Aberrant: In the Beginning - Titan Omega

[Titan Omega]

Santa Monica, California

Macrh 22, 1998,

6:15 PM PST

Adam collapsed onto his bed, using his feet to squeeze out of his sneakers without undoing the laces. A long sigh escaped his lungs.

Uck.

It had been a long day. A Monday in point of fact, and with two weeks yet before the Easter break, the days crawled. For starters he had slept through his alarm clock, missing the bus, and had to use his lunch money for a cab. Then, to suplement his lack-of-diet he ate a knuckle sandwhich, in spite of the Karate, excuse me, Jeet-Kun-Stupid-Do, lessons his mother had insisted he take after school. It was lunch time, the usual sucked. The only thing worse than being pushed around and humiliated by bigger kids at school was being pushed around and humiliated in front of the girl you had a horrible, blue-ball-busting crush on.

Uck.

Like he wasn't picked on enough in school. The instructor had yelled at him for wise-cracking in class and made him do extra push-ups. As if pounding the string cheese he called arms into beef jerky was going to make a spit-wad of difference.

Uck.

And...If all of that wasn't enough, as if the universe just could not help itself but to add insult to injury, that punk-ass Karl Brighton had spilled his crack-habit Mountain Dew all over Adam's current sketchbook. Adam sat up reluctantly and pulled the wrinkled damp cardboard edges from his backpack, opening it to the soiled drawing turned unwitting sponge.

Middle School sucks donkey dick, he thought to himself. Still the pencils came out pretty good, which was an understatment, like saying that Pamela Anderson was kinda cute, or calling Ted Kascinski mildly maladjusted. In point of fact, Adam was an artistic genius, even if that genius expressed itself in such nerdy obsessions as superheroes fighting subterranean lava monsters from the Hollow Earth. The thought made him smile. A huge behemoth of a beastie was emerging from the page, looking like the unholy union of a snapping turtle and an arachnid. As good as they were though, the pencils were only a shadow of how it would look, once he had redrawn the panel and breathed life into it with color. Color added eveything to a drawing. Gave it depth. The many spider-like eyes would gleam. Scales sketched only in vacant lines would become hard chitin plates and the magma spewing from the creature's mouth would take on a new glow as it melted the screaming pedestrian's unfortunate enough to be standing on Wilshire Boulevarde when the Deep unleashed its abyssal spawn.

This called for a Hero.

Flipping the page revealed the star of Adam's comic-to-be. The Titan. Towering above mortal men, all rippling muscle and perfection. Speed, strength, and of course, good looks to put Adonis to shame. In short, everything that Adam wasn't and would only ever be in his dreams and on the page.

Uck.

Sighing again in spite of himself, Adam slapped his ruined work on his desk and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Hi Honey,

I'll be gone again until Thursday. Left some casserole in the fridge, hotel number is below. Don't slack on your homework. Love you,

Mom.

Another business trip. Third time this month, the price of her new job. "It's only temporary honey."

Shyeah, right. At least he could slack on his homework.

Adam tossed the casserole into the microwave and turned on Cartoon Network. New show on, The Powerpuff Girls. Sugar, Spice and a dose of Chemical X.

Wicked.

[Titan]

He made it through most of adult swim, but by the time Cowboy Bebop was over, Adam was asleep. What little homework he had done was under the pile of sketches he had made during the evening of TV. Bubbles fighting Mojo Jojo was on top of the thick stack. A fully finished piece still lay in his lap.

It was of a brutally muscled man choking three necks of a seven headed hydra with one hand, while bashing two of the remaining heads with the other hand. The attention to detail was perfect. Todd McFarlane would have creamed his jockeys to see it.

Half of the casserole was on the coffee table. On the television, a samurai with kitten ears was explaining to a midget that he did not, in fact, have to save the world today, and wasn't feeling like it in any case. The midget didn't seem to take that very well.

On the couch, Adam snored lightly. The extra time in gym worked in combination with the fight during lunch to exhaust the reserves of his young body.

Briefly, a bright white light shone in through the east windows, bathing Adam and the rest of the house in illumination brighter than daylight. As it passed over the house, it dimmed slightly, then shone back through the west windows for some seconds before fading away.

Adam snorted, rolled onto his side, and slept on.

[Titan Omega]

Santa Monica, California

Macrh 23, 1998,

12:00 PM PST

Today had been a much better day.

At precisely 7 o'clock AM Adams eyes had popped open. This was unusual not only because of the distinct lack of any sound even remotely resembling an alarm clock, but because of the unusual level of alertness with which his usually lead-weighted eyelids slid seamlessly open into the present. Adam, who had always loved his dreams, would normally struggle and fight the return to consciouness, struggle to hold on to the gossamer thread of visions brought on by the rapidly fading Mists of Morpheus (Did I mention Adam's literacy was weaned on classic mythology?).

Invariably his efforts would only bring him to a murky fugue hiding shattered fragments, reflecting like a broken mirror his former lives, lived in other worlds. Even then, it was only a matter of moments before the snarling beast of the snooze function would come roaring at him again and he would have to fend the ferocious beast off.

He usually fought the beast 3...okay 4 times. Sometimes 5 on a particularly difficult morning. In the end though it always won. Sooner or later it would pounce on him tearing him back into the present and the prospect of another day in purgatory.

But not today.

Today, Adam Capello opened his eyes with gusto, his first deepened breath bringing him a physical pleasure, like a tingling in his toes. He had so much energy in fact, that he barely even noticed how odd it was for him to be up and at it so quickly. He didn't even turn on the televison while he ate his breakfast of cereal and buttered toast. Everything was far too crisp and clear and he wondered just what was going on.

Things got weirder on the bus. Everyone was talking about a fantastic comet that blazed the heavens and that it had been on the news all night. The new space station Galatea had dropped from the sky in a ball of flame.

Goddamnit slept through everything.

At school it seemed like everyone was talking about it, creating a sense of buzz throughout the school. What happened up there? How many astronauts were aboard? Was it an attack? We're at Defcon 3? Really? Have they found any debris? And on and on, with many students going on about how "awesome!" the fireball was. Lit up the whole sky! Blinded me! Like a blue comet. Could see it from half the world! Goddamnit slept through everything... The teachers were mostly tolerant of it, being equally concerned but they still made a point to bring their classes to order and get through the days subject material.

The morning periods passed quickly, the buzz of the school adding to Adam's own euphoria. Then all of a sudden it was lunch break and Adam felt the return of a familiar anxiety. You see for Adam, lunchtime had always been a special time of day. It was at lunchtime that he got to enjoy the tender administrations of those more fragile ego's possesed of bigger bodies and animated with mean spirits. It was also the time when he got to be the same room with her.

And so it was with a dry swallow, Adam entered the Santa Monica Middle School Main Cafeteria. Thankfully that bully Karl was nowhere in sight. Adam made his way through the food line quickly, saying hi to his few friends before finding a place to eat by himself. The she walked in.

Kristy.

Adam blanched, his heart jumping and swallowing a wave of nausea caused by a sudden lack of oxygen. Of course this was nothing unusual and the primary reason why he had never in the last year been able to summon the nerve to so much as say hi to her. He loved her, as only a middle schooler can idealize love. He knew he did, and no other girl could be as perfect, as angelic in his eyes. In his own mind he had put her on a pedestal, a Heavenly Demeter of Beauty and Purity that he could never, in the secret shame of his body, allow himself to touch. After all, he could see the way she smiled at the other boys. The more athletic, outgoing friendly ones. They were the heroes of the school, the ones everyone cheered for at the games. That's what girls want, Adam thought to himself. Not scrawny little comic book geeks.

