David and Goliath

Lucius Alba, Prime Minister of Belarus. Possible prior connections to the group ‘Ultra Gang’ Leader of the criminal organization known as Rise. Possible connections to the Crime Syndicate. Defeated the hero group known as the Talons and brought about the death of their leader Phoenix on live television. Not actually the man who delivered the killing ‘blow’ but orchestrated it nonetheless. Metahuman activist. Not necessarily a bad thing, actions to promoting it however have brought about countless deaths. Claims to be acting for the good of mankind. Claims that his means justify the ends. Seen dictators and cult leaders with not nearly as big of a death toll claim the same thing. Six years in the military, six years on special forces stopping world leaders not nearly as bad as him.

Used to be a humanitarian. Used to be great scientist, activist. He tried to progress humanity the right way. This? This is wrong. Supposedly depowered. Most would think that would make him weak, an easier target, someone to take out. Opposite is more likely. Better security, higher defenses. A mind like his? Probably thought of everything. Got a new suit, a drug, something to stimulate his abilities. Recreated them or in the process of doing so. Either way stupid to think he’d be defenseless, still prime opportunity to show him he’s wrong. No. wrong way of thinking about it. Many have tried to convince him he’s wrong, many ended up dead because of that. No point in trying to convince him he’s wrong. Too arrogant, too prideful. Won’t ever see he’s wrong or no better than those that came before him. Probably takes pride in it.

It is however an opportune time to prove he’s wrong in another way. Just because you have a metahuman ability does not mean you are better than everyone else. Doesn’t mean you get to go about doing whatever it is you want to whomever you want. Every action has its consequences. The man lost his family. His wife. Varying reports or rumors about tension between him and his children. Might be possible to convince him that he’s simply doing to others exactly what was done to him. Prove he’s no better than those that took from him. Possibly for later. Not what today was about. Today was proving he could be beaten, that a normal man was his equal. That just like everyone else he had to answer for his crimes. That he wasn’t untouchable.

Everything was planned. Every detail. From the hotel room, he stayed at the night before, to the meeting. To his chauffeur being slightly late after the meeting ended. Not enough to raise suspicion but not precisely when it should have been. Handing over the keys. A quick inspection of the car would show nothing wrong. As in fact nothing had been done to the car. The AI made that too risky. No, the delay was to give more time to set things up. To prepare. The stretch of road was seemingly normal. No outward appearances of tampering. Any guards, and he doubted the prideful but powerful man would have few if any, would not be harmed. They would make it through unscathed. His car however? As soon as Romulus saw it, and Lucius himself, through his scope, the downpour of rain only hardly messing with his view, an explosion would trigger.

Not enough to damage the car on its own. It would however be enough to flip it. Enough to flip the car forwards, nose down first before crashing down on its top and skidding a couple of inches. It paid to still have contacts. As they say, once a marine always a marine. The car now on its side the area already heavily obscured from the downpour of rain would fill out with smoke when the man stepped outside of the car. It would give the ex-marine enough time to silently make his way down to the crash site. He had trained in the art of stealth and could sneak up on even the most aware individuals without trouble. A man who had just been in a car crash and whose area was suddenly filled with smoke? This was a man expecting an attack. A powerful individual who faced all opposition head on. Who could teleport out if need be. A military grade taser gun to the back? That should stifle any thought of running. Simper Fi asshole.

"Haven't i told you already, Minister? You'll get the vote to the floor by any means necessary. Let me remind you who has the means to reform our government at any moment. The house is a formality, nothing more. Do as i say, or you may become irrelevant sooner then expected." Lucius said, disconnecting the call with a specific motion of his hand. The dictator had been trying to organize two major political maneuvers at once, one in the US and one in Belarus. Not a difficult task for a man of his ability, but the ineptitude of others was irritating none the less.

He was mid-transport, having made a visit to a rally in New York hours earlier. He was headed to a secret location where he would be boarded onto a plane and flown back to Belarus. Of course, Lucius didn't really make it difficult to find him. Precaution to the man wasn't hiding from confrontation, but planning as if it were to be expected. Indeed, he drove a bright red muscle car behind a massive black SUV. It wasn't hard to deduce who the motorcade was for, and it was even easier to figure out which vehicle he was in.

