//------------------------------// // Entry 32: The Threat of Titannus! // Story: MLDC: Firestorm Crisis // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Miser looked upon his newest creation with glee, it was time to bring out the big guns. The Firestorm Protocols had been successfully installed, and filled the suit with unmatched power,  bringing it to life. The Titannus, the weapon that would grant the power to topple a god, or so he would sell it as. Currently, the old man was in the process of making himself ready, he had relied on miscreants and so-called “loyal” soldiers to eliminate the two rogue Firestorms long enough, if you want something done right, do it yourself. Miser had been fitted with a mesh suit that had blue circuitry lines on it, he sat on one of the scientists’ table, his right arm stretched towards the scientist that was approaching him. In the doctor’s right hand was a syringe, filled with some strange liquid and glowing small particles. The doctor took Miser’s right arm, inserting the needle in the port over the crook of his arm. The old man winced as he felt the needle pierce his skin and into the vein. The doctor carefully injected the substance into the old man, watching as the blue liquid emptied from the syringe. Miser could feel the substance enter his arm and work its way into his bloodstream. Was this possibly foolish? Yes, but no risk no reward. The door to the room slid open, revealing an all too familiar face. Dusk Shine walked inside, surveying the multitude of workers and casting a small smile towards Miser once he spotted the elderly man. “I see you’re getting your physical Director Miser, maybe I should come back later,” said Dusk in a joking manner. To his surprise, Miser did not chide him, in fact, he actually chuckled. “Enjoy your little jokes while you can, you won’t be getting another chance after today.” Dusk Shine arched his eyebrow curiously. “Forgive me, but is that meant to be a threat, Sir?” “Not at all my boy, just giving you a heads up, because I’ll no longer be the subject of such jokes.” The doctor removed the syringe and stood back. Every scientist in the room cautiously watched Miser, making Dusk Shine wonder what it was that was happening here. Suddenly, Miser’s eyes shot wide open as he released a loud cry that made everyone in the room take a step back. The old man jumped off of the table and began to writhe on the floor, kicking and flailing about like a madman. Dusk Shine found the greedy old man’s pain amusing, however, his humor evaporated upon witnessing what happened next. The wrinkles upon the old man’s face were rapidly fading, his skin regaining its former youthful luster. His hair, which was grayer than anything, was becoming a sleek blonde color. His boney frame started to generate lean muscles, filling the gaps in his mesh suit. The suit’s circuitry lines glowed in response to the changes, as if regulating the changes as they occurred. Soon Miser’s painful cries morphed into laughter. Slowly, but surely, the man rose, first on one knee, and then standing to his full height. No longer was Miser an old man, but a young, healthy, and fit young man. Dusk Shine’s mouth fell open just a tad at seeing this, as best he could put it, Miser had to be at least his age, maybe even a year younger. “It’s good being young again!” “How is this possible…?” Miser stretched his limbs and popped the kinks out of his neck and shoulders, he then took in a deep breath and opened his now piercing blue eyes. “To answer your question, Dusky, the miracle that is nanotechnology. That injection was filled with hundreds of thousands of nanobots, each designed to self-replicate and rejuvenate the human body on a cellular level, back to a point when I was in prime condition. The nanobots remain in my system, and will die out in 72 hours and then I’ll be back to my old decrepit self.” Dusk Shine relaxed a little, but was still on edge. “Hmm, for all it does, three days hardly seems worth it.” “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But I figured out a little secret to fixing that problem.” Miser turned his back on Dusk Shine and began walking towards the Titannus. “Watch closely Dusk, you might learn something.” Miser raised his left forearm up to chest level, he then pressed a few buttons on the terminal attached to the suit. Immediately the Titannus whirred to life, taking one giant step forward and kneeling before Miser. The giant mecha suit extended its right arm forward, while simultaneously opening its top half. Miser jumped onto the machine’s right arm and walked up to its shoulder. He then hopped into the cockpit, and Titannus rose to its full height, closing the hatch. “FIRESTORM!!!” The behemoth machine’s eyes glowed bright yellow, all four Firestorm Protocols glowed upon its chest, feeding the machine even more power. Titannus was engulfed in flames, making everybody run to the far end of the lab, but Dusk Shine stood his ground, using his own Firestorm powers to create a heat barrier, but even just maintaining that was an effort under the immense power the Titannus was emitting. A primal roar mixed in with the roar of the flames, and all that was visible through the fire were four glowing orbs and two white eyes. Soon the fires dispersed, snuffed out into nothingness. What stood before them was a different machine than what they had created. The armor was now a bright golden-yellow, shimmering in the lighting. The top of its head was now on fire, giving it a flaming fire tail. The machine’s back had six port holes that released jets of flames that mimicked spikes. The circuitry glowed red, showing the flow of energy throughout. The strange thing was, the seems that showed the connections in the joints and bolts had melted away, making the machine appear as an actual living giant. The metal giant raised its hands up, flexing them, rotating its arms, and lifting its legs to ensure it