But now remember that unusual feeling I had mentioned earlier? Well right about now it came back. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the good night sleep, or mom's awesome casserole, but Adam had been feeling like a million bucks all day. That feeling allowed him to regain his composure quickly enough to hazard a second glance at Kristy, and when he did he noticed something else about her.

Of course, she had always been beautiful, in that dimpled, freckled, athletic way, but today Adam looked at her and subtle, ancient gears clicked into place, the genetic transmission passed down for Eons catching on the whirring cogs of hormones like a turbocharger injecting air into a fuel line. Today her skin seemed even more soft, flush with the exertion of her P.E. period. Adam noticed the swelling curves of her body and it stirred in him, for the very first time, a different sort of repsonse. And those ancient gears that turn always, the smallest of chemical nudges, that can yet move mountains in its relentless quest to survive and multiply, told him with certainty that he could no longer live in the fear of his own desire.

But... how was he going to approach her? What would we say? A plan came to mind and Adam brought forth a piece of charcoal. He worked quickly, for there wasn't much time.

...

Adam glanced down at his watch. 12:27. The bell would soon signal the dispersal and he would miss his chance. He didn't know if this feeling would last and he intended to ride the wave wherever it would lead. It was now or never. Paper in hand he stood up slowly and began walking over to the table where Kristy and her friends were sitting, laughing and talking in their clique in that initimidating way. The only thing more terrifying than talking to girls was trying to talk to a group of girls. And there they were, all 5 of them.

As he came closer and it became obvious that he was heading their way, she looked up noticing him.

And she smiled.

Adam's courage peaked, and he couldn't help but beam back! There really was something different about him today, and he felt like he was practically aglow with vitality. Then Adam's ankles stopped moving...

Abruptly, in mid stride, and forgetting that his upper body was already commited to it's forward inertia. An object in motion tends to stay in motion and and object at rest tends to stay at rest, which is why his ankles stayed resting and the rest of his body stayed in motion. Unfortunately his ankles being attached, they proceeded to redirect his forward motion, and gravity, ever eager to help, lent it's own velocity to the arc and so it was that Adam tripped on Karl Brighton's outstretched foot, banging his head against her table with a painful thud.

Damn you Sir Isaac Newton.

Laughter exploded around him as he crumpled on the floor. Karl and his crew snickered

and only Kristy stood up in shock. "Ohmygod, are you alright???", she asked kneeling over him, her hand automatically touching him on the shoulder in concern.

But Adam couldn't hear her.

It was too much. Everything. The pain in his head was so sudden and shocking and violently intense that it overwhelmed him. The laughter. The touch of her, her smell and proximity mixing with the pain to create a heaving vertigo in his head ans stomach It was all simply too much and Adam lost his freshly eaten lunch all over the floor.

Barely able to see straight, Adam fled, running as fast as he could to the bathroom before he heaved again. Every head in the room tracked his exodus, feeding on the drama. Every head but one. Kristy looked down to see the paper he dropped onto her table when he took his spill. Turning the page over she gasped. It was her, brought to life from the black of burnt carbon. It was the most beautiful gift anyone had ever given her.

[Titan]

Adam rinsed out his mouth and spit. He looked at himself in the mirror with disgust. Vomiting had not made him feel better.

Can't even throw up right.

He rinsed his mouth again, and watched the water swirl down the drain. The darkness in the drain seemed inviting. If only he could swirl down with the water. Live in the sewers. No, not live.

If I was the Titan, I'd be fighting lava monsters in the sewers right now.

He gagged. Spit into the sink. Gagged again. He sagged against the sink.

No way am I passing out in the bathroom.

Using the force of will that only a teenaged boy can muster, he straightened up and wiped his face. Despite his stomach, the feeling that everything was about to rush up out of him, and dispite his sudden migraine, he walked slowly back to the cafeteria.

He was almost immune from the snickers, stares, and outright laughter from the other students. He didn't think he could feel worse than he did right now. Then he saw Kristy looking at his sketch of her. His heart sank.

She looked up at him. She blinked. She looked into his face, at his hands, down at his shoes, back to his face, as if she was trying to memorize him.

"Who drew this?" She demanded.

He should have gone down the drain. The pressure in his head made him wince. He was pretty sure he was going to vomit again, too. She pinned him with her stare.

He opened his mouth to reply. Suddenly, the pain in his head popped, like a swollen bubble.

The floor to the cafeteria burst upward. Most of the students were on their way out of the lunchroom, but a few flew to one side as the tile shot to the ceiling. A gaping hole remained.

A few students took a hesitant step towards the hole. This was a generation that feared little.

A reptilian head shot through the hole. And another. And a third. Students fell over one another to back away. A girl screamed.

Adam shook his head. It was Kristi. The first head had caught her gaze. The other two turned quickly, and moved close to her. She screamed again, backing away.

The pain returned, with a vengeance. Adam's head felt like a rotten melon. He stepped wildly forward, to the girl of his dreams.

His vision grew blue at the edges, then violet. He was light-headed, and felt himself crumpling toward the floor. His vision went completely, and he knew no more.

[Titan Omega]

Dimly and slowly, Adam became aware of his own body as his mind returned from the fantasia of his dreams. That awkward realizarion that he was asleep, remembering the eyes between crusted closed lids, the thick sticky dryness of his mouth, a complaint of hunger from inside his bowels.

I was dreaming, he realized. But they had been the most magnificent dreams he could recall in recent memory, and unlike many people Adam always remembered his dreams. The Titan soared through his mind, fighting off nether creatures, stopping disasters and helping people great and small. The feeling of flight, unbridled power and speed was exhilerating and Adam loathed to awaken in his warm bed. Just like every morning,he resisted the urge to open his eyes, but the pain in his stomach kept kicking him and he gave in.

At first he didn't quite register what felt so strange. Then he realized with a panic that he was staring up into a blue sky rather than his bedroom ceiling, motes of pink swirling through the air. His arms and legs felt not the soft inviting folds of his covers but the prickly itching of bladed grass.

What?!

The disorientation was nauseating and he bolted upright with the sudden shock of it. He heard giggling to his left, and from the way the sound carried he could tell it was directed at him. Three Japanese schoolgirls sat on a bench, whispering at each other animatedly in Japanese and peeking shyly in his direction. Their delight in his awakening probably stemmed from the fact that he was nearly buried in the falling cherry blossoms along with almost all of the rest of the grassy park he found himself unexpectedly in.

It was then that Adam realized that everyone around him was Japanese. Kyoto castle sat regally nearby.

What?!?

Adam's mind reeled and a wave of dizzyness almost threatened to black him out again but he fought it off with his rational mind.

I must still be dreaming, he thought. Looking over at the trio of girls barely containing their curiosity over the gaijin boy sleeping in the flowers he connected the dots. This dream isn't so bad actualy, though he did look down wistfully at his once again scrawny and oh so human arms.

Blushing slightly in spite of himself he smiled back at the girls.

"Ohiyo!"

,,

Good thing I watch anime...

[Titan]

The girls giggled again. They put their heads together and whispered excitedly. Finally, one of them stood and took a few steps towards Adam.

"Yu. Ara. Ayingerriss?" She said, then shook her head, and laughed. Her friends giggled behind her.

She tried again.

You. Are. Engrr-ish?"

She continued.

"You. Gno-ing. Thai Tan?...ah, knowing ThaiTan?" She seemed serious.

[Titan Omega]

Adam blinks in confusion, thinking at first she is speaking in dream gibberish. Then she clarifies and he is able to decipher through her mangled english.

Not that my Japanese is any better.

"Uh..uhmerican." he responds tentatively.

Now she was asking him if he knew Thai. That threw him for a moment.

