Superpowers In A World Gone Mad
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Among The Shadows, Issue #001

May 31, 2013 in Among The Shadows Tags:

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Issue #001 – – – – – controlled by Ewan Farris – – – – – Credits 1

“You have to be quiet,” Darkstar told the children.

The older ones hushed quickly, but some of the youngest continued to snivel and cry.  It broke his heart, but it was also very dangerous.  He could hear the footsteps above drawing closer.  Any sound might alert them to the hiding place.

Dark Star pulled a pouch from the concealed pocket inside his duster.  The powder within it was very special, made in an even more special shop Downtown on Coldharbour Avenue whose entrance could only be seen after midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays and even then only by those who were wearing a white trilby hat or who were humming the Star Spangled Banner in the Key of “D”.

He tried one more time: “Ssshhhh”, but there was no calming the youngsters and he was out of time.  He shook the little pouch so that the silvery dust puffed out of it in an odourless cloud.  The small area fell immediately and absolutely silent.  The magic in the dust prevented sound from travelling.  It was very effective and useful, but also extremely expensive.

There was a downside.  The sound of the children would not alert those who were searching for them upstairs, but neither could he hear what was going on up there.  Sound could not reach his ears until the dust’s magic faded – in a few minutes.

With some trepidation, Dark Star sat silently and waited.  He expected the trap door to pop open at any moment and a group of special op cops, known as the Bully Boys, to fill the small hideaway with hot lead.  He would do what he could.  He could probably take out most, or even all, of the cops in fairly short order.  His energy attack would be very effective in an enclosed area like this and he was no stranger to hand-to-hand combat either.  But as fast and as strong as he was – he wasn’t impervious to bullets and neither, pertinently, were the kids.  He might be killed.  More importantly, some of the kids would almost certainly be injured or killed.  It was why he had chosen to hide rather than fight.

Time passed.  The trap door did not open.  Until, eventually, sound returned.  Dark Star couldn’t hear anything above so he cracked the trap door open a tad and peered out.  “It’s okay,” Lily said from somewhere nearby.  “They’ve gone.”

Dark Star led the kids into the light of the basement room.  Lily, a beautiful dark-haired women somewhere in her late-twenties, was waiting.  “Are you sure it’s clear?” Dark Star asked.  “Certain,” she said.  “They didn’t seem to be l0oking for anything in particular.  Just a standard sweep.  I think we’re okay.”
“Good,” Dark Star said, glancing at the kids.  A weird lot, all of them were borderline Subnormal with strange mutations that set them apart.  Otherwise, they were just normal, nice kids.  He was very fond of them.  Although they mostly had useless or very low-grade powers, the authorities still wanted them.  Lily and her group of activist normals, Liberty Inc., were determined to prevent children becoming prisoners and in some cases experiments of The State.   Dark Star agreed with that purpose.

Dark Star had been chasing a burglar along Port Road a few weeks ago when he’d encountered Liberty Inc. “collecting” a child.  At first he’d thought they were kidnappers, or something worse, but once he’d found out what they were about he’d kept an eye on them from time to time.  He’d just come by tonight bringing some supplies he’d secured after breaking up a criminal gang when he’d seen the Bullies coming towards the orphanage.  He’d alerted them in time to get the “different” kids into the cellar hideaway.

“Thank you,” Lily told him, favouring him with a light kiss on the cheek.  “I don’t know how you kept them quiet.  I was sure they’d be heard.”
“I just gave them my best stern voice,” Dark Star said.  “And they quietened right down.”
“Liar!” laughed Joy, one of the older girls who had been in the hideout with him.

Knock, knock, knock.  Everybody fell silent.  All eyes turned towards the front of the house.

Knock, knock, knock.  Again.  Louder.

“Open up please, Lily Taverner. This is Agent Stern of the Federal Bureau Of Abnormal Activities.  I know you are in there and I know you have Abnormal children amongst your charges.  You are in a great deal of trouble, which will be exacerbated if you do not open this door immediately.”
“Shit,” Lily’s face had gone white as the blood drained from it.  “Oh shit, shit, shit.”
“Don’t panic,”  Dark Star said.  “He sounds like he’s alone.  He sounds arrogant.  And he thinks he’s dealing with some normals and a houseful of kids.  He doesn’t know I’m here.”  Dark Star pulled his duster right and set his scarf to properly conceal his countenance.  He looked grim and dangerous.  Then, purposefully, he advanced towards the door.


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