had mobility. “Now this is power!” “What…What have you done?!” Dusk Shine asked. The Titannus looked at Dusk Shine, and the young man swore it smirked at him. “I have become the ultimate being now, the nanobots in my body, along with the Titannus, and my Reg. Suit, harmonize the energies of the Firestorm Protocols, I have made this machine, and the nanobots within my body a part of me, I will no longer require food or sleep, I am a TITAN! I am, FIRESTORM TITANNUS!!! And thanks to the nanobots and Titannus, I can easily regulate the four Protocols within me now! My youth is eternal!” The Titannus, no, Firestorm Titannus, stomped over to Dusk Shine, leaning down and looking the young man dead in the eyes. “I would pray, Dusk Shine, because when I’m done smashing those two problematic girls, I’m coming for those trio of witches, and finally, it’ll be you.” Firestorm Titannus walked back to where it originally was, but up above it, a hatch opened, big enough to fit the massive being. Firestorm Titannus glowed with flaming power and crouched low. The mechanoid Firestorm jumped up and took off like a rocket through the opening in the ceiling. Dusk Shine’s face maintained its normally stoic expression, but his fists were balled up tight, with a slight violet glow about them. He was worried. WHITETAIL WOODS, DAWN Sunset sat up on the mattress, staring at Twilight’s sleeping form still wrapped in the blanket. She couldn’t believe what they did last night, but for Sunset, she had no regrets. It was true, she was in love with Twilight, and Twilight with her. It was cliché, sitting there in nothing but her underwear and a t-shirt she slipped on, like some cheesy teen romance movie. But so it was, and strangely enough, she was happy with it. “Hmm…Sunset…” Twilight whispered dreamily. The former Equestrian grinned happily, placing her hand atop Twilight’s head and gently stroking her deep violet hair. Twilight responded with a content hum and snuggled closer to the gentle touch unconsciously. Twilight had seen the worst of her, the plans she had to take over the world, two worlds, and all the bitterness she held towards her and her group of friends. But even then, she didn’t yield, just as Sunset comforted her through the sadness she held for the loss of her big brother, and the only other person she could consider a father figure besides her current adopted father. Sunset slowly removed her hand and quietly exited the hut, the air, despite the spring season, was surprisingly warm, she didn’t even bother wearing her boots or socks, the earth beneath her was soft, reminding her of her days when she was a pony. Like usual, Tree Hugger was sitting on the log near the fire pit, strumming her sitar and releasing quiet notes that melted into the air. Sunset actually walked over to the hippie and sat down next to her. Tree Hugger glanced at Sunset and smiled as she continued to strum her sitar. “I take it, you and Sister Twilight are…reconciled?” Sunset smirked at the hippie girl, knowing exactly what she was getting at. “If you mean did we do it last night? Yes. It was a night of firsts,” said Sunset in a rather proud manner. “Oh? From what you’ve said before, this wouldn’t seem like your ‘first’,” said Tree Hugger. “My first time with a human, and my first time with someone I really love.” Tree Hugger saw the corners of Sunset’s mouth curl into smile, she was genuinely happy for Sunset and Twilight, seeing through the crystal all the hardships and tough decisions they’ve made in their young lives, and the burden that they carry now, it made Tree Hugger cherish that she was able to at least give them a haven where they can search through their feelings and understand each other. “I see, very righteous Sister Sun.” “Yeah…” Sunset rubbed the back of her head, feeling a little ashamed, “Listen, sorry for all the grief and stuff I’ve given you since we’ve been here. You really weren’t obligated to help us, and yet you’ve let us stay in your little sanctuary and helped us learn to control our magic…so, sorry.” Tree Hugger slowly shook her head and clasped Sunset on her left shoulder as she smiled at her. “Peace, no need for apologies, and I liked helping you two, you’re both so cute together.” Sunset’s cheeks flushed, but she returned the smile. “It feels unfair, that Twilight and I can be together like this when you and Fluttershy can’t even…” “Chill, Shy-Shy and I will find a way, the flow of the universe is ever changing, and our fates may someday intertwine. For now, Shy-Shy needs to spread her wings and soar as far and as high as she can.” Sunset had to admit, she was liking this hippie, even if her “high on life” attitude did annoy the living  hell out of her from time to time. *Beep-Beep-Beep* *Beep-Beep-Beep* *Beep-Beep-Beep* “Sister Sun, am I hearing things again or do you hear a beeping sound?” Tree Hugger asked. “No I hear it too but that could – wait again?!” Suddenly Twilight came rushing out of the hut with panic in her eyes as she searched for Sunset. “SUNSET! We have an alert, a Firestorm just popped up and -!” “Um Twi, not that I mind, but you realize your blanket is falling off.” Twilight froze, now feeling the fabric that was wrapped around her finally plop down around her ankles, the purple girl quickly shot down into a squatting position, hugging her legs to her chest as she blushed bright red. “So cute.” Tree Hugger commented. EN ROUTE TO BALTIMARE Sunset and Twilight soared high above, appearing as twin blazing trails of yellow and pink fire streaking through the sky. A sonic boom erupted from both of them at the same time, their speed doubling and closing the distance to their destination. Their training in gaining control of their magic and Firestorm powers was even more effective than they had realized, if their increased flying speed was any indication. Twilight and Sunset hated to leave Tree Hugger and their training incomplete, but they needed to stop