“Yes, it’s true. I am a Refugee. I’m not sure how you found that little bit of info, but I’m assuming this is where you strong-arm me into an interview? ‘I’ll reveal your true name to the world if you don’t help me get a Pulitzer, Heat Wave!’ That kind of thing? No? You just want to know how the Refugees were formed? What’s the catch? Well, I guess I can answer that easily enough."
“ It all started when Eve Destruction, Running Side and I starting hunting down the gang known as the Skulls....”
The last of the Skulls turned and ran from me, the flames that were mine to command since birth still burning in his clothes. Suddenly a bright beam of energy arced over my shoulder and into the back of the ganger, knocking him to the ground unconscious.
"Nice shot, Eve!" I looked back over my shoulder and down at her. Small in stature Eve Destruction may be, but her power could be terrible to behold, as she could manipulate pure energy to strike her foes.
We’d been searching these streets for three days for the source of the increased Skulls activity, and it had nearly been our deaths many times over. The Skulls were not your ordinary street gang, you see. They had occult links, granting them strange and dark powers, and the more mundane of the gang tended to experiment with Superadyne-a drug that tends to make the junkie nearly immune to pain, as well as inducing them with violent tendencies.
Now we stood in front of the old warehouse that a contact assured us they were based in. The fights had been fierce, and they had already put two of our members in the hospital. Kleo, who had stood raining down pure energy upon a large group of skulls as they charged down a stairwell toward us, with no thought for her own safety. And Seabound, the strange cyborg whose nanotechnology had helped us in battle countless times, who fell as he ran to Kleo’s side to offer healing. We would avenge those two, that much was certain, but we had found many other new friends as we took our battle to the streets.
A bright flash of light, and suddenly Running Side stood in front of us,
followed immediately by the loud and distinctive ‘pop’ that always
accompanied his teleportation.
“
The roof is clear…well, it is now, anyway.”
Nobody could strike with the speed of Running Side. I’d seen him take
gangers by surprise and drop the group to the ground before they even managed
to draw their weapons. He’d strike them with feet, hands, knees, elbows…whatever
happened to be closest to the poor soul.
“
Good job, Run. We’ll be ready to go as soon as Ralie gives the signal.”
Ralie and her sister Emerald Mist were removing the rest of the guards from
the back of the building, and sealing it so that no Skulls would escape arrest.
Ralie commanded flames like I did, although not up close and personal, which
is more my style. Where I would cover myself in flames and charge into combat,
she would propel streams of fire into the ranks of our foes.
Emerald Mist used energy too, but to a very different end. She could use
the body’s natural essence to promote healing. I don’t mean in
the ‘herbal remedy’ sense, either. She could close bullet holes
in seconds with her mind. We’d known the sisters for a couple of years
now, and they never failed to amaze me. Those two were accompanied by the
mutant known as North Winds. A quiet and strikingly beautiful woman whom
we had met only recently, she did her speaking
through her actions. She could summon storms and lightning to punish our
foes, but was more comfortable using them to protect our friends. Now she
was using her weather control to shroud the area in fog, leaving us less
likely to be spotted.
Suddenly we heard an explosion as Ralie collapsed the back side of the building
with her explosive power. That would keep them from escaping, as well as
serving as our signal to attack. At that moment a short, stocky man rose
from the earth in front of us, his body made entirely of stone. I held back
my
flames, for I knew him.
"Rockbottom, I told you that you didn’t need to get involved in
this mess.”
He grinned up at me from his granite face. “Well, I tried catching
a movie and nothing good was on, so I came here instead.” With that,
Rockbottom turned and ran into the building, nearly bowling over Running
Side, who stood mentally preparing himself for the carnage about
to follow. Run looked up, saw Rockbottom charging in, and with a smile,
ran in after him.
“It was a terrible fight that day, and I shudder still at the memories
of it. But we prevailed, and our fame grew. Fame that brought other famous heroes
to our cause. Heroes such as Nef Chast, the brilliant sage and traveler.
Biacus, the always jovial man who could command nuclear radiation with but
a thought. Methane and Rock Candy Girl joined us also; the famous superhero
team from out West moved to Paragon City, and lent themselves to our cause.
“
That’s the basics of how we were founded. And now, as you know,
there isn’t a crime committed in this city that we won’t fight. We’re
truly a brotherhood of like-minded heroes, and none of us will ever stop
the fight until Paragon City is truly safe from evil. Now, what was all this
questioning about? I see, another recruit wanting to join us."
“Well then, come with me, hero. Let’s see if you have what it takes
to be one of us.”
Rengar/Nittering/Heatwave
Guild Leader, COH Chapter
Refugees