Wait...Thai-Tan. Titan?

A quick pulse of fear, a nagging uncertainty.

"Titan? Knowing Titan? I don't understand..."

[Titan]

The girl motioned him over to the bench, where she and her friends were sitting. One of them had open a laptop, he saw. On the screen...

Titan Omega. His Titan. Streaming media showed him fly down to where the cameraman stood, and assure the people in flawless Japanese that he would send the monster back into the sea. He turned, and flew back out over the water. The camera zoomed out, and Adam saw the beast.

Godzilla. Godzilla? A huge lizard, anyway, was screaming fury at the sky. As Adam watched, Titan Omega launched himself to attack. Hard as it was to tear his eyes away from his comics brought to life, he looked at the girl again when she tugged his sleeve.

"American TV. Carring him ThaiTan. ahem, so sorry, excusa me. Calling him Titan! He is...very much knowings there. Famous? Very famous here too. Gojiira fell to him last night. You are...knowing him?"

[Titan Omega]

Adam stammers at a complete loss for words, the surreal vertigo and disorientation dropping the bottom out of his stomach.

No way. This has to be a dream. But then why don't I feel like I'm in complete control. This...this can't be happening. How did I get here?

One of the girls was tugging at him. He forced himself to look at her and she asked again if he knew.

"Uh...no, I...I've been passed out on the grass over there." he says, using his hands to pantomime as if laying his head down.

"Is that...is that real footage? That's not...you know, a movie or something? Uh...Hollywood?"

[Titan]

"Akiko! Kumiko! Sakura! 子で起きてください！その少年から離れてください！" An old woman called from a distant doorway. Adam didn't catch the last bit. The girls whirled at the voice, then gathered their things, and giggling, retreated. Adam was alone in the park.

He looked around again. He was really in Japan. Apparantly his comic creation, 'Titan Omega', was famous. In America and in Japan, where T.O. fought with Gojira last night. His mind reeled. He was still trying to come to grips with this, when:

Sound waves, thin from their voyage, almost as faint as the hum of the universe, bounced feebly off of Adam's eardrum. His conscious mind didn't hear it, even his subconscious mind would normally have been unaware of it. Somewhere, though, in Adam's hippocampus, resounded... "...TITAN!"

Consciously, Adam was aware that his palms were sweating, suddenly. He looked at them, and suddenly he was afraid. Something was happening.

[Titan Omega]

Pain like a hot dagger impaled Adam's head nearly causing him to black out again as his vision swam red. He did not however pass out and was rewarded with a second pain, this time kicking him full force in his guts. The pain was so intense that he lost the ability to even speak or cry out for a moment and could only whimper as he fell to his knees on the blossom covered lawn.

Gasping for air, he dry heaved once, then twice, before a stream of viscous blue-green slime poured from his mouth. Adam could do nothing but retch and watch in horror as the stream kept coming, a torrent of oozing vomit pooling around him on the ground. The slime kept pouring and pouring like it would never end and soon it was oozing from his eyeballs and ears as well.

As if this were all not nightmare enough, the thick mucous began to animate itself, flowing upward and encasing his body with it's asphyixiating resin,and slowly Adam could feel it disolving his skin, his eyes.

It was digesting him.

Amid the panic, pain and horror, Adam surrendered in futility, praying inside,

Please God just let me wake up soon.

Instantaneously, as if his prayer had been heard, all of the pain, the overwhelming and terror-inducing feeling of drowning...simply stopped.

The cessation of sensation was so abrupt it was startling. Adam noticed he was clamping down his eyelids and so he relaxed his face and looked around him. Everything shimmered with beauty he had never before seen, the crisp detail of the pink blossoms on the trees, and he could hear the faintest rustling as they caught upon trace fingers of wind. The unexpected enhancment of his senses brought a rush of euphoria to his body and he felt his muscles flush and his skin tingle with goosebumps. The stimulation brought him back from his senses and into his body and it was then he noticed that he felt something even more.

Power.

His body practically quivered with power and, in spite of his faculty for lucid dreaming, the sense of his living body was far too visceral. With every breath he felt the bellows of mighty lungs stoke the furnace in his blood, and muscles he had never known spoke their penultimate readiness to his nervous system, awaiting his slightest thought to explode into action.

Shocked by these new feelings, Adam looked down at his hands and his new eyes dilated with fresh awe and disbelief. His hands were enormous, connected to massive arms with thick cables rippling under the skin and rootlike branches of veins snaking across the surface. Even more amazing, he found that he was dressed in the iconic costume he had designed and redesigned so many times. Golden armored bracers encased his forearms and shins. Skintight fabric stretched across his chest...no the fabric was part of him! He could feel the cape flowing behind him, an extension of his own body. A gleaming golden Omega symbol reflected sunlight off his chest, its curves squared off so that the inside negative space formed a capital T.

I am the Titan. ? It was the question and the answer at the same time

All of this happened in the space of a few sparse moments, before the small hairs on the back of his neck stood up with a tangible feel of electricity. A crack, loud as though right above him ripped through the air and Adam-the-Titan looked instinctively up at the source of the noise. White fire burned the sky with nuclear power. Raising his arm to shield against the light, Adam noticed a tiny speck, thrown with atomic force and glowing white hot from atmospheric friction, streaking through the air, plummeting to earth at terminal velocity.

Somehow Adam knew, It's a hero, another like me, though he could not fathom how he could know such a thing.

I am the Titan?.

He could feel it, inside, the calling of his destiny. Drunken with quantum power, reeling from the heady euphoria of cosmic forces seething within him Adam knew something, a singular thought.

I can catch him.

A second crack of thunder blasted every cherry blossom from every branch in the park as Adam instantly accelerated to near the speed of light. The same instant Adam was there beside him, matching velocity as the burning man slowed enough from the friction, charred skin still glowing like hungry embers. The Pacific Ocean loomed, the frozen-seeming expanse of its surface rising to meet them with alarming speed. Without hesitation Adam reached out, dwarfing even the colossal form of the comet-like hero, and grasped him with his massive thews.

He is still alive, Adam noted with relief.

Moments later they touched down upon the velvet sand of a deserted beach somewhere in the South Pacific. Alighting gently, Adam layed his charge upon the silken grains and considered what to do next.

[Titan]

The twisted and blackened figure of a man lay quiescient on the sand. Titan/Adam could see the distant sun as a glow on the horizon, casting dawn out among the waves. The sky was clear, and there were no clouds. The sound of surf lent an ironically placative soundtrack to the tragic mystery before him. He lived. Titan could tell that much, but little more.

He turned, and saw the jungle behind him. He listened, and could hear the different animals going about their business within. As he marvelled at this, he heard a gasp...and then a long, low moan.

Turning quickly at the sound, Titan Omega saw the man move slightly. His eyes twiched, then rolled under the lids wildly. Finally, they opened, and brilliant blue eyes peered out of the black and burnt face. The mouth moved, and the man gasped for breath. His eyes looked all around, until he spied Titan standing over him. He croaked:

"You. ... Ah. Heh. Aheh. Heh heh. Mmmmhehmmm... Figures." The man coughed and laughed a little, then quieted. After a moment, he spoke softly, his voice sounding slightly more normal,though still very weak.

"Alright... have it then. But, she's right... she's always right... it has to be more...real... whatever." He stops, and for a long time, says nothing. Then he sighs, faintly.

"At least you're doing it well. Thank you. For that, and for this... thanks." He looks steadily back at Titan. His cheeks have cracked while he spoke, and a raw red peeked through the crevices. A thin, clear, ooze ran down his cheeks like tears.