this new Firestorm before any innocent lives were taken. “Don’t worry, though you leave, your training continues. From here on out, the opening of your remaining chakras will be done in the world beyond this forest…” “What do you think she was talking about?” Twilight asked. “In her own cryptic way, I think it means: Time to leave the nest and figure the rest out on your own,” said Sunset. “But it’s fine, when it comes to magic, some things are better learned on your own, sorta getting your hands dirty type thing!” “Alright, I guess we can cut our impromptu vacation short, besides, I’ve no doubt that we have a mountain of homework waiting for us,” said Twilight. Sunset smacked her palm against her forehead. “Geez, and here I almost pushed that all the way to the back of my mind! Now I have that to look forward to after this!” Twilight giggled but then set her enhanced vision forward, focusing on the approaching skyline of Baltimare. “We’re almost there!” “Then let’s not keep ‘em waitin’!” Sunset and Twilight burst forth, making the world around them blur as they sped towards their opponent. The city of Baltimare finally came into view, both fire trails zooming into the confines of the metropolis. The twin Firestorms could sense their opponent now that they were in range and quickly redirected themselves towards it. As they flew, both girls watched as hundreds of Baltimare’s citizens were either fleeing or foolishly sticking around to catch cellphone videos of the impending brawl. The civilian people and vehicles eventually changed, showing vehicles belonging to law enforcement and some were military. It seemed as if they were taking this Firestorm threat more seriously in lieu of the recent confrontations both locally and around the world. Their flight was taking them to the center of the city, where the majority of police and military units were deployed, Twilight noticed a few news helicopters hovering just outside, what they presumed, was a safe distance. Soon they reached the center of the city, and both their eyes widened at the sight. A giant Firestorm stood before all, arms crossed in front of its chest as its dim white eyes were narrowed into slits, as if resting and waiting. Sunset and Twilight slowly floated towards the behemoth, with Sunset carefully eyeing the police and soldiers as their weapons suddenly pointed towards them. As much as she would’ve loved to chide them for it, considering both of them were the ones responsible for dealing with each of these rogue Firestorms, but she couldn’t fully blame them. They were scared, and rightly so. The giant Firestorm tilted its head up, the dim white eyes glowing brighter as if signifying its awakening. Twilight and Sunset maintained a good distance between themselves and the juggernaut before them. “Good of you two to finally show up, I’ve been waiting,” said the giant. “Well, sorry to keep you waiting,” said Sunset in sarcastic tone. “So, are you another lackey of the Organization? ‘Cause I’ll save you some grief and pain, the guys before you haven’t fared so well.” The giant Firestorm chuckled, its massive shoulders rising and falling from the action. “Humph, arrogance, fitting. You may call me Firestorm Titannus, but in the Organization, I am known as Miser.” Twilight’s eyes shot wide open. “Miser…y-you’re one of three chairmen of the Organization!” Firestorm Titannus glanced towards Twilight, arching its brow. “You know of my position in the Organization? The plot thickens around you both, regardless, I have come to make you both an offer.” Sunset crossed her arms and glared at Titannus. “And that is?” “Simple enough options. One: give up your Protocols and you’ll be pardoned of your transgressions against us. Two: become my subordinates and you might have a place in the new future of the world. Or three: you die here in this miserable city.” Sunset glanced to Twilight, the violet Firestorm narrowing her eyes and giving a subtle nod to her girlfriend. “WE CHOOSE NEITHER, ASSHOLE!” Sunset thrusted her right hand forward, releasing a powerful, column sized atomic fire ray at Titannus. The beam smashed into the behemoth, washing over him like a tsunami and obscuring his form from view. The police and soldiers backed away from the onslaught, no longer pointing their weapons at Titannus or Sunset and Twilight. The crimson Firestorm ceased her attack and her mouth gaped. Standing amongst the smoldering, molten concrete was Titannus, his body shined in the glow of the searing hot crater, arms still crossed. “You’ve got to be kidding me?!” “You get three strikes, that was one,” said Titannus. Suddenly, thunder rumbled through the sky, Sunset looked to her right and saw Twilight’s hands pointed up. Dark clouds began to swirl over the city, blotting out the sun and creating an ominous atmosphere. Lightning arced from one cloud to the other, crackling as their electrical energy charged up. The lightning gathered at the center of the storm cloud, changing from its bluish-white into an angry red once it reached the center. More and more arcs of lightning united with the cluster, growing bigger and brighter with each passing second. Twilight’s eyes flashed as she brought down her hands, causing the churning mass of electrical power to unleash its heavenly fury upon Titannus. The lightning was blood red, shooting off into different streaks of lightning before coming together into a massive column of crimson, crackling might upon the juggernaut Firestorm. Sunset used her magic to create a turquoise colored barrier behind them, protecting the soldiers and police from the discharges that shot off from the main attack. Titannus’ form completely vanished in the crimson lightning sprite, disintegrating what was left of the ground and structure around him. The electrical discharges would shoot off from the main column and towards the bystanders, but thanks to Sunset’s shield not one of them was hit. With a wave