life. He had still committed all manner of crimes, whether he had been manipulated or not. He wouldn’t hand himself over to the authorities yet though. Not until he had dismantled everything that remained of Evolution Inc.
What Ryder failed to realise was that Evolution Inc was far from finished. Piper had survived…barely. She had scurried away in the confusion of Hybrid’s attack and managed to make it to a nearby safe house where she was soon whisked away to another location for medical treatment. Half an inch to the right and Ryder’s claws would surely have killed her. After she was stitched up and could string a few sentences together with a raspy voice and damaged throat, Piper was brought before her superiors to report in this unmitigated failure.
Hybrid believes Piper is the brains behind Evolution Inc but even she is being manipulated from behind the scenes. There is seemingly no end to the mysteries behind Evolution Inc.
Teenage hero in training and Vespa’s sidekick, Stinger.
Stinger has the potential to become a great hero and has received training from Vespa and Dragonfly and has been gifted a lot of tech from Static,, including his wing frame and his taser stings.
He has also formed a close friendship with fellow teen hero Salamander but he’s often upset by how much better Salamander seems to be at the whole hero thing. Stinger’s self-doubt is perhaps the one thing holding him back from being a potentially great hero.
Hypernova served as Gamma Ray’s most ruthless assassin during the Preserver invasion of Earth and took great delight in cowing the populace, making examples of many of them. Despite being the weakest of all the Preservers, Hypernova was still much stronger than any human and he was more than a little excited to show them. He was responsible for the deaths of a number of heroes including Mister E and Springboard.
After the invasion was repelled, the few Preservers that were left fled. Only two remained. Eclipse had seen the error of her ways (and the growing insanity of Gamma Ray) and switched sides in the final battle, helping the forces of Earth to win the fight. She had chosen to try to atone for her past sins by emulating Earths heroes and helping people.
Hypernova wanted no such atonement. While he too had noticed Gamma Ray’s growing insanity…he didn’t care. He thought nothing of killing humans and he truly believed in Gamma Ray’s plan to subjugate humanity and set themselves up as gods.
Of course after the invasion ended and Gamma Ray was defeated, things changed. His cohorts had fled back to the stars but Hypernova stayed. He actually liked it here. He liked being strong. He liked being feared. He liked french fries and ice cream and those terrible dramas on TV. Humans may have been disgusting and stupid but they knew how to live. His other option was to return to the stars and ascend to a higher plain of existence again. While that had seemed like a grand goal the first time, he now knew that floating through the cosmos as a disembodied consciousness for eons was soooooooo boring. At least here on Earth he could have some fun for a but.
Problem was, while he liked living, he may not stay that way for long if he kept killing off humans let, right and center. Those idiot do-gooders would never leave him alone. The worst of them all were those traitors, Comet and Eclipse. They would no doubt be coming after him regardless but at least if he didn’t kill anyone, they might go a little easier on him. As much as he hated to admit it, they were both stronger than him and he probably couldn’t take either of them in a fight.
Hypernova still has the potential to be a truly terrifying threat but he’s smart enough to try another way and for now just sticks to trying to steal as much money as he can to live comfortably.
If Gamma Ray and the other preservers ever come back though, Hypernova is more than willing to sign back up…if he thinks they can win this time.
Sophia O’Connor is the granddaughter of the original Freedom Eagle who fought the Nazi’s during the war and the daughter of former mayor Michael O’Connor who was praised for being largely responsible for pulling Freedom City out of a particularly dark period, rife with crime and corruption.
Sophia was always aware of the legacy her grandfather had left and the advanced wing-frame that her father kept locked away n a secret room with the rest of her grandfathers Freedom Eagle equipment. As a teenager, she had toyed with the idea of breaking into that room and using those wings to soar the skies. She liked the idea of being a hero and helping those in need. She always heard her fathers words in the back of her head though, warning her away from that life. It was a silly dream after all.
Sophia put her dreams of becoming a superhero like her grandfather aside but as she grew into an adult, she became a different kind of hero. She became a lawyer representing the poor and downtrodden, getting them the justice they deserve. She loved her job and barely ever thought about those wings anymore.
At least until the day her father was attacked by a madman and almost killed. Michael O’Connor Jnr was in critical condition in hospital for weeks as the investigation into his attack was conducted. Everyone knew who had ordered the attack. “Grinning” Giole Tocco. An angry old mob boss who had crossed paths with O’Connor back when he was mayor. The problem was, no one could actually prove his involvement.
Frustrated by the inability of official law enforcement to do anything, Sophia finally put on those wings that had been calling to her for her entire life and became the new Freedom Eagle.
She set out to destroy Tocco by bringing down what remained of his empire and was surprisingly successful until the mobster decided to put a hit out on the new hero as well. Rather than backing down in fear, Freedom Eagle upped her game and tried to attack Tocco directly. She may well have killed the old man if not for the intervention of the Scarab. The Scarab, in one of his previous lives, had known Sophia’s grandfather and knew that he wouldn’t want her to seek revenge using his name. That wasn’t what the Freedom Eagle stood for. That name and those wings represented something better. Justice. True Justice. Not vigilante brutality.