That said, Lucius wore his personal armor. He was prideful, sure, but he wasn't stupid. If he were to use a low amount of security, he would make sure he had all the personal firepower he could muster. The only absence in his usual technological outfit was the mask. He hadn't put it on for a few reasons, mostly because he didn't enjoy associating his public image with a face that many feared. However, it did take away a few advantages. Advantages he would have to do without for this confrontation.

The bomb blew up, not even scratching the car, but managing to flip it over regardless. Lucius didn't move a muscle, only gripping the wheel a bit tighter as he rode out the storm. He was fine, he knew, but the wreck couldn't have been the punchline to this attack. Even if most still thought he didn't have his powers, they knew killing him wouldn't be so easy. No, attackers were waiting for him right outside.

"Should i ask why you weren't scanning for explosive substances and radio detonators?" Lucius said, grunting a little as he reached for his seat belt. He was unharmed, but it was an awkward position regardless.

"I was scanning. I just decided this drive would be more fun with a little intermission." Sven said, his voice booming out from the vehicle. Lucius simply sighed at his now unreliable AI. Of course that was the case.

Lucius opened the door to the vehicle, crawling out onto the pavement. It was such a primitive way to exit a vehicle, but it's what his attackers would expect, and for now he wanted to play into their cards. Jumping to a quick action such as teleporting would only elevate the situation before he knew what he was dealing with.

The SUV up ahead stopped, armed men opening the doors to prepare for a fight. However, Lucius, now upright, gave the go ahead to just keep going. These weren't secret service agents, they were soldiers from Belarus that knew Lucius and his meta followers could handle themselves if needed. Whatever the reason, the SUV kept going on Lucius' command. This was something Red wanted to handle personally. It was an insult that needed proper retribution.

"I have to hand it to you, you have bravado." Lucius said aloud, not caring if he were heard or not. Lucius was still getting his barrings, and quite honestly didn't notice being snuck up on despite his superior processing power. Before the dictator could realize it, a taser gun was fired at his back.

It of course, simply bounced off. Lucius' repulsive armor met the projectile with the same force it exerted, and it was sent flying to the roadside. Lucius, unphased, let out a slow chuckle as he pivoted on his heel, facing his attacker.

"Is that all? I honestly don't know what refuted that, my armor, or my bug spray." Lucius said, standing in a way that asked "really?"

Lucius' icy grey eyes looked his attacker over. This was not an outwardly remarkable man. In fact, he seemed less intimidating then some of his bodyguards. What reason could he have for so openly attacking a world leader? What radical ideology brought him to make such a suicidal decision? There was only one way to find out.

"Dare i ask what horrible act i committed to deserve such treatment? I understand there is a lot of varying opinion on me, but to lead with violence over words? That is the mark of an uncivilized man." Lucius said, taking a step forward. His boot made a ripple in the puddle below him, the two men's reflection evident on it's surface. He had no intention of hurting this man, but he did want to understand the why of the situation.

Interesting. He had expected the taser to strike the armor and the electrical current to course through it. Perhaps not damaging the man underneath but to achieve some sort of result. In that regards, it succeeded. It showed him that Lucius’ armor was able to repulse things and send them back whence they came. Whether that was simply for projectiles or happened with melee attacks as well was currently unknown to the ex-marine. His timing on everything so far however had been correct at least. Whether or not what he still had planned was going to help him he knew not and would only find out in due time. Right on cue the prideful dictator started talking. Asking Romulus what why it was he attacked him. Calling him uncivilized for simply attacking him instead of talking beforehand. A simple answer was that it would have given away his initial element of surprise. A long answer though? He could provide that.

“One. I attacked first before speaking to test something. A couple of somethings actually. Two, you’re a man of science or at least you claimed to be, surely you could understand that. Three, I remember a man who used to be a humanitarian, an activist who sought to improve the world.” Four, “Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, The Taliban, Isis, the Nazi regime” five “Now you and your organization Rise are no better than they are.” Six. The 6’2, two-hundred-and-ten-pound vigilante now stood facing the Belarus ‘Prime Minister’ looking him in the eyes. Seven. “I had hoped the rumors and statements were false. That you weren’t as bad as they said. So, I did my own digging.” Eight. “The Ultra Gang, the thousands of human lives you’ve taken in your insane cause. The confrontation with the hero group previously known as the Talons.” Nine. “The video recording of your hand in causing the death of Phoenix? That sealed the deal. You’re no better than those dictators and religious zealots that came before you.” Ten.