of her hand, Twilight ended the storm, dispersing the storm clouds and ending the lightning attack. Unfortunately, the result was the same. Firestorm Titannus was still standing, his body giving off sparks of the red lightning that hit him, but not a scratch was seen on him. “Strike two, one left, make it count.” “This smug son of a – alright no holding back!” Sunset declared. “We’ll make this quick, before he can harm anyone!” Twilight added. Both Firestorm girls erupted in their respective pink and yellow flame auras. Their Firestorm insignia’s glowed bright red as a halo of light appeared behind them. Sunset and Twilight shot off towards Titannus and in the blink of an eye vanished in a flash of rosy-violet and aquamarine. Titannus was confused at this, he was sure that they didn’t execute some sort of high-speed maneuver. Just then the behemoth Firestorm felt a double impact straight to his midsection, he looked down and watched as Sunset and Twilight drove their flaming fists into his stomach. The force generated by the twin blows created a powerful shockwave that roared out behind Titannus and demolished what was left the structure behind him. The twin Firestorms cried out as one as they lifted up the giant with great effort, surprising Titannus as his white eyes widened. A sphere of burning atomic energy formed at the point of contact, pushing him up a few inches. Twilight’s right hand had atomic rings spiraling around it, at the same time, Sunset’s left hand had spiraling atomic rings as well. The sphere of power exploded, blasting Titannus high into the air. Sunset and Twilight simultaneously thrusted their right and left hands in Titannus’ direction, their power manifested into the form of two giant hands made of rosy-violet energy and pink flames, and another made of aquamarine energy and golden flames. The right and left hands slammed over Titannus, capturing him in their dual grasp. Sunset and Twilight released a fierce battle cry as they clenched their fists, causing the two construct hands to crush Titannus and detonate magnificently above the city, causing an explosion that rang out through the entire city. The halos on their backs faded away, the glow of their insignias dimming at the same time. The two girls took in a deep breath, regaining their composure after the brief power up. They scanned the giant dust cloud that formed in the wake of the explosion, trying to see if there was any sign of Titannus, they were hoping the amount of power they used was enough to render him unconscious or at the very least immobilize him. He was a Firestorm, and since he was, Titannus’ Protocols could be extracted, so there was no need to kill him outright. However, their estimations of damage were off, enormously. A shockwave rushed out, blowing away the dust cloud and revealing Firestorm Titannus, a barrier bubble made of energy surrounding him. “I’ll admit, you might have had me there for a second. You’re little instant teleportation and blitz attack was inspired, but alas, that was your third strike…” Titannus balled up its fists, atomic rings spiraling around them both. “Time to take! You! OUT!” Titannus pointed his right hand downwards, suddenly, a violent tremor surged through the   pavement, causing the windows of nearby buildings to shatter and shower the innocent bystanders in sharp shards. Twilight and Sunset hovered off the ground to avoid the disorientation. The violet Firestorm summoned her transmutation powers, concentrating them on the glass that was falling on the people and changing its atomic structure into harmless confetti. Fissures started to open in the ground, swallowing tanks, armored assault vehicles, cop cars, as well as the soldiers and cops. Sunset tapped into her wellspring of mana, focusing her magic and releasing a kinetic wave throughout the area. The police and military personnel all began to float up off the ground, many looked confused and panicked, others breathed sighs of relief, not caring how, but glad to be off the shaking ground. Sunset grinned, her magic was back to its former strength, even stronger actually, seeing as how she was able to maintain her telekinetic hold on so many people at once. She looked to her right and watched as Twilight made quick work of safeguarding the citizens from the glass, making it look like there was a parade celebration rather than a disaster. Titannus noted the girls’ valiant efforts to protect the people, but now it was time to get serious. With his left hand, Titannus sent out a pulse of energy, which struck the still shaking ground. Twilight used her microscopic vision, giving her a glimpse as to what Titannus was up to. The molecules and atoms were shifting, changing, and becoming more viscous. They also started to take on a plasmatic glow about them, Twilight’s eyes went wide as she realized what Titannus was about to do. “GET THEM OUT OF HERE!!!” Twilight shouted. Sunset didn’t argue, focusing her next spell on the multitude of people in her telekinetic grip and teleporting them as far as she could to the outskirts of the city. At that moment, the ground below them transmuted into pure molten lava. The superheated liquid rose up like a tidal wave and splashed outwards. Titannus had set himself up at the center of the city on purpose, generating a tidal wave of lava from this position that would ensure it spread out and engulfed the city, hitting it at the most densely populated spot. The lava wave smashed and melted its way through the steel and concrete structures around, it weakening their foundations and causing the skyscrapers to wobble like a tower of dominos. One of the skyscrapers’ foundation melted and buckled under the intense heat and fell forward, crashing into another building and snapping in two. Both halves hit the lava pool, causing a splash that made the lava ripple out yet again. “We’ve got to stop the lava before it completely wipes Baltimare off the