[Titan Omega]

The Titan startled slightly at the hero's return to consciousness, a sound coming out of him like the sputtering of an old car on the verge of breaking down. It took him another moment to realize what the sound was.

He's laughing?

The charred man started talking, saying things but it wasn't clear at first who he was talking to, himself or Adam. Perhaps he was delerious. Finally he looked Adam square in the eyes and thanked him.

Adam spoke but the voice he heard wasn't his. It was deep, a man's voice and he felt the timbre of it vibrate in his chest, a pleasurable sensation. This new development threw him off a little yet again, and he stumbled over his words at first before breaking into a smile. He still felt high as a kite.

"Uh...th-thank me? No...thank you. If that blast had gone off inside the atmosphere there would be a lot of sick people..."

The Titan frowned, seeing the extent of the charred hero's wounds.

"Speaking of which...you look like hell. We need to get you to a doctor..."

[Titan]

As Titan Omega prepared to lift the charred figure, he saw the man's blackened eyes roll back, and his eyes close. The man was unconscious again. The fact that he had recovered consciousness, even briefly, was a testament to his incredible stamina.

In the distance, as they spoke, a speck appeared. It had grown over the course of their conversation, until finally a winged man looked down on Titan and his horribly wounded charge. As Titan scooped the burnt man up into his arms, he became aware of the flying figure.

[Michael Peters]

Michael dropped down toward the sand at incredible speed, his inexperience obvious at his landing. He dropped hard, kicking up a spray of sand, he had to run a half-dozen steps to disperse the momentum. After a few moments, the gold glowing wing-shapes faded and disapeared. Michael was breathing hard, his heart pounding. He focused on the figure carrying Shelby's burnt body.

The man was a giant and broad like a tree trunk, his body encased in some skintight fabric. A deep blue cape rustled softly in the warm breeze and gold bracers encircled his massive forearms.

This man... he looks like a superhero! Michael thought incredulously Who is he?

He straightened and took a step towards the man, one hand held out slightly.

"Is Shelby alive? He... we need to get him help."

God I hope he's friendly. He thought

[Titan Omega]

The figure before Micahel is worthy of his name, a man of truly titanic proportions. Standing nearly 9 feet in height, his broad frame and hulking muscles made him seem even more gigantic. His presence is more than mere size however. His features are immaculate, beyond any mortal beauty. Hair spun of flaxen gold, too-blue piercing eyes and flawless skin. Perfect proportions and uncanny symmetry. Short of actually emmiting light he seems to glow. Moreover he radiates an intense aura of power with a hint of danger. Like Kal-El of Krypton, there is something alien about the behemoth.

Adam makes a quick assessment of the glowing winged man who has joined them. Deciding that this one is not a threat he responds, his voice deep and sonorous.

"His name is Shelby? Yes..he is alive, though in need of a doctor..."

"I see you are empowered as well. I am the Titan Omega."

Shelby was dwarfed, cradled in the crook of one arm and lightly resting on the Titan's shoulder. If he wasn't so injured, Shelby might have looked like a sleeping child, and the Titan seemed to exert no effort in holding him up. The giant held out his other hand as he introduced himself and the gesture seemed surreal, almost odd in it's familiarity juxtaposed against his initimidating presence.

,,

[Michael Peters]

Michael stepped forward and shook the giants hand. He examined Shelby closely, his worry deepening as he saw the extent of the mans burns. What knowledge Michael had of burns allowed him to realise that Shelby was is terrible shape. His charred hands and arms were tucked against his chest, trying futilely to protect his body.

"My name is Michael Peters. We need to get Shelby some help, as quickly as possible."

Michael stepped away, his wings materializing once more.

[Titan Omega]

The Titan's hand completely engulfs the smaller man's, almost to his elbow.

"Michael." he repeats. "Agreed...although I'm not sure who is qualified to treat him. That he is alive at all is a miracle..."

He thinks for a moment.

"You...are his friend?" he asks, indicating Shelby. "Where did you come from?"

[Michael Peters]

"Follow me and you will meet others like... like us." Michael said, although he was unsure of this giant, Shelby needed help.

"He saved myself and many others from the blast that burned him."

As he continued to speak, his wings finished forming from their golden glow and flexed and beat experimentally.

"Also, I happen to know where there are quite a few doctors."

Michael lept into the air and hovered a few meters off the ground, testing to see how tired he was. The last thing he wanted to do was drop into the Pacific. He knew he was near his limits, but Shelby needed him and damn it, he wasn't going to fail his first day as...

As a hero. He thought.

Buoyed by the thought, he looked back at Titan.

"Lets move!"

Michael rocketed up and away, back towards the north east.

[Titan Omega]

"Wait!"

The Titan interjected before Michael could rocket away.

"I can see that you are tired, and I can get him there faster anyway. Tell me where the doctors are and I will take Shelby. I can come right back for you..."

[Michael Peters]

Michael bristled internally at the man's words.

To tired? I'm not to tired. He thought This is just a good workout! I feel better than I have in ages!

"Look sir, were thousands of miles away from London where the mansion is. You may be faster than I am, but I can lead you directly there, whereas you might be checking out mansion after mansion from the air while Shelby loses more and more skin!"

Michael softened his tone, embarrased at his outburst.

"Thank you for your consideration, really, but if the price for getting Shelby some help is a little exertion, I'll pay it gladly."

The wings on Michael's back beat erratically, mirroring Michaels tension.

[Titan Omega]

The Angelic man seemed upset at his words, something Adam had not expected from another hero. Internally he felt himself taking on more and more of the mannerisms of the Titan, as if all of those words he had written in speech bubbles were now bubbling out of him of their own accord.

The Titan smiles and the dawn becomes just a bit brighter.

"No, it's alright...it's been a stressful day. I...I didn't mean to insult your pride or capability..."

His face turns serious once more.

"...But given his condition we don't have time to argue, and I can only take one of you at a time. We have only just met, Angel Michael, so you aren't aware of my ability to navigate. If you can describe this mansion to me I will be able to find my way there...instantly, and unerringly."

[Titan]

Shelby's eyes suddenly open. They roll wildly. He struggles feebly, and shouts, "나는 당신에게 아무것도 말하지 않을 것이다! 아무것도! Anderson! John M! Captain, U.S. Air Force! Two One Two Eight Six Nine Four One Three! 시도는 당신의 엄마와 성을 품는다!"

He beats the back of his head against Titan's awesome bicep twice, then loses consciousness once more.

Michael: In Vietnamese "I tell you nothing! Nothing! .... Go have sex with your mothers!"

[Titan Omega]

The Titan's eyes widen a bit with concern at the outburst and he looks again at Michael, imploring,

"Please...Just describe the mansion and I promise I will be right back for you...he...he may have a brain fever..."

[Michael Peters]

Michael's shoulders slump and the wings fade quickly. After a moment, Michael nods.

"You're right. This is neither the time nor the place for pride. The mansion you'll be looking for is a large, multi-story compound outside of London proper..."

Michael quickly discribes the grounds and the location as best he can, trying to emphasize landmarks that would be distinctive from the air, such as the golf-course and tennis courts.

As Titan prepares to leave, Michael steps close and says loudly to Shelby: "We've got you, Captain! We're evac-ing you now! Damn fine work son!"

Michael steps back and smiles weakly at Titan.

"God speed."

[Titan Omega]

The Titan nods solemnly and speeds off away from the island, putting several miles between himself and Michael before pouring on the speed. When he does so, the pressure wave is visible as quickly as he is not and a gale force wind engulfs Michael, whipping past him into the jungle and sending birds, mammals and assorted insects scattering with loud cries of protest.

About ten seconds pass and The Titan appears once more, having moved faster than the eye can follow and trailing that same concussive wind.