As soon as the last word left Romulus mouth two simultaneous timers each set two thousand yards out would reach zero. There were no explosions this time, no flash of fire or smoke just the quietest of a bang muffled through silencers and thus not at all heard from the distance the two were at. Two Barret .50 caliber rifles would send their bullet flying down range at speeds reaching 2,800 fps or 853mph. The two bullets were aimed to strike Lucius simultaneously. The one from the right aimed to strike at his right kneecap while the bullet from the left was poised to strike the left side of his noise and exit out the right side of his noise. Romulus knew that no court room would accept any trial with the ‘Prime Minister’ and he’d never be charged with anything but despite that he was not out to kill the man. No need to counter the argument he just made.

Having witnessed what happened with the taser gun he wasn’t even sure either of these bullets would hit their intended marks. He didn’t have too many more tricks up his sleeve but the ones he did could be adjusted on the fly. Good plans had contingencies, could be adjusted, and didn’t fall a part of one or two things went wrong. Either way if the bullets struck or not he’d simply take a few steps back, hands resting near his escrima sticks. “You claim that metahumans are the future, that they’re all superior to us humans. I’ve heard that cry or something similar from crazy dictators before in my tours. I’m going to show you just what a normal human can do. You’ll answer for all the families you’ve torn a part and ruined.”

A sly smile crept up on Lucius' face as he listened to the man. He had to admit, this one at least had some passion. Well, that isn't fair to say, Phoenix had passion, but it was only in himself and his own power. This was a seemingly normal man facing down someone that, rumors be untrue, could kill him in an instant. Lucius could respect that, honestly. The man had guts.

"Those groups were nothing but romantics and religious radicals. Their lack of reason lead to pointless violence, indeed, but any violence Rise has engaged in was due to people's denial of an objective, scientific truth. We're the next step." Lucius said in rebuttal. The clear difference between him and everyone the man mentioned was that Rise held a cause of reason, logic. Comparing him to Jihadists and a group longing for the days when white men ruled the world was nothing but an unfair insult.

Well, turns out it was something a bit more then that. It was a distraction. Lucius wasn't expecting the taser was all the man had up his sleeve, of course; he was too confident. No, if he had time to set up a bomb, he had time to do other things, and that hypothesis was confirmed in the next moment.

Lucius heard them, two shots. The sound was consistent with sniper fire he had heard before. His attacker wasn't alone? Perhaps not. Either way, these delinquents would understand why Lucius had the reputation that he did soon enough.

Even with his hyperactive mind, it was difficult to figure out the exact trajectory of two incredibly fast projectiles at once. He resorted to allowing his AI to track one, while he did the other. The dictator focused on the one to his right, calculating where it would end up, and realized it was headed straight for his head. He stuck his arm up, intending to block with his armor.

Low.

Sven had used his scanning, sending the telepathic message to Lucius' mind nanoseconds before impact. Lucius was glad to hear the second shot wasn't coming for his head as well, as that was the only part of him that wasn't armored. He didn't make any move to stop the second shot. What was the worst that could happen?

Both sniper rounds hit with fantastic impact, Lucius' armor sputtering and sparking as it repulsed the shots. Lucius himself had been thrown off balance by the force, but he hadn't been hurt. The real use of the shots was that they had contained enough power to send his armor into a reboot, meaning Lucius could be without the repulsive field for up to twenty minutes.

Honestly, he could have simply let out a pulse of faint energy to disintegrate the rounds, but where was the fun in that? No, there was nothing Lucius loved more then a good debate, and the challenge this man put forward was just too sweet to pass up. Who was truly better? He was, of course, but that didn't mean he wouldn't savor the victory.

"So it is just you then? Unless of course you meant 'see what several humans can do.' No...... I think you're just crazy enough to be here alone." Lucius said, unsheathing his sword, Cora Zen. The gem in it's hilt shimmered red, the blades offensive mode activating as Lucius stared the vigilante down.

"Fine..... If you really want me to prove it to you, i will...... But i have to ask.. Who are you to judge me based on violence? Humanity has done nothing but that their entire existence, metas included. America, Britain, Russia, Israel, China ...... They are all responsible for their own dark histories, their own mass killings in the name of their ideals, people, and land.... All nations are." Lucius said, now circling the man, rain drenching his robes and bouncing off his armor. Lucius then bowed to his opponent respectfully, admittedly a bit arrogantly as well.  

