Character Creation Contest #3 Voting Page

The storage locker was quite spacious, large enough for one man and his few possessions. A chair, a couple of sidetables and a few wooden crates were all the pieces of furniture that filled the area. In the far left corner, sat a man, mirror in hand. He rocked back and forth, chanting strange sounds not belonging to any language earth had heard before. He held a crumpled piece of paper in his fist, curling and uncurling his fist. His eyes darted between the mirror and the floor beneath him, never once pausing from his recitation. He brought the hand with the paper in it from under his shawl, he uncurled his fist again, tears welling in his eyes. He dropped the mirror from the other hand, bringing it to stroke the piece of paper as glass flew across the floor. One of the pieces lodged itself in his left shin, he flinched momentarily before his attention returned to the paper.

Cr*p. Cat's urinated in the house. I'LL RETURN

I revved the gas to my custom built fighter street bike to get his attention. His eyes met mine. It was then that I knew he meant serious business. I had went too far this time and I knew it.

His peach colored skin cracked as he let out a loud scream before bursting into flames. His eyes imploded into yellow embers and his hair flickered into a calm inferno.

"Nightfire, long time no talk." I shouted as he slowly made his way towards me, both fists clenched. "...But I see you still have the hots for me." I nervously chuckled, trying to seem as fearless as possible.

"Where is she, Saber?!" He boldly screeched, gazing directly at me and then down to my motorcycle. He knows me all too well.

With a flick of a button, the handlebars to my bike quickly twirled towards him and shot out two small rockets which then crashed into his face with great force. Any normal person would have had their head blown clean off, but not Nightfire here. He is a fighter, this one, but that doesn't mean it didn't piss him off immensely.

"ROAAAAAAAR!" He screamed as the plumed smoke cleared. Without hesitation he sprinted towards me with great speed, glowing fists and fury in his eyes. I pressed down on the gas and released the break as I spun around, barely dodging his fire projectile attack in time. Nightfire is fast, but my bike is and will always be faster. I sped down the deserted alleyway and out into one of the many busy intersections of New York City. I was safe. Nightfire would never dare risk civilian casualties in a high risk chase with me. That was his weakness. He gave up too easy.

That was when I heard the sound of smoke whip from behind me. The smell of brimstone and ash quickly buried itself into my nostrils as a hot, wet liquid crashed into the back of my helmet. The force caused my bike to wobble uncontrollably which inevitably caused me to fall off of it before it plunged into the side of a building. I hit against the ground with great force before rolling uncontrollably for what felt like an eternity. My fun ended when I finally planted forcefully against a parked taxi cab, denting it's door and breaking three of it's four windows from the impact. I choked and coughed from the fumes before I unfastened the safety belt around by neck and threw the burning helmet away from me.

"Hmmph..." I sighed as I sat there with my broken arm and twisted leg.

"This is new." I laughed as his eyes met mine once more, trying to hide my fear but to no avail.

***

“Gott im Himmel!” Nightfire spat out a glob of pyroclastic blood onto the floor, it sizzled and hissed. He scowled at the armed woman standing a few feet from him as he wiped his mouth and got back to his feet, his three-fingered hands clenched with rage.

“You always were a stubborn brat” she said, her white teeth standing out against her red lips which stood out against her green skin. She coolly flipped her auburn hair.

“Where are they?” growled Nightfire.

“Kurt,” she scolded “Your little gang of idiots have their own problems, your focus should be here and now, on me”

BAMF! Nightfire exploded in a puff of fire and brimstone and teleported behind her, raining down a series of strikes. She parried and ducked them with great skill before she drew her pistol and fired point blank into his chest. BLAM! BAMF! BLAM! BAMF! BLAM! BAMF! BLAM! Nightfire teleported as quickly as she shot. BAMF! BLAM! BAMF! CLICK!

“You’re out of bullets bitch!” sneered Nightfire as he rocketed across the room, flames trailing behind him. She tossed the gun aside and as he approached, ducked and then uppercut him with a massive power-infused punch, slamming him up into the roof.

“Is that anyway to speak to your mother?”

Nightfire flew down with such speed and ferocity, crash tackling them both into the ground “What kind of mother dumps their child in a travelling freakshow?!? You gave up any maternal right years ago Raven”

“It’s Lazerfist boy!” she retorted as she headbutted him right on the bridge of the nose, breaking it with a loud crunch “I thought it would be a better place for you, but it seems you went and turned yourself from freak to monster when you hooked up with your Professor Charles Richards”

“X4 is my family Raven, more than you’ve ever been” Nightfire shot a burst of napalm from his hands which she rolled away from “Now, where are they?”