Sophia, though admittedly still conflicted, decided that he was right. This wasn’t the way. She had trusted in the rule of law and justice her entire life and she wouldn’t stop now. She would find another way to prove Tocco’s guilt.
Afterwards, Sophia had planned to hang up the wings and return to her normal life but the Scarab saw potential in her and suggested she join his newly formed team of legacy heroes that also included Invictus, Superstar, Knockout, Starborn and Arcane.
Sophia agreed…hesitantly. All of he other heroes in this group were in their teens and early twenties (Scarab’s current body included) and with Sophia in her mid thirties, she now finds herself in the unenviable position of being both the oldest person on the team and the rookie.
The pyromaniac Firebug first appeared several months ago, setting a series of blazes in abandoned warehouses. Unlike many other masked fire starters like Prometheus or Miss Fyre, Firebug seemingly has no intention of actually hurting anyone and seems to only be interested in watching things burn. Occasionally though, the fires he starts spread further than he intended and innocent bystanders do end up in danger. Several heroes have attempted to apprehend Firebug but he always seems to escape, thanks in no small part to his advanced tech.
That advanced tech has attracted the attention of the hero Static who sees a lot of similarities to his own tech and he has begun an investigation into Firebugs identity. Static doesn’t yet realize it but the fire started closer to home than he knows. Firebug is someone Static has helped train in the past. Firebug is the rookie hero Stinger!
Stinger is the protege of Vespa but Static has been instrumental in his training as well and provided much of his equipment which may explain why Firebug’s gear looks so familiar.
Vespa remains completely unaware of her sidekick’s other life but should she ever find out, she’s going to have to make a difficult decision about how to handle the matter. Does she hand him over to he authorities and hoe he gets the treatment he needs or does she protect him and hope she can change his behaviour before he hurts someone?
The original Jetscream was Michael Beltran, a maniac inventor who built a suit of power armour and a jet pack that emitted a distinctive high pitched “scream” when used.
Beltran was an angry and bitter man who was sick of being treated with disrespect by everyone around him and generally being unsuccessful in life despite his advanced intellect. Sure, he had a relatively lucrative job working for an R&D firm under contract to the United States military but all of his superiors were idiots who loved taking credit for his hard work. One day he just had enough of everyone’s crap and decided to quit, taking his latest inventions with him.
He quickly decided to use his inventions to rob as much money as he could get his hands on, thinking that he was owed it for everything he had been forced to put up with through his life.
Jetscream became something of a staple in the super villain world and spent almost 2 decades battling any costumed idiots who tried to stop him. He spent a number of years in prison on various occasions but he always seemed to find a way to escape.
Beltran’s luck eventually ran out one day after a battle with a still unknown hero. He had managed to escape he fight but was unaware that his jet pack had been damaged in the process and as he made his getaway he crashed through the skylight of an abandoned warehouse.
Well, mostly abandoned.
A homeless man by the name of Frank Myers had been living there and heard the crash, arriving to find Beltran mortally wounded and bleeding out on top of a stack of now broken pallets. Myers offered to go for help but Beltran stopped him, understanding that even if he survived, he would be heading back to prison afterwards and he was so very tired of those bars.
He was tired of everything to be honest.
Michael Beltran accepted his own death with an unexpected grace. Frank stayed with him for his last few moments as the old crook reminisced about his better days with a halfhearted smile. Michael was surprised when this stranger took his hand in his own to offer some comfort. He had spent most of his life thinking everyone else was a waste of time, only out for themselves, and here was this homeless man who seemed to genuinely care about him.
In his last moment, Michael gripped Frank’s hand tightly and pulled him close, whispering “Do better than me.”
He gave one last gentle smile and was gone before Frank could even ask what that meant.
Those words greatly effected Frank Myers.
He left soon after and sent an anonymous tip to the police about where to find Michael’s body. They arrived shortly after and found the dead villain but couldn’t find his armour or jet pack anywhere.
That’s because Frank had taken them.
He planned to use them to redeem the name of Jetscream in honour of Michael Beltram and his last wish that he do better. The pack was broken and while Frank had a relatively decent idea of how engines worked, this thing was something else entirely. That didn’t stop him though and he still used it to try to be a hero. He had no experience and had faulty equipment but he somehow managed to make it work and he did have some success. Unfortunately, everyone knew Jetscream as a villain and things didn’t exactly go smoothly. He was almost arrested on several occasions but managed to escape, only managing to make things worse for “resisting arrest”.
Over the months and weeks that followed, Frank began to gain a better understanding of how his equipment worked. Maintaining it wasn’t exactly easy as he was still homeless and had to scrounge together whatever parts he could find. He somehow managed to keep it in relatively decent working order although it was never perfect and always seemed to have one problem or another.
Eventually, people did start to get the message that this Jetscream was a good guy and the stigma of the name wore off. Frank even managed to secure a place to live, small as it was, thanks to a generous donation from a wealthy young woman he saved.
Most recently, Frank has managed to secure official backing of his heroics and received a grant to improve his equipment. Jetscream finally has some decent, working tech. He managed well enough with a broken jet pack and a gung-ho attitude but with this new gear Jetscream may well become one of the greatest heroes around.
Just a Lady Luck costume experiment because the last one was trash.
I can’t decide if it looks better with or without the cape.
I know what Edna Mode would say but what do you guys think?
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