map!” Sunset shouted. “I think I can stop it, but I’ll need you to stop it from spreading out and stay still for a few seconds,” said Twilight. “Leave that to me, Sparky!” Sunset flew off, while Twilight prepared to act. The crimson Firestorm channeled her magical power into her right hand, the corners of her eyes flickering with aquamarine embers of magical power. Sunset dove down to the streets and slammed her right palm against the pavement. Fissures of aquamarine light surged through the asphalt and charged straight for the incoming lava wave. The fissures stopped and quickly shot out to the right and left, like lightning the aquamarine fissures streaked, angling themselves ever so slightly; the fissures met on the other side of the wave, connecting to form a large circle. Sunset sent a pulse through the channels of energy, causing the circular fissure to erupt. A wall made of shimmering aquamarine light rose from the circular fissure, piercing the ground below as well. The ten block wide wall domed itself underground, trapping the lava and cutting it off from the rest of the city, while the high walls prevented it from splashing onto anything else. Titannus watched the spectacle, curiously  studying how the two worked in tandem. He noted that the crimson Firestorm girl was more of an attacker, throwing her power around with seemingly wild, but calculated attacks. The violet Firestorm girl on the other hand… Twilight smiled, impressed by Sunset’s quick thinking, and a little enamored at that same time. But now it was her turn, she didn’t want to fall behind her girlfriend after all. Atomic rings formed over Twilight’s hands as she began waving them about as maestro would conduct an orchestra.   Water molecules gathered as the winds howled and swirled about her. The temperature began to drop dramatically, a few degrees every second. In front of her, a swirling mass of water with a bright blue glow at the center formed as she condensed more and more water and air into it. The sphere became tightly packed and condensed until it was the size of a pebble. With a flick of the rest, Twilight threw the single drop towards the center of the lava. After a few seconds, nothing happened, but within a minute, a great explosion of wintery cold shot up in a column, creating snow that cascaded down onto the city. Twilight smirked, watching as the lava quickly transformed into solid rock within nanoseconds. The cracking shifting of stone echoed in the quiet of the city, alerting all that the mini-volcano had ceased. Titannus hummed in contemplation. He could see why others have had problems with these two, the violet Firestorm seemed to have a better grasp of the Firestorm Protocols’ transmutation powers, using it with a skill that Miser would dare to call masterful. She was quick witted too, having created a densely packed form of liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the lava and cool it down to its core. One was swift and strong, and other was smart and keen of mind, both on their own would be a handful for anyone, but together, they were force to be reckoned with. The juggernaut Firestorm descended from the sky, hovering at a thousand feet as he glared at the two Firestorm girls. “You two have excellent teamwork, I’ll have to be very aware of my surroundings.” Twilight scoffed. “Glad you’re impressed, although, I’m surprised a member of the ruling chairmen of the Organization would actually stoop so low as to get his hands dirty.” “Yes, well, circumstances and certain incompetent parties have made it necessary for me to step down from my lofty ‘throne’. Now…” Titannus assumed a runner’s stance and with great force, took off for Sunset and Twilight, the street getting torn apart in the wake of his take off. Sunset and Twilight focused their magic into a combined defense, forming a barrier wall of pure atomic and magical power. Titannus cocked back its metallic fist and thrust it forward, slamming it into the shield. The result was an intense shockwave that shattered glass and caused the very ground beneath them to cave in on itself. If it weren’t for their flying capabilities they would’ve lost their footing, but thankfully they were able to hold their metaphorical ground as Titannus tried to bury his huge fist further into their shield. It was only now that Titannus was close to them was Twilight able to spot something weird about his form. Seeing four glowing atomic orbs integrated into his metal body. Twilight’s eyes widened at the impossibility that one being could handle four Firestorm Protocols at once. Titannus raised his left hand, gathering particles of atomic energy with each passing second. Atomic rings formed around his left hand as intense nuclear fire blazed to life. “BRACE YOURSELF!” Sunset shouted. Titannus thrusted his left hand forward, unleashing a roaring, column sized blast of atomic fire right at them. The force of the blast carried Sunset and Twilight down the street, their barrier keeping them as safe as possible and making it look as if they were traveling down a tunnel of fire. Within a few seconds the barrier bubble struck up against the side of a building, sending concrete and mortar flying in every direction. Sunset and Twilight released the barrier, gasping at the scorching trail of destruction left it the wake of Titannus’ attack. Titannus cancelled the flames still lingering around his left hand and prepared to attack them, but Sunset and Twilight weren’t going to give him that chance. Twilight’s hands were surrounded with atomic rings, focusing her energy on the gravitons around Titannus. She made a  motion with her hands as if dropping something, and in an instant, Titannus felt his entire body weigh five-thousand tons. The ground around him buckled, becoming a flattened surface due to the intense gravity field being thrust upon him. “C-Clever girl…! Manipulating the gravitons to increase my weight to bone shattering