“You haven’t listened Kurt,” replied Raven as she unclipped a device from her belt “Your focus should be on me”

“Wie bitte?” Nightfire’s hands glowed, energy building inside them.

“It’s a bomb Kurt,” stated Lazerfist “Which will detonate the entire Baxmalkin Building if you don’t open Professor Richard’s vault for me”

Nightfire looked at his mother “The vault can’t be opened by individual X4 members, you dummkopf Kuh! You need a…” He stopped talking as Raven the Laserfist opened her hand to reveal three bloody balls on strings.

“Retina scans from the other three,” added Raven as she jingled the three eyeballs as one would a set of keys “Got that, just need yours. So do you want to do it the easy way or…” She drew a stiletto from her belt “Am I going to have to REALLY hurt you?”

“Ich hasse dich du alte Kackbratze!” swore Nightfire as he unleashed a furious burst of flames towards her.

***

I got there just in time to hear, “I tire of you, dog,” followed by the tortured shriek of metal being ripped away from the body of a howling, demon possessed soul.

“Nooooooo!” shouted the soul, as his helmet peeled away to reveal a flaming skull, where the face of Johnny Von Doom should be. Tempted by a devil, Johnathan Von Doom made a deal to be possessed by a demon, to free the soul of his mother, who now rules Latkanda as the Black Hellcat. When it turned out the demon’s visage replaced his own, Doom hid his skeletal face behind an iron mask, and the rest of his flaming form in like armor. A motorcycle, his only concession to humanity, was transformed into a flaming wheeled bike for the monster that would be known as the Doom Rider. The flaming skeleton attempted to hide his face behind bony, burning hands.

“Begone, demon, and never threaten my waters again.” Clenching his bone white fists, his sockets smoldering, Doom glared at the hovering man. “The motorcycle is next,” warned his attacker. Gunning the engine, Doom Rider roared away with a long howl. The destroyed armor clattered to the ground from above. He should have expected Magnamor, when he tried to sink an oil tanker in the harbor. The Atlantean Monarch of Magnetism would never allow that. And honestly, a burning, metal encased demon goes together with a magnetic man of the sea about as well as… well, fire and water.

“Magnamor!” I called. “You know he’s going to come back! Doom doesn’t quit.”

“Nightfire!” called the monarch, and Doom’s armor flew at me, closing around me like an iron maiden, but to no effect.

A bamf of air and brimstone, and I was on Magnamor’s back – my hands on his shoulders, my feet gripping his legs, and my tail wound around his bare torso, all burning hot. “Why don’t you dry up?”

“You dare?!” he exclaimed. His metallic cape coiled around my body, ripped me away, and hurled me to one side. I hadn’t gone far, before I teleported again.

Materializing above him, I hovered and threw a few fireballs just in front of him, to get his attention. “I don’t want to do this, Magnamor!” It was true, I didn’t. Magnamor lived for years as Namor Eisenhardt, where he was imprisoned and branded as a Jew. The manifestation of his magnetic powers, and the discovery of tiny wings on his ankles, stayed his execution, until he was deemed too dangerous. Nazis drugged him, tied a stone around his neck, and threw him in the ocean. Then their troubles began. His memory instantly returned, the Atlantean monarch joined the Allies, and he was frequently known to throw German u-boats and battleships onto dry land, through a combination of magnetism and prodigious strength. He was a hero in my book, but I couldn’t let him tear up a New York harbor.

Just then, I saw a sight straight out of a newsreel. “Then do this – catch!” The oil freighter lifted out of the water, and scraped against dock and tarmac, before plowing through a few mostly empty warehouses. “Doom Rider can come back, but he won’t be sinking that ship in my waters! If he wants war, he will find Latkanda lacking against Atlantis, a kingdom larger than any other on this planet!” He then magnetically ripped the tanks out of the ship, set them aside, and crumpled the rest into a ball about the size of a tractor trailer. Eyebrow raised, he added, “Attack me again at your peril, boy.”

***

The excoutiner is a demon for hell control by the widow to avenge her husband he is force to kill the human race and kill anyone race that get in the way.His weapon is the the soul axe

and the hand held crossbow first time he fought nightfire he was trying to kill a civilian then our of no where nightfire attack but once hit him he turn to black dust then reappear and slice

his chest. Badly wounded nigthfire turned to see the excoutiner disappear and the civilian dead and headless. nightfire soon heal himself and vow revenge.