"So what makes me different? What makes me a devil, and say, someone like you, better? You just fired a shot at my head. You're using lethal force against someone you've never met, all because you read a few things and got one side of the story." Lucius said, letting a drawn out pause take the air. For a few moments, all that could be heard was falling rain, and the breath of the two opposites. Lucius ground his boot into the pavement, taking a firm stance.

"Show me."

“Who am I? I’m just a man. A man who has seen the worst humanity has to offer, who has seen murderers. pedophiles and sexual predators, religious zealots, homicidal maniacs, tyrants and dictators, fools who think they’re gods.” His eyes never leaving the ‘Prime Minister’ as he circled him, almost like he thought he was some big cat circling its prey. In all honesty that’s probably how Lucius saw the situation, to him this was all a game. He genially thought, no believed, the outcome of this situation was already foretold and that he was to come out on top. That was his first mistake. “Despite that I’ve also seen the best of mankind. Little kids asking cops to tie their shoes because they’re parents told them to go to the police whenever they needed help, a paramedic working thirteen to twenty-four-hour shifts and giving their life in service of helping others, the guy down the street finding your dog for you and returning it without asking for anything in return, a random stranger giving the last bit of their savings to a homeless person, hell even the stereotypical man walking the old lady across the street.”

Romulus was no optimist, he was a realist. He knew that humanity was vile, that they were wicked and people did terrible things, but he also knew they did remarkable things. That if given the chance people could do wonderful things, good things, and more often than not they did. As for the other questions Lucius made, Romulus had to pause for a second. He never once claimed that the man was the devil, or that Romulus was better than him. He had done terrible things in his life as well and he definitely never claimed to be a hero. “I never claimed you were the devil. A terrible human being sure, one who thinks he can get away without answering for his crimes? Definitely. I know I’ve done terrible things, made bad decisions. The difference is I’ve answered for them. You take a dreadful day, a terrible loss and in turn decide the best thing to do is wipe out humanity. I took a dreadful day, a terrible loss and decided no one else should go without seeing their family again.”

When the man reached for his sword Romulus hands shifted from resting near his escrima sticks to the Veretum spear on his back. “As for the shot, it wasn’t lethal. It would have impacted with your nose before exiting on the other side. If it hit you’d be in a world of pain sure, possibly horribly scarred there as well but dead? No. Your children would still have their father. They already lost their mother. Who are we to take that away from them?” A foot meeting gravel, digging in to get traction. A defensive stance taken and two words spoken. A short breath escaping both mouths of the two individuals as they stood opposite each other. Taking hold of the spear, he removed it from his back and moved it into a ready stance. There was no need for anything fancy.

That would come later. He still had one or two more tricks up his sleeve but the circumstances for them had yet to have been met. For now, it was a straight close quarters fight. Lucius Alba may be a skilled combatant, and from everything Romulus had found out the man was and could hold his own. In most situations. This? This was not most situations. Romulus Emanuel Mercury was not most combatants. The ‘Prime Minister’ issued forth the challenge, figuratively throwing down the gauntlet, and Romulus accepted. A standard attack to start of course, nothing fancy, testing the mettle of the man before him. A downward arcing slash with his spear. An uncommon attack with a spear but effective.

The move was a bit unorthodox. A normal man may be taken off guard by such an attack, but Lucius was no normal man. Judging by subtle muscle movement, force, trajectory, and dozens of other variables, Lucius flawlessly predicted where the spear would end up. His blade buzzed with vibration, a high tech saw ready to cleave through anything in it's way.

Lucius made it seem like he was simply blocking, but at the last second, the edge of the blade was turned toward the shaft of the spear, the intention being to take it's head off. Unless this were some kind of super metal, the high tech blade would have no issue in doing so. Not to mention, the man had no reason to expect a simple block to instead all but destroy his weapon.

With a flourishy spin step, Lucius once again put distance between him and Romulus, whether his strike made its mark or not. The dictator glared at the man before him, shaking his head at his foe's reasoning.

"And yet, here we are, settling our differences with violence, like the savages we are." Lucius quipped, twirling his blade in hand to bring it back to it's standard fencing position. Lucius put his free hand behind his back, his form impeccable even when he simultaneously debated this man.

"I have to wonder which side of things you think you're on. Are you more like the tyrants, killers and thieves, or the happy children and do-gooders? If it's the latter, you're lying to yourself." Lucius said. The man had pointed out that he never used the word "devil," as if that were the point. It didn't matter what word you used, the line of thinking that opposed him was all the same.