He reaches out his hand to his angelic counterpart and when Michael accepts the two begin to levitate from the ground.

"This is going to feel a bit intense but I promise it will not harm you one iota."

Suddenly the bottom of Michael's stomach drops out and the world, for merely a moment turns into a nauseating blur of color and velocity. Just as it seems the moment might stretch into forever, everything comes to an abrupt stop and he finds his feet planted firmly on the solid ground of the mansion lawn.

[Titan Omega]

This story will continue in the Æon thread...

[Titan]

Hey! That's MY line...

[Titan Omega]

...Continued from the Æon thread...

Titan smiled, inside and out as Shelby emerged, looking nearly good as new. A rush of pride swelled in him as the hero acknowledged and thanked him for the role he had played.

I could get used to this. Adam thought.

Then the foggy memories of his "dreams" returned. He remembered the monsters, the leviathan-like reptile near Japan...the lava-men from the Hollow Earth...the many headed Hydra...

Oh no! KRISTY!!!

That his "dreams" had all happened...that the visions he drew on paper had sprung full force into terrible life crashed into him like a tsunami.

He looked at those gathered near him as they spoke animatedly on the New World to come. Talk of teams and leagues of superhumans would have to wait for another time...he needed to see that the girl he loved was safe...and to find out if he could ever return to normal. All kids want to grow up, but when it finally happens they inevitably wish for the simple days of youth. Inside his new body, Adam felt himself start to panic.

"I am sorry my friends. There are other's who require my attention, and," he motioned to the smiling Shelby...Pax, "I can see that my work here is done. Know that I am here for you, the New People and all the People of Earth. Should you ever need me in Earnest, shout my name and I shall hear it, wherever you may be. You have found an ally in, The Titan Omega!"

Before anyone can respond, he accelerates rapidly into the air before vanishing in another burst of blinding speed, a gust of air and a thunderclap slapping the mansion grounds like a giant hand.

***********************

Across the world, on the far side of another continent, Adam arrived in the air over his school, the pit dropping out of his stomach as he takes in the after effects of his Herculean battle with the nether-wyrm. From his vantage point the destruction is complete. The cafeteria has totally caved into a pit in the earth, much of blacktop has been torn into rubble and nearly every building has been flattened.

Resisting the urge to give in to the creeping horror and despair at the edges of his mind Adam moves again, flying with purpose to where he knows Kristy's house to be. Alighting in a copse of trees nearby he can see the lights on inside the house. Instinctively Adam's hyper sensitive ears eavsdrop inside, listening for any clues or conversation that might tell him the fate of his secret crush...

[Titan]

March 24, 1998 6:22am PST

Inside the house, Adam can hear Kristy's mom in the kitchen. She is making breakfast. He can hear the sizzle of the butter, the soft *plop-plip-plop* sounds of diced tomatoes and onions being added to the egg-white omelet. He hears sock-muted footsteps, and his heart leaps to hear his beloved's voice.

"Morning," she says, yawning.

"Good morning, sunshine," her mother returns.

"No school today, huh?" Kristy asks.

"Nope, you guys lucked out... By Monday for sure, though, your luck runs out. They are bussing you to Westchester, and the kids from Brentwood are going to Hamilton."

"Crazy. University destroyed in an earthquake, and Lincoln laid waste by a dragon."

"Hydra, dear."

"Whatever, Mom, you know what I mean."

"Here, eat half of this."

Adam hears the plate settle to the table. Fork scrapes on porcelain, then chewing sounds.

"I don't want to go to Westchester."

"Say it louder dear, say it loud enough to be heard by the school board, because they are setting up 206 trailers as we speak, and I bet they are going to be a bit miffed at you if you don't deign to show. Don't worry about it. What are your plans today?"

"Over to Adam's I guess, then if he's still not home, the beach."

"Honey, if they haven't found him yet..."

"I know, I know!... I just thought... I mean I have his sketchbook, and his backpack, and I don't even know if his mom knows yet. She's out of town, I guess."

"Well, ok. Run by Adam's, but then back home. The news is crazy, and if even half of what they're saying is true..."

Kristy sighs loudly, and Adam hears her gathering her dishes, and putting them in the sink.

"Ok, Mom."

Adam hears her footsteps going up the stairs. In the kitchen, a click announces the T.V. is being turned on. Upstairs, the shower is coming on. Adam can hear Kristy's dad still snoring lightly.

[Titan Omega]

Quote:

Inside the house, Adam can hear Kristy's mom in the kitchen. She is making breakfast. He can hear the sizzle of the butter, the soft *plop-plip-plop* sounds of diced tomatoes and onions being added to the egg-white omelet. He hears sock-muted footsteps, and his heart leaps to hear his beloved's voice.

"Morning," she says, yawning.

"Good morning, sunshine," her mother returns.

Inside, Adam breathed a sigh of relief and his heart quickened it's pace.

She survived...if only I could remember...

Quote:

"No school today, huh?" Kristy asks.

"Nope, you guys lucked out... By Monday for sure, though, your luck runs out. They are bussing you to Westchester, and the kids from Brentwood are going to Hamilton."

"Crazy. University destroyed in an earthquake, and Lincoln laid waste by a dragon."

"Hydra, dear."

"Whatever, Mom, you know what I mean."

Huh, that's an awfully matter of fact way to talk about it. A freaking Hydra! How is that possible? How can something I drew...

Quote:

"Over to Adam's I guess, then if he's still not home, the beach."

"Honey, if they haven't found him yet..."

"I know, I know!... I just thought... I mean I have his sketchbook, and his backpack, and I don't even know if his mom knows yet. She's out of town, I guess."

Oh shit! She's going to my house! Oh Shit! My sketchbook! Oh, this is not good. Oh SHIT! Mom! She must be worried sick. I bet she is on a plane heading here right now. Shit shit Shit!!! I've got to get out of...

Quote:

Adam hears her footsteps going up the stairs. In the kitchen, a click announces the T.V. is being turned on. Upstairs, the shower is coming on.

Oh my god...if I only had x-ray vision... As if God itself was listening, the wall of Kristy's house began to shimmer and become fuzzy. He could just start to make out the foggy outline of young nubile teenaged breasts when Adam noticed something stirring in his tights, something far more formidable than he had been endowed with before. The wall quickly solidified again and Adam's head spun with the flood of hormones and blood flushing his superhumanly handsome cheeks.

Damnit! That's not how we should be thinking about her. We? Where did this we come from? What happened to me? He looked askance at his enourmous hands, the reality and impossibility crashing down around him in a dizzying tidal wave.

He must have gotten lost in thought because suddenly Kristy was kissing her mom on the cheek and starting down the sidewalk, his backpack hugging her shoulders.

Kristy didn't think twice about the sudden gust of wind blowing from the direction of the Ocean.

*****************************************

OhShitOhShitOhShit!

Adam panicked in his living room. Thank God for the high ceilings his mother's corporate salary could afford.

WhatamIgoingtodo?

He had flashed into his living room and closed the glass door in a blink of an eye but it wouldn't take her more than 10, maybe 15 minutes to cut across to his neighborhood.

Is this permanent? I want to change back! How do I change back? Oh fuck!

Again, his guardian angel must have been watching for Adam suddenly felt that sharp pain in his forehead and nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach for a third time.

Oh god I'm going to be sick again.

Adam doubled over onto his massive shins and noticed with fresh horror that his hands were melting, oozing, bubbling into a thick slime. He recoiled, smashing the coffee table into the sofa and he heard the splintering of wood. His vision was suddenly useless as his eyes boiled and popped in his skull and Adam couldn't cry, couldn't even scream as his larynx imploded into mucous. All he could feel was an aching agony and the terror beyond words of drowning alive.