levels, were I a normal human I’d have been pulverized,” said Titannus. “A good thing you’re not then!” Sunset yelled. Titannus realized too late the voice had come from below him, the juggernaut looked down and saw Sunset, both her hands cupped behind her as a glowing sphere of atomic fury burned brightly. He glanced back up, swearing he saw the crimson Firestorm standing next to the violet one not a moment ago. It was a moot point once Sunset thrusted both her hands forward and fired a pure, atomic plasma beam at point blank range. The beam completely engulfed Titannus in red and yellow energy that continued onwards into the sky. After a few seconds, Sunset cancelled her attack to see what remained of their enemy, but was shocked to see the mechanoid still standing. Titannus’ eyes shined brightly as he channeled the atomic energy of his four Protocols, using their power overwrite Twilight’s gravity vice, shaking it off like it was nothing. The metal monstrosity raised both arms up for a double hammer fist, but at the last second, Sunset disappeared in a flash of aquamarine light, leaving Titannus to strike nothing but asphalt, sending a plume of dust into the air. The mecha Firestorm waved its hand through the dust, watching as Sunset reappeared next to Twilight. “Instantaneous movement? Teleportation? I see the Matrix is evolving.” “More like we got an upgrade!” Sunset summoned forth two blazing swords made of pure plasma energy, while Twilight formed a rapier sword, fashioned from hard-light and graviton particles. Twilight took the lead, disappearing in a flash of rosy-violet light. Titannus readied himself for an attack, an attack that could appear from any angle. But while waiting for Twilight to reappear, the juggernaut once again was distracted from Sunset’s teleportation, bringing her within striking range of the titan’s head. Sunset swung her left sword, bringing it down for a helm splitting strike. The brutish Firestorm sensed the attack at the last second, and blocked the attack with its right forearm, the auras of Titannus and Sunset clashed as the crimson Firestorm tried to cut through the arm to the her main target. But Titannus roared out, creating a buffeting force wave that threw Sunset back. As he reached out to grab her, Titannus suddenly found himself barraged with several strikes to his back in less than a second. Titannus swung its left arm in a sweeping motion behind him, which only ended up hitting air. When he came to a stop, a flash of rosy-violet light caught his attention, Titannus glanced to his right just in time to receive a high speed strike right to his side. The juggernaut glanced down long enough to see what hit him. It was Twilight, thrusting her rapier with such grace and precision that the flames of her being danced around her, making even her deadly attack seem beautiful. The hulking Firestorm was thrown down the street, bouncing like a stone skipping the water. Titannus dug its hands into the ground, tearing up the street as he came to a halt. Not wanting to be caught off-guard again, Titannus used his transmutation powers, converting the matter around him into viable weapons. On his left forearm he created a shield, and to his right hand he formed a double-edged battle ax. Sunset reappeared before the titan and assumed a combative stance with her dual swords. “I should warn you, I have studied medieval combat,” said Titannus. “Yeah, well I’ve studied under a hardass sword master, let’s see who's better trained!” Sunset barked. Titannus swung his mighty ax down in an overhead strike, Sunset used her two blades, forming a X and catching the blow at the blades’ crossing. Sunset grunted as the impact rang through her body, nearly making her knees buckle. Sunset persisted, growling ferociously as she pushed back on the huge battle ax, breaking their lock. Sunset came in swinging with her right sword, which was blocked by Titannus’ shield. Using the recoiling force of the blocked blow, Sunset spun around to deliver a slash with her left sword. With swift, savage grace, Sunset’s plasma sword cut into Titannus’ stomach region, causing the behemoth to growl in pain. Titannus roared out, generating a shockwave that pushed Sunset as away from him. The glowing wound on the giant metal monster miraculously began to seal itself shut, until all traces of damage were gone. With that settled, Titannus slashed his battle ax, releasing a crescent wave of atomic energy. Sunset had dug her twin blades into the asphalt to slow herself, which left her minimal time to dodge or block the incoming wave. Suddenly, Twilight flashed into existence before her. The violet Firestorm gave a sharp, but quick slash upward. In the wake of the slash were tiny orbs of fire, but once the crescent made contact, the fireballs ignited into a chain-explosion, combating the power of the atomic crescent. Twilight glanced behind her and winked to her lover, with Sunset shooting back with a cocky smirk. Just then, a giant metal hand thrust itself through the explosion and grabbed Twilight by the head. Sunset’s eyes went wide with horror as the giant hand retracted and pulled Twilight with it, the crimson Firestorm cried out with fury as she waved her hand and snuffed out the explosion flames. Sunset watched as Twilight struggled against the metal hand, but atomic rings were swirling about, somehow keeping Twilight from transmuting. “You both have only half of a whole Matrix, I have four whole Firestorm Protocols!” Titannus raised Twilight up and thrust her down into the ground. The street shattered as Twilight left a body sized hole in the earth, but Titannus wasn’t done there. The metal giant transmuted the molecules of the asphalt to turn to instant tar. The black ooze opened like a great maw and swallowed an unconscious Twilight. With a flick of the wrist, the tar hardened in an instant, and Twilight was buried alive. “BASTARD!!!” Sunset roared. The