"Devil, monster, tyrant, terrible.... It doesn't matter, your thinking is the same as all the others that feel change can somehow be had without a little bit of brutality. You would think those with the vigilante mentality would appreciate that necessity, since that's essentially what you do, but us humans contradict ourselves all the time, i suppose." Lucius said, now standing firmly. The rain still poured, flashes of lightning occasionally sparking in the distance, reflecting light off Lucius' sword and armor. Both men were no doubt drenched, but this battle of idealogies seemed more important to them then an umbrella.

"I've answered for my sins in ways you could never imagine, and I can honestly say I've changed since. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? Good only justifies evil when you talk about humanity as a whole, not an individual, right?" Lucius sheathed his sword after he spoke, then he began to step forward. Arms behind his back, he deliberately and slowly walked forward, his movements following the pace of his words.

"If you want to prove you can be on par with me, be honest, don't do it under some false idea that you have the moral high ground. We're all monsters, we're all shades of grey. Nothing makes your self justified dictation and violence better then mine, no matter what mental gymnastics you do to convince yourself it is." Lucius said. As he neared, his eyes sparked with red. First it was subtle, and the average person might not have seen it, but soon, the dictator's eyes were two burning crimson lights. Red smiled wickedly, unrelenting in his advance.

"You're lucky. Had you caught me four years ago, i would have killed you."

A simple attack, a simple block, but not quite so simple. Romulus was no superhuman that much was true. What he was however was an expert fighter. Lucius was no slouch either but the vigilante could still read a feint when he saw one. Did that mean he was able to move fast enough to completely negate the feint or to move in such a way that the two attacks from both opponents never connected? No. He saw it coming, was able to move the position on his hand, and thus the spear, allowing so instead of chopping off the head from the shaft the blade would connect with the head of the spear. It should have been enough to keep his spear intact. It didn’t matter though. Of course, the sword wasn’t made of normal metal. Slicing clean through the metal head of his spear and rendering it essentially useless.

Tossing the shaft to the ground his right hand reached into a pocket on his suit, his eyes never leaving the individual before him. Using the time to take a few steps back, reassessing the situation. The ‘jab’ about vigilante lying to himself if he thought himself more in line with the heroes only brought a smirk to his face. He knew he was no hero, he was no saint. Compared to the man in front of him though? He was certainly the closer of the two. If things like that even matter. However, Lucius’ rebuttal on how change had to be brought about with a little bit of brutality almost made Romulus laugh out loud. Almost. “A little bit of brutality? Truly. You think the things you have done are a little bit of brutality? You think the things you do are any different or better than Genera Jorge Videlal or The Republic of Zaire?”

The rain coming down on the two of them, the lightning flashing in the back ground. Romulus knew the man before him was cruel. That the things he had done or orchestrated were imaginable, but to see that the man actually believed he was doing it all for the right reason? That he thought he was bringing about a better world and truly believed he had already paid for the things he had done. Truly believed it. The only thing Romulus even remotely agreed with that in the end they were all shades of grey. He had seen people who were truly good or truly evil but he knew he himself did not rest on either end of those spectrums truly. He never claimed to be a hero, but he sure as hell wasn’t a villain. At the end of the day he could still say what he was doing was good. Apparently, Lucius too thought that. That made him even more dangerous. A man who believed what he was doing was for the greater good could be so much worse than someone who knew they were doing evil and relished in it.

“You’re wrong.” Staring directly into his red glowing eyes. Knowing at that moment another of his suspicions had been confirmed. At least that final bit of preparation had not been put in place for nothing. “I don’t do the things I do to wipe out an entire species. In the end, no matter what you tell yourself that’s what you’re doing if you achieve your goal. Killing whomever and whatever gets in your way to achieve that goal.” His hand in his pocket slipped on the brass knuckle taser as Lucius said that he was lucky he hadn’t met him four years ago as he would have killed him. His other one currently wrapped around a normal brass knuckle. “I know. That’s another difference between us. I still would have brought you into custody.” As soon as the words left his mouth he swung his fist forward. The electrified one swinging into his gut attempting to make the man lose his breath as the second fist went in for his face. Right in the jaw. See if he still liked to talk after that.

Romulus' response, in Lucius' eyes, boiled down to 'you're wrong and evil no matter what.' It didn't matter what fallacies in the man's logic were pointed out, the vigilante had decided on what this situation was and how it should be handled. Lucius said nothing as he closed the distance, his stride not pausing for more then a moment.

