The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

Scorched Earth

The portal transported Jacqueline to the bridge. She soared over numerous desks and terminals, coffee cups and papers being flung aside, before crashing down at the end of the roof with a resounding clang. Panting, she swung around and bellowed, "FLY TOWARD THAT ISLAND! NOW!"

Her order was obeyed immediately. The airship began to lurch forth, the muffled noise of the engines roaring. Jacqueline folded her wings before looking down at herself. Her suit, her beautiful suit, was damaged. Cuffs, dents, and scratches lay across it, some of them sparking wildly. Her gatling gun was gone, crudely ripped away. And worst of all, one of her optics had been destroyed, exposing her eye to the world. Those freaks...those fucking metahumans!

She roared with rage, sweeping at floor. She smashed through it, sending hunks of pipe bursting and flying around her. HOW?! She screamed internally, spitting flying inside of her helmet. How had it all gone wrong?! They had overwhelming force and power! The five of them at once should have slaughtered those fucking brats! But instead, they had BEATEN them! It was a fucking curb stomp! Not one...NOT ONE...of those stinking, wretched metahumans was dead! Not a single one! Instead, Web, Incisor, and Scream had all fallen! And she...SHE...had been forced to retreat! Even Akihiro had proven to be useless!

"Useless!" Jacqueline howled, grabbing a hunk of the floor. "ALL USELESS!" She grabbed a hunk of the floor, ripped it loose, and viciously dismembered it, imaging she was killing one of the metahumans. Panting, she then heard a slurping noise behind her and turned.

A glob of paint flopped off her jetpack and splatted against the floor. It writhed for a few moments before Akihiro's shape arose from it. He stumbled and flopped against a nearby computer, looking winded. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up with one arm and turned to her. Jacqueline saw a knife rammed into his shoulder, blood and paint oozing around it.

"So strong..." Akihiro muttered, seeming more to himself than her. He stroked the handle of his knife before gripping it. Slowly, with a grimace, he pulled it free from his shoulder and stared at it. "My own blood..." He clenched the knife tightly, his face contorting angrily. "My own blood...he hurt me. Again. He disrupted my creation...he ruined my masterpiece...again." The last word came out as a snarling hiss.

Jacqueline gritted her teeth. "Your masterpiece?! That's all you can think about?! What about me?! They humiliated me! They DAMAGED my suit!" She slammed a fist against her breastplate. "Focus on that! That's important!"

Akihiro looked at her and he raised an eyebrow. He then looked her over and whispered, "My dear...nothing is more important than my masterpiece. I hope you're still going to help me complete it...? Otherwise..." He spun the knife idly. "Well, otherwise I might have to turn my passions elsewhere..." He looked meaningfully around the bridge as he said that.

Jacqueline glared at him. He was threatening. This stupid man was threatening her. Again. This time...he didn't have a knife to her throat but still. Jacqueline clenched one fist tightly but swallowed and barely restrained herself. She knew that Akihiro wasn't to be messed with. This whole blasted ship was coated with paint. And she...she still needed him.

So instead of indulging him further, Jacqueline turned away from the maniac and stomped across the bridge. Wormhole sat in his usual chair, his helmet firm on his head. He rubbed his eyes, groaning. "Ma'am..." He started to say but Jacqueline looked down at him and cut him off.

"Shut up!" She barked at the old man. Wormhole pursed his lips but raised his hands in surrender before flopping back against his chair and did as he was told. He shut up. Good. Jacqueline marched onward, until she was at the very front of the bridge.