***

Things used to be different, before. We were a poorly functioning team, but a great family. Back before everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Before Emma godd**ned Masters, the Puppet Queen. She had us all, dead to rights. But it wasn't enough. Never is for these psycho types. She wanted revenge, and she got it. Twisted the head of the clay model of Professor Fantastic. Then she laughed. That's what pushed Susan over the edge i think. Not the merciless act, that laugh. Susan Grey, aka Phoenix Storm, went psycho nuclear. Its a wonder we weren't all killed that day. When she unleashed that power it broke the Puppet Queens psychic hold on us. Also broke Susan's hold on herself and she became a holy-living-sh!t-storm of chaotic mayhem and destruction.

Maybe i went off the reservation myself, at least that's what Captain Iron told the judge at my trial. I want to say i didn't mean to kill Emma Masters, but i wasn't thinking about pulling my punches either. So when the psychic lock got broke, i teleported straight at her and brought down the fiery fists of justice, and fiery is not a metaphor here. The Colossal-Thing survived the whirlwind of death because he's practically indestructible anyway. I survived cause i got out of there.

One funeral, one trial, and 18 months of therapy later i'm finally free. But the world has moved on. Susan awoke from her coma and left for some tiny island in the pacific, where she wouldn't be a danger to anyone till she was sure her powers were under control again. Peotr Grimm, the Colossal-Thing joined the X-Avengers, believe that? So my life was me fighting small time villains and thugs and such, until today that is....

* * * *

"Nightfire, its been too long" Dr Magne-Doom says softly, pacing in front of the struggling hero.

"When i burn through these chains Doom, I'm gonna cook you in that tin suit of yours" Nightfire glares at Doom, fire literally in his eyes.

"Yes but i will have been dead for a hundred years by then. The vibranamantium metal alloy of your restraints is very heat resistant and nearly unbreakable. Now should we continue the cliche tough talk or would you like to know why i haven't killed you yet?" Dr Magne-doom asks calmly.

"I assumed Latveria finally ran you off with wooden pitch forks". Nightfire sneers, still struggling to free himself.

"Hm, cute. Under my benevolent rule Latveria has become a sorvereign nation with better weapons then "wooden pitch forks". I came to you because i need you and the rest of your former playmates to help me save the world" He pauses to let that sink in.

"I'm listening. Not believing, but listening"

"Latverian satellites picked up an unusual--"

"Latveria has satellites?" Nightfire interrupts.

Doom ignores him, "--Energy signal entering our atmosphere. It was hard to track, harder to capture the creature emitting the energy. But nothing is impossible for the Doom empire--"

"Creature?" Nightfire asks, before Doom can start about his own greatness.

"Yes. A silver angel-like alien. It told us something was coming. Susan's psychic storm attracted the unwanted attention of a being of immense power, that intends to enslave the strongest, and consume the rest. An entity called Apocalactus".

***

My nameis Johnny Wagner, the world know me as Night Fire. I am amember of X-4orce, a team of super mutants dedicated to fighting evil and predjudice. The man standing in front opf me is Doctor Von Stryfe, leader of the Brotherhood of Muntant Liberation. He hates my hguts. I once had relations with his dasughter and hes never forgaven me. Hes blabbbing on about how hes going to kill me and prove a point, just wish he'd shut up! I guess i'll just waiut til its my turn before I flame-port him up into space. It wont kill him, but in space noone can you here you rant. The End

***

I could see them, judging me, staring at me. Intruding into my eyes and watching my every move, the walls felt close, the ceiling felt low, the door felt distant.

I could see every being in the court. Frail old lady looking with scorn, the youthful lawyer standing at the back with a scarred eye. The officer glaring, making assumptions.

The judge – easily past 40, wearing a brown wide-brimmed hat that probably holds many tales covering his expressions, apart from his mouth, he held a smile that only men who had been through war held. A resourceful yet fatigued smile.

The judge spoke with a trivial tone, but not uninterested. “Nightfire? (Shuffles paper) please tell the court your part in the incident that occurred at... (Checks time) 19:34 this evening”

“I was leaving the X4 quarters, which are registered, when I heard a commotion down the road. I began to walk towards the noise. A little metallic orange box set in the middle of the road, causing a sound that I have never heard – slightly scary but intriguing at the same time.”

“I looked around, a crowd slowly started to form behind me due to the noise, urging me to investigate as I was still wearing my X4 outfit and my obvious appearance to be a superhuman due to my differences” --- The Judge bursts in:

“Please, talk about your part in the incident, not minor details about a crowd...” Remarked the judge hastily.