crimson Firestorm’s fiery mane roared out as she brought her two swords together, forming a giant claymore sword, lifting the giant weapon with ease as she brought it down like the  judging blade of Damocles. Titannus braced itself, using its shield to intercept the blow. A pressure wave blew through the area upon impact, throwing cars and parking meters into the sides of nearby building. Titannus dug its heels into the asphalt as it was pushed back by Sunset’s wrathful sword. The juggernaut prepared to counterattack, but was thwarted when a steel snake sprang out of the ground. The metal serpent hissed and wrapped itself around Titannus’ right arm, constricting it to the point of nearly severing it off. Miser couldn’t understand this, he had buried the girl in tar, she should’ve ingested at least a little in her unconscious state to render her dead when it solidified. At that moment, two more serpents sprouted from the ground, wrapping themselves around the metal monster’s legs, and sinking their sharp fangs into its metallic hide to anchor themselves. Titannus growled in frustration, now realizing why these two girls were such nuisances to their plans. Their tag-team style of fighting was truly well synchronized, as if they could tell what the other was doing without even needing to ask. “I must admit, I did underestimate you, Dusk Shine spoke so annoyingly highly of you two that I thought he was full of hot air! Now I see you two are truly a threat to the Organization,” spoke Titannus. “Believe me, we are!” Twilight phased through the street, appearing behind Titannus as her left and right hands glowed with atomic rings. “This power we have, we will use every ounce of it crush your ambitions and rid the world of your evil!” “Same goes for me! I may not have wanted to be in this world, but it’s the world I live in now! And the last thing I’ll see happen is have it thrown into chaos because of douchebags like you?!” Titannus closed its eyes. “I see…then I guess I should take this more seriously, and not hold back! Initiate Overdrive!” [OVERDRIVE ENGAGED] All four Firestorm Protocols shined brightly upon Titnnaus’ chest, a field of energy formed around him, making Sunset fallback and take a defensive stance, Twilight teleported to Sunset’s side, and brought up her hands in preparation to defend or counter. “Witness the true state of man, machine, and atomic power as one!” The battle-suit glowed and detached, showing a glowing man at the center. The four Protocols rearranged themselves into a diamond formation on the glowing man’s chest and released electrical energy that latched onto the metal parts. The armor shrunk and became sleek in design, melding onto the glowing man as circuitry connected to the four Protocols. Within a few seconds the field disappeared, revealing somethng new. The suit had transformed into a form of bio-tech armor, fueled by the Firestorm Protocols, and regulating the energy through every facet of his being. A metallic helm covered Miser’s head, revealing most of his mouth and both of his eyes. Flames continued to bellow from the six holes in his back, but they became more energy based than fire. “The Firestorm Protocols are truly a work of art and source of unimaginable power, however, they are still limited by the human body.” Miser touched down on the ground with the lightness of a feather, he then put his arms behind his back leisurely, as if not even regarding the two girls as a threat. “A single human can only hold within them one Protocol, because the strain of carrying more than one would literally tear apart the host at the atomic level. So the question became: how do you bypass the weakness of the human body, while maximizing its potential? Answer: You augment the human body.” Suddenly, Miser vanished, surprising both Sunset and Twilight. “Through the use of nanomachines, I have taken my old and decrepit body, and used them to restore my body to its peak physical condition, and instead of using my body to house the Protocols, I used the Titannus as my surrogate host, allowing me to access all the power of the Protocols and feed them into my body, allowing me to further modify the armor through its transmutational powers!” Sunset and Twilight turned around, seeing that Miser had somehow reappeared behind them. “How did –?!” Suddenly, Sunset’s face erupted with pain as Miser appeared in front of her and backhanded her in the face, sending the crimson Firestorm rocketing down the street and slamming into the side of a car. “The suit is a part of me, the Firestorm Protocols are a part of me, the perfect utilization of the power of the Protocols, without the wear and tear on the human body! I am basically a GOD!” Before Twilight could counter, Miser was right in front her, his hand hovering a few inches from her midsection. Atomic energy quickly gathered to the palm of his hand and ignited, engulfing Twilight in a blast of raging hellfire. But thankfully, Twilight teleported at the last second, barely escaping the blast. She called on her transmutation powers, along with her newly minted magical powers, channeling them into a sphere of swirling electron, graviton, and mana energy, figuring Miser wouldn’t able to counter the magic infused attack too easily. “You’re fast,” said Miser, now hovering over Twilight, his hand flat and ready to strike. “But I’m faster!” Miser slashed in a wide arch, but as soon as his hand made contact with Twilight, he passed through her, like hitting air. He then noticed that Twilight was a couple of feet ahead of him, he used his new powers to analyze the area around him, noting a distortion in the light particles and air molecules. Little bitch, she created an illusion by transmuting a perfect mirror image mirage! Twilight focused the condensed energy into a crackling sphere of energy at the tip of her index and ring fingers of her right hand. She pointed those two fingers at Miser and fired a