Lucius knew he was about to take some hits. He had taken some from the likes of the Blood Tithe, and even fought toe to toe with the likes of both Atlas and The Phoenix. These were some of the most dangerous combatants in the world. Lucius did not fear this man, and in fact welcomed anything that he could throw at him.

 The electrified gauntlet connected with Lucius' stomach, the volts streaming out into his armor. Incredibly harmful to the normal human, but as i said before, Lucius wasn't normal. The man constantly had one of the world's most chaotic substances coursing through his vains. A little punch and some electricity were peanuts to his strengthened molocules, and the same could be said for the strike to his head.

To add insult to injury, Lucius had activated his Movement Stabilizer, meaning he could only influence his own movement. He wasn't even pushed by the strikes, his body reacting as a stone statue would.

"Hahahahahaha! Red couldn't contain himself, genuine laughter escaping his lips. His unnerving gaze never once moved from the man before him. He was being stared down. It was pretty clear to anyone that wasn't delusional ahat would happen next.

Lucius flicked his wrist, and like a lightning strike, a pulse of energy would envelope the area at blinding speed. It was visibly more faint then what he would usually use, but then again the Dictator's intention wasn't to kill this vigilante, only disarm and maybe hurt. You see, he had willed this pulse of energy to only effect the brass knuckles in the man's hands, and only give the vigilante a taste of the corrosive, acidic power of the energy along his skin.

Knowing his energy, the knuckles should have been incinerated. They were pretty obviously normal metal, and his energy carved through that like butter.

"If i wanted to wipe out humanity, i would be far more proactive in doing so. I have enough on my side to make Hitler's regime look like child's play. But of course, that's not what i want. That's a convenient way to look at a goal i guess your little mind can't understand." Lucius said, now stepping forward. He activated Protocol: Overclock to increase the physical power in his chassis, intending to lift the man up off the ground by his throat.

If the vigilante retreated, Lucius would simply move forward again. Nothing short of running for dear life would stop Lucius' advance. But, if out of some miracle this man escaped his clutches, Red would send out another storm of energy, this time tweaked to only corrode away at Romulus' legs in a manner equivalent to third degree burns. The pulses came out from Lucius like an explosion, and if you were anywhere near close, you were getting hit.

"Metahumans are humans. I wonder what you would think if you asked some of my oldest followers why they continue to believe in this cause. It isn't out of some doctrine, or false idea of world domination..... It's about hope. Hope in a future where they don't need me to save them from fanatics chasing them out of their own home, hope in a future where their own parents don't send them to some facility for freaks, and hope that one day society won't treat them as outcasts for the heinous crime of holding genetics the rest of the world doesn't." Lucius said, the anger and burning passion evident in his words. Whether he had the man at his mercy or not, he continued.

"I agree, that's a difference. I've been to the depths of my own soul, seen the darkest part of it, and somehow came out better. You on the other hand apparantly remain ignorant to your faults. I haven't killed anyone in years, haven't imposed my will on the unwilling in the same. Does that justify what I did in the past? No. But i won't be judged by some vigilante who thinks THAT I HAVEN'T SUFFERED ENOUGH! So what are you punishing me for? The past i have answered for already, or what i do now? Becuase what we do isn't different, really. You see a world broiled in chaos and oppression just as i do, and we're both willing to do whatever we deem necessary to change that. We're both dictators, both evil men trying to change an evil world......"Lucius said. He brought his face closer to Romulus', whether he was in his grip or not, and said his final words.

"I would like to alter your initial statement about our main difference........ I took a bad day, and i made it a revolution for the oppressed. You took a bad day, and decided openly attacking anyone you disagree with is somehow not only justified, but a good thing."

Romulus threw his punches out at the man just as the ‘Prime Minister’ reached to activate a device on his bandoleer. The strikes hit, both of them. The electrified one to the gut and the one to the face yet nothing phased the man. It was here that Romulus suspicions were finally confirmed. That meant he only had one trick left up his sleeve. A move he had in preparation for a last ditch situation. One he had not intended to use. He had thought what he had prepared would be enough. Sure, he could always try and remotely trigger more fire from the sniper rifles but that would take time and space. Both of which he didn’t have. The explosions were used on the car and anyway he wasn’t out to kill the self-titled devil. That wasn’t his play.

