New Age of Heroes 1: The League of Protectors - Dawn of a New Age

by Christian Green

  Seth chuckled, humoring his friend and partner in crime. He wasn't about to get into another debate over who was the strongest with Joe. Doing so would only upset the big man further.

  The doctor of the facility the criminals were staying at walked in. He was an older gentleman somewhere between the age of 55 and 60. He had slick gray hair and a thick mustache. He wore thick glasses and spoke with an Italian accent. He wasn’t a Post Human, but he was an adamant Post Human sympathizer. He relished the opportunity to work with them and wanted nothing more than to see the government put in their place.

  “So I walked in a few minutes ago checking my patient charts and I must say I was rather surprised to see your name on here Joe. Tell me, what happened?”

  Joe grunted.“That’s none of your business old man. Just do your job and keep your mouth closed!”

  “No need to be rude Joe,” Seth said smiling.

  “Joe found himself in battle with someone that could actually match strength with him.” Seth added.

  “He did not match my strength!” Joe insisted, his face turning red.

  Seth, the 5’9 early 30’s something man was not an intimidating looking man, but his abilities were. In addition to being able to create portals, Seth was also able to absorb other Post Humans abilities. This ability allowed him to collect and use the abilities of other Post Humans in a variety of ways. For example, if Joe was to attack Seth, Seth would be able to absorb Joe’s strength factor and use it for his own. Joe wouldn’t lose his ability, but the much smarter Seth, would likely use Joe’s ability to defeat him. Once the war with the humans was over, Seth had every intentions on provoking Joe so that he could absorb his abilities. Joe was so simple minded that he would never know what hit him until it was too late.

  “This Post Human, it must've been Jason Shaw. Am I correct?” the doctor asked.

  “Bingo,” Seth replied.

  The doctor looked at Joe and frowned. He had heard about Jason’s involvement in the League, but he’d never really thought of him as a threat to Joe.

  “You better believe, the next time I see that man, I’m going to kill him!” Joe shouted angrily.

  “That’s only if the boss let’s you!” Seth said. “For all we know, the boss might want to recruit Jason. A man like that partnered with you would make for an impressive team.”

  Joe snarled, “I don’t do teams!”

  Seth was getting ready to reply to Joe with some witty response, but a voice over the loud speaker interrupted him.

  “Attention everyone the Boss requests your presence in the meeting room immediately. I repeat the Boss requests your presence in the meeting room immediately.”

  The doctor finished patching Joe up and gave him the go ahead. Joe and Seth gave the old doctor parting words and then proceeded towards the meeting room. To their left they saw Erik Masters and Kyle Stanton passing them by. Seth gave Kyle and Erik a respectful nod. Both of them had been so instrumental with the successful breakout. While Kyle served as a mercenary for hire, there was no denying his services were much needed. Without him, the plan would've likely been altered.

  The inside of the meeting room was massive. It was called the meeting room but it looked more like a high school auditorium. The room was silent as they waited to be addressed. Everyone inside the room had some ability that made them extraordinary. None of their abilities though compared to that of their boss. No one inside the room had ever seen his face or knew much about him. All that was known was that his power far exceeded theirs and that he was a genius on many levels.

  Whoever was in charge had orchestrated everything with careful planning and astute attention to details. The plan was going exactly as expected and final preparations appeared to be going into effect.

  A short man made his way towards the podium. The man served as a messenger of sorts. Anytime the Boss wanted a message delivered, it was through this man that the message was sent. No one had actually seen the Boss. All their orders came from this particular little man. Once or maybe twice a video message of the Boss was put on display for everyone to see, but even with the video, they couldn't get a good look at him. The short man reached inside his pocket and pulled out a wipe. He used the wipe to clean off the microphone in the center of the podium and then threw it away.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen once again our leader has proven himself to be wise. His brilliance exposed the League of Protectors for the weak traitors that they are. Mr. Dorgan himself battled the entire League and here he stands. Once our final attack begins, there is nothing that can stop us. Our ranks grow each day and no government, no League, no human can stop us!

  The room erupted in cheers! Joe's battle against the League was highly talked about, an inspiration of sorts. Everyone concluded that if Joe Dorgan could take on the entire League by himself, then the world stood no chance against an army of Post Humans.

  “Today is a monumental day! For today is the day that our leader has chosen to speak to you in person. He has been so impressed with your commitment to this cause that he felt it was time he addressed each and every one of you. Ladies and gentlemen I give to you the one that will lead us to a new era of existence, I give to you our leader!”

  Everyone in the room began looking around. Chatter broke out. Everyone was anxious to see the one they called their leader and their boss. There were loud cheers filling the room even though no one knew who they were cheering for exactly. There was a moment’s pause when finally someone of significant stature levitated towards the podium. All eyes and ears fell silent as the leader stepped forward. This leader kept the mystery up remaining cloaked in a hooded robe. There were whispers inside the room as the former prisoners tried to speculate who the hooded man was. Even more so they tried to speculate why this man was concealing his identity. No one dared ask him that though.