It was the drowning sensation that reminded him he still had lungs, had arms, and that he was trapped underwater. Kicking struggling and reeling for air, Adam felt the elastic edge of the membrane trapping him and with one final titanic effort, burst from the disintegrating skin-sack like an eel from an egg. Slick, shiny, naked, and covered in afterbirth, Adam gasped air into his now normal sized lungs and watched the last vestige of the Titan's heroic face melt into an unrecognizable mess. Coughing liquid out of his lungs he curled up into a ball on the floor, miserable and wondering when he would finally wake up.

Less than a minute later, Kristy came around to the backyard and up to the glass doors of the living room...

[Titan]

Kristy looked at her reflection in the glass. Her braid was fine, her clothes were clean. She bared her upper teeth. Nothing stuck between them. Good.

She knocked hopefully on the door.

[Titan Omega]

((Transcribed from live IC chat log. Uber extra special thanks to Titan for taking the time! You Rock! ))

***********************************************************

Kristy knocks on the door, and after a moment, cups her hands around her eyes to peer into the glass. She isn't sure what it is she sees at first, but slowly realizes that Adam is lying naked on the floor. What the-?!

Adam moans weakly, peering through bleary eyes at the indistinct shape through the glass.

Kristy tries the handle, the door opens easily. Kristy runs to Adams side, barely registering the fact that he is naked and covered in slime. "Adam? Crap, Adam?"

"Kristy? Yo...you're alive..."

"Oh my god, Adam, are you alright? ...I'm alive?? We all thought YOU were dead..."

I"'ve felt better," He manages to croak."How..how did you escape?"

Kristy looks at Adam unbelievingly. "You knocked me out of the way... and that, that thing grabbed you instead, and pulled you down into the hole... you- you don't remember?"

Adam shakes his head. "I think I blacked out. The last thing I remember was a monster coming out of the ground. I think I fell into a sewer...Ugh" Adam realizes that he is sitting there naked and becomes *very* embarrased. "I need a shower..."

Kristy sees the direction of Adam's glance and can't help but glance down herself. She turns beet red, and turns quickly to the couch to grab a sham/blanket and hand it to him. She helps him wrap it around himself. "Are you hurt?"

Adam accepts the blanket and gives himself a brief exam before concluding "No, I don't think so. Just a lingering headache and some nausea...Hey!" he smiles in spite of himself. "You brought my backpack..."

"Oh.. yeah, I'll just, um... set it here.... do you, need any help? I mean, can you make it to the bathroom ok?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage." He smiles self consciously. "God I feel like I haven't eaten in days...have you had breakfast? If you can stay a bit, I'd like to hear what happened. Just give me two minutes..."

"Oh, ok... yeah I ate, but I can cook you something, if you want, while you shower..." Kristy smiles shyly. "I'm really, really glad you're ok... Do you like eggs? Do you HAVE eggs? Nevermind, I'll figure something out..."

    

On his way towards the large master bathroom, Adam shouts over his shoulder, "Wow, thanks! Yeah Mom keeps the kitchen well stocked, she's cool like that..." Adam locks himself in the bathroom and stares at his disheveld reflection in the mirror. God, I look like a monster ate and digested me...

As he showers quickly his mind races, trying to figure out how he could possibly explain things to her...

A few minutes later, he emerges into the kitchen, wearing a Silver Surfer T-shirt and board shorts. "Hi" he smiles, trying to hide his simultaneous anxiety and pleasure at her actually talking to him, let alone making him breakfast, in his own house...

     

The omelet is actually in name only, as it bears little resemblance to an actual omelet. She obviously tried hard, though, and the table is set with a linen napkin and a big glass of OJ. Kristy grimaces, "Im not actually much of a cook, sorry."

    

As they sit at the table, Kristy watching him eat, she asks, "Um... so what happened to you? I mean, what was all that goo on you and the floor? I cleaned some of it up, and I thought I was gonna puke... it looks like snot"

    

Adam devours the omelet in a flash and downs the orange juice. "God that was good," he says and he isn't lying. He felt close to famished. "Uh...well like I said I woke up in a storm drain," Adam lied, not quite looking at her. Quickly he tries to change the subject.

"What happened after I fell into the hole? I really can't remember..." She would never believe i woke up in Tokyo, he thought.

     

"The hydra, or whatever just went back down the hole with you... then there was a kind of earthquake or something, and the school started to fall down." Kristy shudders at the memory. "It was kinda pandemonious for a bit, we all were screaming and running outside. Then the whole school just fell into the ground. I had your backpack already, and I guess I just kept it.."

,,

Kristy looked studiously at the table. "Those... sketches. Were- were they of me?" She looks up suddenly, directly into his eyes.

Adam meets her eyes, and feels a confidence he had never been able to muster when looking at her. Perhaps it was artistic pride or perhaps having her sitting across the table from him helped to bring her down from the lofty pedastool he had always placed her on. He smiles again sheepishly, though he knows the sketches were some of his best.

"Isn't that obvious? Okay, maybe it's hard to tell with the shading on that one from the classroom, but your head was kinda turned. It will look better in color..." He meets her gaze, wondering how she will respond...

Kristy again blushes, but she doesn't drop her gaze. "Is that how you see me? That girl... she's beautiful, angelic... perfect. I'm- Adam, I'm not any of those things..." She leans down, and pulls a sketchbook out of the backpack. She flips a couple of pages, and looks at the picture she has chosen.

"I am pretty smart, though. As much as I want to talk about your pictures of me, and what they mean... I really want to know about these others.." She lays the sketchbook on the table. A picture of the Titan Omega looks up at Adam from his own book. "What about this one? Is this how you see yourself?"

,,

Adam blanches, then takes a deep breath. "Maybe how I wish I could be," he answers. "Really he's just a character from a comic I've been working on. " He pauses biting his lower lip thoughtfully for a moment. "I won't deny you've been my muse since I started school here...I...I know you aren't perfect, none of us are right? But..."

He pauses again wondering if he should really say it out loud. "It is how I see you....you are that beautiful...to me.." He looks down at the traces of omelte on his plate, poking at the eggy residue with his fork and burning bright red in the cheeks.

Kristy's blush deepens. She still doesn't drop her gaze, though. "I only ask, because this guy burst out of the hole in the ground, and battled the hydra for 20 minutes all over Santa Monica. It was all over the news."

"I..." Adam stammers. He has no clue how to respond to that and it shows on his face.

Kristy pins Adam with her stare for a moment more, then looks back down at the table. She sees his hand resting there, and hesitantly places her hand on top of his.

"Adam... I think that everyone feels stupid at our age. Maybe someone out there does think that you are awesome. But you'd never know it, because we always try to be so cool and uncaring. Like people will use it to hurt you if they know you like them, or something..." Her face looks sunburnt, it is so red.

"But, I know it. I know that someone thinks I am pretty much perfect, and you just don't understand how important that is to me right now. That is the kind of thing that I think can change your life..." She leans forward, and looks into his eyes.

She is almost whispering now, "Thank you for that, Adam..."

Adam's heart is pounding even more now. First her touch, then getting closer. My god just to touch those lips.

"Uh....um. You're welcome," he manages to hoarse back, almost in a whisper himself. He swallows hard but is unable to stop looking into the depths of her eyes.

"D...does that mean you like the drawings?" he manages to recover but only by a little.