To make matters worse the volatile, and violent, Meta-Human rights activist started laughing like a mad scientist. Before he could react, and even though only human was generally an impressive rate, to the flick of the man’s wrists the red corrosive energy streaked out and completely destroyed and ‘melted’ the brass knuckles. Burning down through Romulus suit and even scaring the top portion of his actual knuckles. A slight grimace was the only reaction seen by the dark suited warrior. The had darted forward fast, but not fast enough that Romulus couldn’t move out of the way. In fact it was quite the opposite. While Lucius was admittedly an expert swordsman and tactician and perhaps hand to hand combatant he was not on the level of expertise nor did he have the life time of training that Romulus had. Training that allowed him to read people’s movements almost as if he was reading a children’s picture book.  In that regards he could have moved, done something to get away from the hand grasping for his neck. He chose not to.

A stupid ploy perhaps, a slip of the mind even maybe. That’s how most would see it. Lucius however probably thought it was his simple superiority to everyone else and especially to anyone that was not in any way enhanced. Of course, Romulus made it look like he tried to move out of the way, a movement to the side, an arm shooting up and striking against Lucius own outstretched hand in an attempt to bat it away. Only for it to knowingly strike against what felt like solid concrete. What he didn’t expect however was the man to effortlessly lift him up into the air off his feet and hold him there with no apparent issue. He was stronger than he looked. Much stronger. It seemed those bits of information hadn’t been fibbed or stretched. Interesting. “Than do that.” He struggled to get out against the hand holding him up, squeezing against his throat. “Show us why we’re wrong. The right way. The peaceful way. It’s been done before.” He knew the man wouldn’t listen, he was on a rant. Why was it people in his position liked to talk so much? Also talking definitely hurt. Great.

The next bit or Lucius rant was what Romulus was expecting. The man was mad. He truly believed in his ideals. Truly wanted a better world for meta-humans and the hope that it would one day come. A sentiment Romulus could agree with. They were similar in wanting the best for people. That much was obvious. The way that they went about it however was different. The motivation behind it was very similar if what Romulus knew was true. They were essentially two sides of the same coins both working towards different, yet similar, goals and doing so in ways the other didn’t approve of. Neither would probably ever change their minds either. One reason why he hadn’t come here attempting to change the man’s mind. It did however leave Romulus with a couple of learning experiences. One of which being he was not quite as ready for this as he expected, and would need to be better prepared from now on.

Struggling for breath now Romulus listened as the man finished his rant before reaching behind his back, his fingers gripping around four-cylinder clips connected to canisters. “Interesting Theory.” He choked out “Goodnight.” The first letter of the word had scarcely left his lips before he pulled the clips out of the canisters. A small flame would ignite underneath the liquids in them as they were quickly expelled outwards into the air in a gaseous form enveloping the area around the two. The two cylinders on the right contained the anesthetic known as  Sevoflurane the two on the left containing the general and highly effective knockout gas commonly known Dimethylheptylpyran. As they entered the air Romulus quickly reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a military issued rebreather placing it in his mouth. Hopefully the Prime Minister would be knocked out fairly quickly, and before he could choke Romulus into unconsciousness.

Lucius began choking the man. He wasn't planning on killing the vigilante, but a nap was certainly on the table. It was odd such a nimble man didn't escape his clutches, but Lucius paid no mind. He truly believed nothing this man did could be of any consequence.

Lucius' grey eyes, sparking with red energy, stared into the man. A look of almost pity was on his face. He could respect this man. He was willing to go after someone he probably knew he couldn't convince or defeat. He was strong in his ideals, strong in himself. Lucius had no doubt he wanted to help people, just like he himself did, but the ways they thought change should be had were too different to be on the same side, at least today.

"....I...I'm trying. Can't you see that? I want to make this right, peaceful. I want a world without violence, death, and oppression..... But i can't help but take the easy way. I can't help but want to punish society for causing the division that took everything from me.... This...this is the only way i know can work." Lucius said, still choking the man. Suddenly though, the vigilante released gas into the air. It enveloped the area very quickly, and even though his regeneration would slow the process, without a mask he wasn't completely immune.

Red took a breath in, the taste of the gas on his tongue. He looked to the man in his grip, who had put a rebreather on his face, no doubt to protect from the gas he had just released. Lucius just shook his head, a pitied smile on his face.

"Not today........ Forgive me. It was never my intention to harm anyone, but that's just how it went." Lucius said truthfully. In the next moment, two things happened. Firstly, energy poured from the dictator's hand rapidly. Red had willed it to not harm the vigilante in any way, but it's full effects would be focused on the mask the man wore. Assuming it was made of normal materials, it would be pulverized in maybe a second. After that, the Rise Head's teleporter was activated in a flash of red light, and Romulus would no doubt be dropped to the ground.