  “My brothers, my sisters, listen to me. I thank you all for your patience. I know many of you have been wondering just what my plan is and why you are here. Tonight I will answer those questions.” The mysterious individual spoke very slowly but quite elegantly, almost seductively.

  “In 2001 a Post Human by the name of Jason Shaw revealed himself to the world. He showed his impressive power and his superiority over humans.”

  Joe rolled his eyes. He didn’t like hearing Jason get credit for his strength.

  “I sat and I watched as the media fussed over him. Every day people seemed to fall more and more in love with him. It was a feel good moment, but I knew it wouldn’t last.”

  The mysterious leader looked over to the short man. He had given the short man his cue. The short man nodded and turned on a projector. Images of newspaper articles with the public turning against Post Humans were shown.

  “As I predicted, the public turned on Jason and Post Humans everywhere. It didn’t matter what they had done, if they were a Post Human, the world was against them. This made me very sad to see.” The short man pressed the space bar on the computer and an image of the President was shown.

  “Then this man here took office and authorized the creation of a prison built specifically for capturing Post Humans. I was shocked and outraged by this. That is when I decided to no longer sit by and allow this to continue,” the leader paused momentarily and looked out into the audience.

  “I knew I had to make a stand, but I couldn’t do it alone. So I began recruiting people. I began recruiting people with extraordinary abilities. Anyone that joined was under my protection. I was able to shield them from being sensed by the one they call Stephanie Morgan. I was able to shield them from being on G.U.A.R.D's radar. Everything I have done has been to protect us from these humans and traitors. Everything I have done has been to prepare us for the new dawn. The dawn of a new era. The dawn of the Post Humans.”

  The mysterious leader looked around. There were lots of people in the audience visibly showing their appreciation for his actions.

  “I was very patient. I learned what I needed to learn. I acquired what I neede
d to acquire. I waited as long as I needed to wait, and now I can tell you that the wait is nearly over.”

  There were cheers breaking out into the crowd.

  “We now have an army large enough to execute a plan that has been many years in the making. If that isn't enough to get you excited, soon, I will make every single one of you even more powerful than you already are. The world will have no answer for our might!”

  The Post Humans broke out into conversation creating theories on what the mysterious leader meant by making them even more powerful. “Very soon this war will begin and very soon this war will end! Very soon we will reign over the humans and have them bow down before us!”

  The room erupted with cheers and praise. The mysterious leader smiled sadistically behind his hooded robe and walked off the stage. The Post Humans had an army and soon they would be ready for war!

  24

  Letting Go of the Past

  One week had passed since the attack on Hoffman Blvd. Noah Winters or more appropriately The Black Vigilante was out once again patrolling the streets. It was another grueling day. There was just so much bad intentions out there that Noah wondered if his mission was hopeless. He had to put that thought out of his mind though. There were good people there and he had to do whatever it took to help them. He had to reclaim his city and make it a place that was the envy of the world. He had a long way to go, but he was determined to do whatever it took.

  Noah seemed to be pushed in several directions this particular night. Every time he would put down one criminal another one would pop up. He suspected his ride covered easily over 100 miles back and forth transporting him to the necessary locations. There was no denying he was drained. Although outnumbered in every situation he found himself in, Noah was able to defeat his opponents. For seven hours Noah battled the criminals roaming the streets. Although being a Post Human gave him an advantage over most his opponents, Noah wasn’t invincible.

  He grimaced as he stepped out of his vehicle. Noah held his side likely indicating at least one broken rib. While Noah wasn’t able to determine if his rib was broke, he did know for a fact that his shoulder was dislocated. Luckily for him, he knew how to fix it himself. These are the times that he wished Bianca Ramirez was around more. Having someone to heal you was certainly someone to treasure in his line of work.

  The door inside the garage leading to the inside of the house was locked. Cursing, Noah reached inside his pocket for his keys. He fumbled to locate them but eventually did and pulled them out. He slid the key inside the lock and turned the doorknob. All of the lights were out. Cautiously, Noah walked through the house. His feet were as light as a feather; he could sense that something was wrong. Normally, Noah would’ve turned on the lights in the house by now but he had an eerie feeling that someone who didn’t belong was inside his home.

  Noah slid his right hand to his side and took off the safety on his 9mm. His enhanced ability to smell alerted him to a distinct odor. What concerned him was that the odor wasn’t his. This pretty much confirmed to him that someone else was inside or had been inside.

  As Noah rounded the corner leading to a set of stairs that would take him to the second floor, he could smell the fragrance of blood polluting the hallway. He couldn’t place a name to the scent but it smelled oddly familiar. The soft carpet prevented any squeaks or other alarming sounds from giving his position away.

  There were five rooms on the second floor. There was Noah’s bedroom, the guest room, which was typically reserved for his younger brother whenever he came in town to visit. There was Noah’s work room, the bathroom and last was Noah’s personal weight room. With his gun drawn Noah slowly opened the first door on his left. The room was empty. ‘It couldn’t have been that easy.’ He said to himself. He walked a few more steps and then approached the workout room on his right. There was a half drunken bottle of water sitting lonely by the bench where Noah left it.