Kristy pulls his hand slightly, bringing him closer. He can feel the heat from her blushing face, it is so close to his. Her breath puffs in his ear as she whispers, "I love them." She pulls her face back until she is looking in his eyes. "I don't know what you are dealing with, what is going on with you... But I want you to know, that I like you too. That I think you are awesome. If you wondered." Her lips graze his lightly. She sighs, and presses her lips more firmly to his. One of her hands creeps up to rest lightly on the back of his neck, sending shivers down him.

They kiss forever.

    

"Well, at least you are alive... so I can kill you."

Adam becomes aware that his mother is standing over them both. She looks furious, her bags in her hands, and her clothes obviously thrown on.

"AH!" Adam nearly jumped out of his skin at his mothers voice. The force of his skeleton trying to leave his body made him leap to his feet.

"MOM!" he shouts. "You're home early!...uh, Mom, this is my, um, friend Kristy. She, uh, just came to bring me my pack I left at school, and um...you're home early!"

Adam quickly grabs the dishes and makes his way to the sink, hoping that by staying focused on him she won't notice the living room carpet.

Alexandra Capello had spent most of the last 24 hours in a state of literal insanity. She was worried about her son, at first, like most travellers away from home. When she saw on the news that his school had caved in, she began to feel something like panic. When he didn't answer the phone... ever, she tipped over into something very like madness. Then, when the President grounded all flights, her reason left her entirely. She rode with truckers, she stood on and overcrowded Greyhound for 12 hours, she walked almost 30 miles, she hitchhiked to get here, and she finally made it to her door, and found her son, who she had feared dead, sucking face in the dining room. She called on every relaxation technique she had ever learned.

As Adam washed dishes, she turned to Kristy. "Hello, I'm Alex, Adam's mother. I have had a really rotten day, please excuse me. If there is any way I could talk to my son..."

,,

Kristy popped up, her face finally reaching a level of scarlet that Adam had not believed possible in a human being, and said, "Sure thing! Bye Adam! uh... call me, and we'll go to the beach or something... Nice to meet you, Mrs. C... " she fled for the door.

"Wai...ah crap..." She had already disappeared. "I don't have your phone number..." he said to the air in futility.

Alex dropped her suitcase and her shoulder bag on the floor. She rubbed her face, dirty from her travel, and watched her son work industrially at cleaning a plate. Finally, he turned to face her. She waited to hear what he had to say for himself.

"Please don't kill me! I have a little money saved up...I'll pay for the carpet cleaners..."

Alex looks down at the carpet, puzzled. She notices that she has put her bags down in the most disgusting slime you would ever go a long way to avoid. She takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. She steps towards her son, and pulls him into an embrace that tries to encompass all the motherly love and protective impulse that she has in her body. She holds him for a long time. Finally, she pulls away and looks him over. He seems to be fine. Relief finally flooded through her. She looked him in the eye and smiled ruefully.

"Adam," she said, "you are grounded... until you die."

"But!!! What did I do????"

[Titan]

Apparantly 'until you die' means two weeks in the Capello house. It wasn't too bad, although Adam thought his mom was going to burst a vein when the news said a second nuclear bomb had gone off. She let him use the phone, though, and he was able, through the use of modern technology, to come up with Kristy's number in only 9 tries.

They talked often, and for long periods of time. When school resumed, across the city at Westchester Middle School, they were often found at lunch together. At a new school, with twice the usual number of students, the dynamic had changed, and Adam's usual tormentors were seemingly absent during this idyllic lull. Even Adam's teachers were commenting on his new confident attitude, with approval.

And then there was the Titan. Unable to refuse any call for help, and arguably the most famous of the Novus, the Titan was often called upon during inconvenient times for Adam.

The most notable events of the two week period were:

[Titan]

Apparantly 'until you die' means two weeks in the Capello house. It wasn't too bad, although Adam thought his mom was going to burst a vein when the news said a second nuclear bomb had gone off. She let him use the phone, though, and he was able, through the use of modern technology, to come up with Kristy's number in only 9 tries.

They talked often, and for long periods of time. When school resumed, across the city at Westchester Middle School, they were often found at lunch together. At a new school, with twice the usual number of students, the dynamic had changed, and Adam's usual tormentors were seemingly absent during this idyllic lull. Even Adam's teachers were commenting on his new confident attitude, with approval.

And then there was the Titan. Unable to refuse any call for help, and arguably the most famous of the Novus, the Titan was often called upon during inconvenient times for Adam.

The most notable events of the two week period were:

[Titan Omega]

Adam had spent the first few days quietly enough. His mind was heady with hormones and love, and when he wasn't talking with her he was busy drawing. Mom had mostly mellowed out but was still strict about him coming right home and no, Kristy wasn't allowed over...

The rush of the Titan was always in the back of his his thoughts but a few days had passed without incident and the memories became more distant and surreal. It wasn't until Monday morning that things got funny again. For one thing he kept hearing voices in his head and in all different languages. It didn't take him long after that to realize he was picking up broadcast frequencies. First people talking on the phone and then radio stations. He was especially pleased to learn that he could tune into television.

One hour limit my ass!

The studios were very surprised but not as much as he was when some of his stray thoughts accidentally broadcast live and on the air! He definitely had enjoyed that game for awhile, performing live voice overs of newscasters and similar shennanigans.

It wasn't until the fourth day that he again manifested the Titan, waking up in the middle of the night with the terrible pain and disgusting transformation. Just like before however, this time he adjusted to the new body faster...once he arrived to his shock in Japan because someone had cried out his name. It would seem that whatever the Titan was, it was operating in part out of instinct. The call to Japan was because some newly minted eruptees got greedy and decided to rob the national reserve with extreme force. It was a pitched battle and the police and SWAT could do little but marvel as the Titan tusseled with a gang of 3 other paranormals. One was really fast, faster than the Titan although not nearly as strong. One was seemingly made out of cracked marble and was as strong as him. The third flew slowly but kept blasting him with waves of invisible force. In the end he got slammed about quite a bit and there was plenty of collateral damage but the hostages in the reserve were unharmed and he came through without a scratch. It did however, make him late for his first day of school.

After that Adam learned more control. He was able to transform back much easier that time, and the disgusting slime that bubbled off him now fully evaporated after a few minutes. He began flying out at night to feel the exhilaration of his new body's abilities but he still didn't know how to tell Kristy the truth. The secret seemed too impossible to share, and he was afraid how she might take the revelation.

Severel more times he used his powers over the next week and a half. He started small, asking to go to the bathroom when the police bands reported a gang fight or armed robbery. Usually he had the problem wrapped up and was back in his seat in a few minutes. Life was good and being a real live superhero was fun. More than once he had stopped to talk to the media in the wake of his actions, always being very friendly but vague about his origins and always always dashing off quickly to leave them wanting more.

Things got more serious however when he branched out into international affairs. Just the other day he had picked up a television feed about riots going on in Tibet and the Chinese Military mounting a heavily armed response. He intervened on behalf on the Tibetan people but had been surprised at the strength of the military. After he had demolished a few tanks (and gotten hit by at least one shell and lots of high caliber machinegun fire, they had called in the Air Force on him and that had proved more difficult. The dogfight had dragged out for several minutes, and he had been stunned a few times smacking down their missles. All of a sudden, Adam got very weak, and his massive body began to deteriorate. He didn't have enough energy reseves to keep it corporeal or heal the damage he was sustaining. In a last ditch panic he had blasted himself home and promptly coughed up blood from the effort. It was even more dificult to explain to his mother how and why he had gotten home in the middle of the day.

Surprisingly enough though, in the last couple of weeks, neither his mother nor Kristy had mentioned that first fateful day...

[Titan Omega]

Adam had spent the first few days quietly enough. His mind was heady with hormones and love, and when he wasn't talking with her he was busy drawing. Mom had mostly mellowed out but was still strict about him coming right home and no, Kristy wasn't allowed over...