---------------

Lucius' vision was blurred. He appeared off road, two hundred meters away. Red hit the ground after a moment of stumbling, his breathing labored from how much of the gas he inhaled. Even though his body was moving quickly to get rid of the substance, it still hurt, and he was still feeling it's effects in a big way.

Lucius would remain on the ground for a minute or so, eventually pulling himself to his feet. He wiped the sweat from his brow, coughing a little as he composed himself. His vision wasn't the greatest at the moment, but he could walk. He was of course heading back to the place of the encounter. He wasn't going to leave his car, Aurora. He had come to like that one quite a bit.

His words cut deep. Romulus could feel the emotion coming off of them. This time though there was no anger behind them, no hate. Just sadness. Acceptance almost. A longing to truly do the right thing, a belief that what he was doing was the only way he could achieve the things he sought. A truthful regret for the way things were going and his thoughts. Romulus was no human lie detector but you learned a thing or two in his line of work. Before the incident and after. This was a man who wasn’t lying, who truly meant what he said. It made Romulus believe that his vision was possible, or at least started to believe that something like what he wanted could happen. Maybe not now, not today, and if he had any say it wouldn’t be through hateful or harmful means. But coexistence? They could start there.

What happened next was something Romulus had calculated but didn’t truly factor in to happening. He had hoped the gas had worked quickly enough that the man would drop him, or he’d pass out. The fact that it was affecting him at all was a good sign, couldn’t plan for everything. He could however prepare for the corrosive energy coming for him by taking a last breath in and holding it as the energy dissolved the rebreather. The ‘Prime Minister’ would then drop Romulus and teleport away. A trick he had somewhat expected at least before any of this went down. To see that it happened now however would give him the momentum he needed to get away and regroup. This was a lost battle, he was out of tricks and saw now that if he were to stay he would end up broken and bloody at the very least.

When he was dropped he fell down to his knees, catching himself in a kneeling position. Picking himself up, he took a second or two get a look at his surroundings. The ‘Prime Minsiter’ or at the very least a humanoid form whom he assumed was Lucius was about two hundred meters, give or take, away. His form obscured by the heavy rainfall and on the ground stumbling. Taking this moment of distracted Romulus made his way off to the side of the road that he appeared from and disappeared inside. A couple of hundred feet away he’d pick up a camouflaged ruck sack, removing his mask and replacing the costume inside he would switch into his civilian clothes. Uncovering a hidden motorcycle, he’d take one last look behind to make sure he wasn’t being followed before taking off. It wasn’t the ending he had wanted or expected but it was the one he felt he deserved. An eye-opening experience is what he got. One that he would use in the days to come. One that he wouldn’t forget for quite some time, and who knew maybe Lucius would also learn from this experience. Knowing the Prime Minister, he already was.
(Exit Romulus)

The walk back to the road was an interesting one. Lucius had the time to think over exactly what happened a few moments ago. A man, seeing him as a threat to humanity, had attacked him in broad daylight. He was the head of a country, wielded massive political, physical, and social power, and yet one little man had risked his life to show the Rise Head he wasn't above everyone else....

But that was never the point. Lucius was an arrogant man, yes, but he wasn't so blinded by his ego that it totally enveloped his life. There were more important things then himself, and that's why he had been oh so willing to give up his old life. He could have been the greatest scientist of all time, celebrated by the entire world. He could have rose to heights beyond even his comprehension, perhaps even as a leader of the free world. But he chose a different path, one that put the needs of millions of souls, and the world, first.

Lucius Alba is not a good man, he knew. Romulus was better then him. His son, better then him. Silus? Much better. And even Blood Tithe. There was no person on this planet more set in how he would go about things then Lucius, and he knew it was all bad, wrong...

But the world needs bad men. It needs the Caesars, the Xerxes', and the Richard the Lion Heart's. Bad men aren't afraid to tarnish themselves by going against what is the norm, aren't afraid to change what everyone else see's as right, and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty so others don't have to. Lucius was fighting evil from the inside, taking a stand in front of it's corrupting power to finally slay the beast once and for all.

Go ahead, call him a monster, call him a devil, and call him a tyrant. He'll agree, and then turn back to the fight that matters.

END