  Three rooms remained. At the end of the hall straight ahead was the guest room. Noah slowly turned the doorknob and walked in. He flashed his gun in every direction as he inspected the room. There was no sign of an intruder.

  From the guest room door, Noah had to turn left in order to reach the last two rooms. He could smell someone’s blood the closer he walked. It was a strong smell, a fresh smell. He was curious as to why he would be smelling blood. No one else lived there and it had been months since his younger brother last visited. Noah was even more alert, even more on his guard. The bathroom door was already open. He gave a quick peek inside and confirmed to himself that no one was in there.

  The only room that remained was his bedroom. Noah placed the heel of his feet down and rolled his feet slowly and gently towards his toes onto the ground. This strategic style of walking he hoped would help keep his immediate position concealed. He only wished that he was wearing softer shoes. He approached the last door; the scent of blood was stronger the closer to the door he got. A part of Noah did not want to walk through the door for fear of what he might find.

  Any number of his enemies could’ve been out to send him a message. What really concerned him though was why he couldn't place the scent. He knew it was a familiar scent but for some reason, he couldn't quite determine who it belonged to.

  At last Noah worked up the nerve to open the door. He took a deep breath fearing what he would discover on the other side. With his gun firmly in his hand, Noah opened the door and readied himself for whatever he would encounter. To his surprise, there was still no sign of an intruder. Cautiously, Noah walked around the room. He checked the closet and out the window but there was no one in sight.

  Noah reached into his left pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He punched in Stephanie’s number and then put his ear to the phone. Ring after ring sounded off but there was no answer.

  Noah exited his room and walked back to the hallway. He knelt down to examine the splatters of blood. He could smell the freshness of the fragrance so he was fairly certain that whatever caused this person to bleed had to of happened not too long ago. Noah’s senses began kicking into overdrive. The male fragrance he sensed earlier he could smell once more. Noah stood up and began sniffing around the room. He knew someone else was still inside his home.

  Debris fell from the ceiling as a masked man descended to the ground. He caught Noah off guard and kicked him with a hellacious kick to the face. The masked man in a uniform very similar to the one Noah wore as the Black Vigilante charged forward and drove Noah into the wall. Noah let out a loud grunt from the impact.

  Noah slowly made his way to his feet. He was bleeding eternally. If his ribs weren’t broken before they were undoubtedly broken now. The masked man reached behind his back and pulled out a long sword. Noah cursed loudly. The masked man charged forward with the sharp end of the sword taking the lead. Noah sidestepped to the left avoiding the slash. The masked man twirled the sword over his head and drove it down. Noah flipped backwards again evading a crucial strike. Noah flipped backwards into his room and shut the door. The masked man drove the sword through the closed door breaking a portion of it. Noah quickly dropped to his knees and pulled out a trunk. Inside the trunk were things vital to the life Noah once lived. None more importantly than the long silver sword he used so often on his missions in the past. Noah grabbed the sword just in time.

  The clanging sound of sword hitting sword resonated off the walls. The two men circled around one another getting a fill for one another. The two exchanged a series of attacks each blocked and countered by the other. As the mask man viciously swung his sword in an attempt to decapitate his opponent, Noah dropped his head back barely avoiding contact. Noah drove his sword into the ground sharp side down. The momentum the masked man used left him vulnerable defensively. Noah used the man’s aggressive swing to his advantage, and delivered a well placed closed fist punch to the sternum of the masked man.

  The masked man’s head dropped slightly giving Noah an idea for his next move. Noah grabbed the masked man’s head
and drove his knee into the man’s face. He followed that move by driving his right fist into the masked man’s face. Noah quickly flipped backwards and grabbed his sword. He twirled it around and posed as the masked man tried to regain his composure. The masked man furiously removed his mask revealing himself as Kyle Stanton.

  “I should've known!” Noah shouted. “You’ve come back to try and finish what you started?” Noah asked angrily.

  Kyle spit out blood that was in his mouth. “Did you really think you had seen the last of me? Did you really think our last encounter was yours to claim victory? You should've known it would take more than what you did to kill me. You should've killed me though. You know better than anyone never to give a wounded dog a second chance. You wounded me brother, but you certainly didn't kill me!”

  Noah gritted his teeth. Memories of his time spent with Kyle flooded his head. There were so many memories, so many that he would've liked to have forgotten. “It was you that infiltrated the prison. Who are you working for?” Noah asked.

  Kyle smiled, “You’ll find out soon.” Kyle thought about it and then changed his reply. “Well, your new friends will find out soon, but unfortunately for you, you’ll be dead by then.”

  Noah let out a thunderous yell and charged Kyle with reckless abandon. He swung the sword with all the strength he had but Kyle blocked it. The momentum sent Noah past Kyle with his back turned away from him. Kyle hit Noah with a hard driven elbow to Noah’s spine. Noah screamed in agony.

  “Emotions are for the weak. One cannot display emotions when in the midst of battle. Our master always revered you. He always considered you the greatest of us all, but I’ve always known you were the weakest. I’ve always known that you were the one whose emotions would eventually get you killed. Today is that day.”