The rush of the Titan was always in the back of his his thoughts but a few days had passed without incident and the memories became more distant and surreal. It wasn't until Monday morning that things got funny again. For one thing he kept hearing voices in his head and in all different languages. It didn't take him long after that to realize he was picking up broadcast frequencies. First people talking on the phone and then radio stations. He was especially pleased to learn that he could tune into television.

One hour limit my ass!

The studios were very surprised but not as much as he was when some of his stray thoughts accidentally broadcast live and on the air! He definitely had enjoyed that game for awhile, performing live voice overs of newscasters and similar shennanigans.

It wasn't until the fourth day that he again manifested the Titan, waking up in the middle of the night with the terrible pain and disgusting transformation. Just like before however, this time he adjusted to the new body faster...once he arrived to his shock in Japan because someone had cried out his name. It would seem that whatever the Titan was, it was operating in part out of instinct. The call to Japan was because some newly minted eruptees got greedy and decided to rob the national reserve with extreme force. It was a pitched battle and the police and SWAT could do little but marvel as the Titan tusseled with a gang of 3 other paranormals. One was really fast, faster than the Titan although not nearly as strong. One was seemingly made out of cracked marble and was as strong as him. The third flew slowly but kept blasting him with waves of invisible force. In the end he got slammed about quite a bit and there was plenty of collateral damage but the hostages in the reserve were unharmed and he came through without a scratch. It did however, make him late for his first day of school.

After that Adam learned more control. He was able to transform back much easier that time, and the disgusting slime that bubbled off him now fully evaporated after a few minutes. He began flying out at night to feel the exhilaration of his new body's abilities but he still didn't know how to tell Kristy the truth. The secret seemed too impossible to share, and he was afraid how she might take the revelation.

Severel more times he used his powers over the next week and a half. He started small, asking to go to the bathroom when the police bands reported a gang fight or armed robbery. Usually he had the problem wrapped up and was back in his seat in a few minutes. Life was good and being a real live superhero was fun. More than once he had stopped to talk to the media in the wake of his actions, always being very friendly but vague about his origins and always always dashing off quickly to leave them wanting more.

Things got more serious however when he branched out into international affairs. Just the other day he had picked up a television feed about riots going on in Tibet and the Chinese Military mounting a heavily armed response. He intervened on behalf on the Tibetan people but had been surprised at the strength of the military. After he had demolished a few tanks (and gotten hit by at least one shell and lots of high caliber machinegun fire, they had called in the Air Force on him and that had proved more difficult. The dogfight had dragged out for several minutes, and he had been stunned a few times smacking down their missles. All of a sudden, Adam got very weak, and his massive body began to deteriorate. He didn't have enough energy reseves to keep it corporeal or heal the damage he was sustaining. In a last ditch panic he had blasted himself home and promptly coughed up blood from the effort. It was even more dificult to explain to his mother how and why he had gotten home in the middle of the day.

Surprisingly enough though, in the last couple of weeks, neither his mother nor Kristy had mentioned that first fateful day...

[Titan]

Tuesday, April 8, 1998 12:45pm

It was an enjoyable day. He had answered a question more than correctly in Geometry, taking the problem a step further than the teacher had expected. She was effusive in her praise, but not so much so that the other kids were put off by it. Plus, his mom had said this morning that he wasn't grounded anymore, and that she wanted to get to know Kristy. She suggested that he invite her to dinner sometime in the week. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it, but she had the same lunch period he did, and after he grabbed his tray, he found the table where she sat.

They had made a habit of sitting with kids from Westchester, instead of their old classmates from Lincoln, a different clique each day. Today, she was with the gaming dorks. They clustered around her in obvious awe that such a beautiful creature would have searched them out to sit with. The seat across from her was thankfully vacant. Adam slid into it, ignoring the glares from the gamers. He pushed a stack of Vampire:The Masquerade books aside, and set his tray down.

"Hi!" Kristy said cheerfully, "I'm gonna be a Tremere, I guess, what do you want to be?"

The round cheeked boy sitting next to her glared at Adam.

"I don't think he plays. But, if he does, he's obviously antitribu, and the Tremere antitribu was wiped out last year. He'll have to sit out this game. Sorry."

Kristy stifled a laugh. The hair on the back of Adam's neck stood up as he felt bare toes on his ankle. Kristy smiled across the table at him enigmatically.

"You're right, he is definitely antitribu." Her foot traced a path up his leg, tickling his calf. Adam felt a stirring in his shorts. Today was definitely a good day.

Titan! Titan, help!

[Titan]

Tuesday, April 8, 1998 12:45pm

It was an enjoyable day. He had answered a question more than correctly in Geometry, taking the problem a step further than the teacher had expected. She was effusive in her praise, but not so much so that the other kids were put off by it. Plus, his mom had said this morning that he wasn't grounded anymore, and that she wanted to get to know Kristy. She suggested that he invite her to dinner sometime in the week. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it, but she had the same lunch period he did, and after he grabbed his tray, he found the table where she sat.

They had made a habit of sitting with kids from Westchester, instead of their old classmates from Lincoln, a different clique each day. Today, she was with the gaming dorks. They clustered around her in obvious awe that such a beautiful creature would have searched them out to sit with. The seat across from her was thankfully vacant. Adam slid into it, ignoring the glares from the gamers. He pushed a stack of Vampire:The Masquerade books aside, and set his tray down.

"Hi!" Kristy said cheerfully, "I'm gonna be a Tremere, I guess, what do you want to be?"

The round cheeked boy sitting next to her glared at Adam.

"I don't think he plays. But, if he does, he's obviously antitribu, and the Tremere antitribu was wiped out last year. He'll have to sit out this game. Sorry."

Kristy stifled a laugh. The hair on the back of Adam's neck stood up as he felt bare toes on his ankle. Kristy smiled across the table at him enigmatically.

"You're right, he is definitely antitribu." Her foot traced a path up his leg, tickling his calf. Adam felt a stirring in his shorts. Today was definitely a good day.

Titan! Titan, help!

[Titan Omega]

Quote:

"Hi!" Kristy said cheerfully, "I'm gonna be a Tremere, I guess, what do you want to be?"

The round cheeked boy sitting next to her glared at Adam.

"I don't think he plays. But, if he does, he's obviously antitribu, and the Tremere antitribu was wiped out last year. He'll have to sit out this game. Sorry."

Kristy stifled a laugh. The hair on the back of Adam's neck stood up as he felt bare toes on his ankle. Kristy smiled across the table at him enigmatically.

"You're right, he is definitely antitribu." Her foot traced a path up his leg, tickling his calf. Adam felt a stirring in his shorts. Today was definitely a good day.

Adam smiled back at Kristy in that shy kind of way he always got around her.

"Tremere huh? Well it's too bad I can't play. I was going to ask who wanted me to sketch their character..."

Quote:

Titan! Titan, help!

Adam scrunched his face as if a fly had just buzzed his ear but he quicky recovered.

"...anyways that's cool." he said nonchalantly. "I just remembered I was supposed to meet up with Mr. Nakamura to go over our science project today." He got up grabbing half his sandwhich off the plate. He turned to Kristy,

"Just wanted to tell you I'm not grounded anymore, and that you are invited for dinner...I'll catch up with you later okay?" He squeezed her shoulder confidently as he began to walk away.

"Have fun with the Tremere!" he shouted over his shoulder.

As soon as he found a place where he would be hidden from sight, Adam flexed that new "muscle" in his mind, willing the Titan to come out.

Someone needs our help...

And in an instant, he was gone...

((Down 4 QP 22 Points remaining))