linear beam with a spiraling aura around it. The beam cut through the  air with great speed, making Miser’s eyes widen. The beam struck the center of Miser’s chest, making the Organization leader grunt from the unusual energy lacing the attack. Before he could counter, Miser sensed a buildup of power behind him. Sunset had pried herself from the car, a blazing halo of light was behind her, and a sphere of white hot plasma and magical energy was cupped in both of her hands. With a loud battle cry, Sunset fired the sphere of power, the sheer force of it tearing up the street in its wake. The sphere crashed against Miser’s back, making the super powered being grunt loudly in pain from the twin attacks. Twilight focused more of her magic into the attack, at the same time, Sunset funneled in just as much magic, trying to break through Miser’s armor and cause him at least some damage. Miser held his ground, balling up his fists and gnashing his teeth as he braced against the dual attacks. His white eyes flashed as he two streaks of light escaped his body, solidifying into full bodied constructs of himself. The first construct blindsided Twilight with an elbow to her face, and the second construct delivered an ax kick to Sunset’s right shoulder, forcing her to one knee. Both their attacks had cancelled out, allowing the Organization leader glared at Sunset and appeared in front of the crimson Firestorm in but a moment. The light construct put her into a chokehold, keeping her subdued as the original stared her down. He glanced back behind him, watching his other construct subdue the violet Firestorm, noting that intense fury in the crimson’s eyes. “I see you care for your partner, a great deal I’m wagering?” Miser asked knowingly. “I swear to you, whatever you’re thinking about doing to her, I’m going to unleash it back on you one-hundred times worse!” Sunset threatened. Miser chuckled at her defiance. “I would love to see you do that. But you both still have the options I gave you earlier. I know money means nothing to both you, obviously, but power and life are very compelling reasons to side with the Organization. In all honesty, I am thinking about doing a major re-staffing, and we could use a couple of sharp minds and even sharper combat skills. What say you?” Sunset’s answer was elegant and very becoming of a young lady, she spat in Miser’s face. The armored Firestorm narrowed his eyes as he carefully wiped her spit off of his helm. “Very well, then watch as your comrade dies slowly for all to see.” Miser snapped his fingers and Sunset watched as Twilight was thrown into the side of a building, and dragged up its side by the construct. The being of light unleashed a flurry of punches that became a literal blur as Twilight was made to ascend the building. The construct quickly grabbed ahold of Twilight, tossing her in the air. Twilight generated a burst of energy that halted her ascent and quickly fired a barrage of lightning bolts. The construct dodged each of them, not losing any momentum in its blitz attack. The creation of light shot through the hail of electrical fury, only to grab Twilight by the throat and turn her own electrical attack against her, sending a painful surge of electricity through her body. The violet Firestorm went limp, and the construct  whipped her back to down to terra firma, sending a huge dust cloud shooting into the air. The construct of light reformed its right hand into a blade of light, poised to deliver the killing the blow. “Do it.” “NOOO!!!” The construct zoomed down with great speed, while Twilight was just barely getting back to her feet. The dust cloud was blown away in the wake of the approaching enemy as it thrust its blade are forward, the tip just inches from - “Hey, that’s no way to treat a lady.” Suddenly a flash of vermillion and blue flames flashed before Twilight and the construct. The construct was sent flying back, skidding to a halt as it eyed the one responsible for keeping it from its target. A Firestorm, his body colored a light azure, with glowing vermillion tribal markings, stood before Twilight. His hair was a deep navy, made of fire, bearing a cape made of the same vermillion flames. He wore no uniform like what a normal Firestorm would produce, but he did have on pants and cerulean metal boots. He gave the construct a cocksure smile, and then glanced behind him at Twilight. “Wow, you’re cuter than what I imagined,” he said. “Huh?” Suddenly, the construct sprinted forward and delivered a spinning kick to the unknown Firestorm’s neck. A resounding shockwave rang out, but much to the surprise of Twilight, and most likely the construct, the unknown Firestorm didn’t even flinch. In fact, he turned his head towards the construct, shooting it a pointed glare. The construct backed away, assuming a defensive stance. “Now you’re becoming annoying, buddy.” The Firestorm disappeared in a flash of vermillion and azure flames. The construct looked around, but could not find him, not until the Firestorm reappeared in front of it. “Disappear.” The Firestorm thrust its hand into the construct’s body, releasing pulse that surged through its body and broke it down into tiny particles of light. Twilight looked upon the Firestorm with astonishment, however, there was something about this Firestorm that was…familiar. “Now then, let’s get outta of this hole.” The Firestorm disappeared, and reappeared behind Twilight, picking her up princess style with a swiftness that caught Twilight completely off guard. “Hang on.” Before Twilight could say a word, both of them were now back on street level, with Miser and Sunset gawking at the new Firestorm who was carrying Twilight. The unknown savior set Twilight back on her feet and smiled confidently at her. “I…um…thank you?” “Ah, no problem, I like saving cute girls. Alright then…” The Firestorm’s gaze narrowed as he glanced towards Miser. “Time to put you in the grave, old man!”