“As I was saying, without much opinion in the matter I began to pick up the device, it started to shake”

“The next minute an explosive noise emits out from it and I was on the floor. I looked at the device, it was intact, nothing had happened to it. I began to heat myself up and levitated away from the floor to see if anything was damaged around me – everybody was - him.”

“Him?” The judge asked quirkily.

“My nemesis, the person who had been troubling me since I got these blasted powers. He follows me, everywhere I go. He was my doctor, trainer, friend, and stranger. He has been trying to kill me. It is like he is destined to follow and destroy me wherever I go, whatever I do.” I said with frustration.

“So, I teleported away, leaving a streak of flames wherever I go, but to no avail, he somehow... somehow reverted me back to that spot, I tried AGAIN and AGAIN, weakening each time. I could hear Him screaming, no, the crowd were all screaming in pain, WHAT IS HE DOING TO THEM I thought!”

“I had no control over the matter; I lashed out, sending brutal flames towards them. He had never used civilians to get to me, he would not start now.”

“Yes” triumphantly the judge exclaimed, pushing his hat upwards showing his gleaming eyes.

“I killed (red tears began to swell in my eyes) I killed them all." “I saw him, I saw the man who did this to me, walking away, he slowly began to dematerialize in front of my eyes. He was gone.”

“So you killed them, you hold responsibility?” The judge lifted his hat and put it onto the wooden table in front of him. “See, this man is no superhero, he is an abomination.”

“No, I did not mean for this, I did not WANT this. I am sorry.” I cried with true remorse.

I looked up, looking at the judge, no, it was him, my enemy, my destroyer, my creator.

My Father.

***

Nightfire’s image paused on the massive computer screen, the edges crackling in freeze frame as the strange creature stood smirking, black flames building around his hands in toxic balls of scorching heat. A man-like shadowy figure sat behind a desk, watching the image as it stood still. With a dark black gloved hand, he pressed the button of a small remote. The image reverted back into the video format. He watched as Nightfire threw balls of black flames at his thuggish enemies, their screams as the flames ate away at their flesh. He continued to watch as Nightfire leapt high in the air, his face seemingly molding from human-like to more baboon-like with huge sabretooth fangs as he descended on a thug, tearing into the enemy’s jugular vein in a splash of crimson red and gore. The viewer simply smiled as he watched Nightfire throw back his head and shriek, his roar a hideous meld of steel and nails on a chalkboard.

“Nightfire’s been showing much improved potential in the years since his release. I do believe now though he needs to be tested a bit on his reliability. After all, nature selects those traits to advance. So let’s give him a reason to advance further. “

With a snap of his gloved fingers, a cage arose from the ground. Ice mist billowed from inside as deep red eyes shone back. The monster inside growled, but then started laughing deeply, the voice almost artificial when compared to a human. A hand, green and crimson in rot and botched experiments drew forward and grasped the metal bars of its cage, thick yellow nails filed into splintered claws easily bending the steel with a sickening squeal. The thick laugh continued as hot, putrid air floated from the caged shadows, smelling evil of death and rotten sinew. With slight gravel, the voice began to speak.

“You surprise me Doctor. A man of the sciences and arts as yourself should have known better than to stick me of all things in a flimsy steel toy chest-“

Suddenly the steel came alive in a shower of blue sparks and fire. The creature inside screamed as its hand was cooked to the bone, the flesh breaking off on the superheated metal and smoking like overdone bacon strips. The sparks also illuminated the shadows, revealing the creature as a huge ghoulish thing. Its face was stripped away of all flesh. Its jaws where hinged together with thick copper wires, it’s teeth where all made of steel and clamped together like an overhanging piranha mouth

It snarled, its steel teeth clinking in the sparking blue light, holding its hand away in pain. Metal wiring was visible between the charred flesh hanging from his limb. The man turned his attention to the creature, lifting his finger off the button on his remote that activated the electrical wiring in the cage.

“It’ll do you better never to speak to me without respect. It is I that gave you your existence and you best remember that in case I decide to give you more punishment that a little hot burn on the finger. Do you understand me?”

The beast nodded jerkily, its ghoulish skull face ghastly against the fading light.

The Doctor , turning to the screen, watched intently as Nightfire obliterated the last of his enemies with a fiery black breath attack that turned everything but himself around him into smoldering ash.

“Yes…you will do just fine Rotwork. Complete your objective and I’ll reward you handsomely. Fail….and, well, let’s just say I always need extra parts for my new children.”

***