A Momentous Discovery

The city was nearly silent this time of night, as cities often are. The nightlife had faded, the clubs and bars closed for the night, only the local barflys struggling home down the dirty sidewalks. The cracked and broken streets jostled the Mercedes as it hummed down the road, refusing to even stop at lights in this neighborhood. And why would it? The mirrored windows, sleek vehicle, and diplomatic plates marked it as above the law. As whatever driver was behind the wheel noticed the quickly degrading signs - the lack of traffic lights, the worsening road conditions, and as they went further down the road, the lack of street lights - he slowed and rolled to a stop.

”Miss Russell. My apologies, but I do not think we can go any further.”

The quick click of a laptop closing, and then a quick tsk. The driver took that to mean affirmation, and the quick roar of the engine and it backed up, accompanied by a sigh from his mistress. The car picked up speed, backwards, slowly moving faster and faster. No room to turn around in these shallow streets, and with the lack of lights they couldn’t see anything past a foot in the window. Not that it was an issue, it was late, well after midnight, no one was in the streets. He accelerated, quicker, picking up pace, eager to leave this area-

And they came to a sudden stop as they hit something heavy and immovable.

As if in slow motion, the reflexes and actions hammered into the Russell Family Head came to a fore; as the vehicle impacted against the immovable object, a red flash of light burst and the front of the car blasted apart, the driver held clutched in the arms of the pale, black haired girl, who looked entirely pissed off to be standing there. She unceremoniously dropped the driver and walked around the car, peering to see what the hell they just ran straight into.

Gabbie, or Gravvy as her friends at the university called her, was simply walking down the street unimpressed by the rain. She was after all, a living embodiment of too much mass in one space, so there wasn’t much on earth that could really hurt her. She had just gotten out of her “classes”, which she assumed was more of a way for them to study her; than for her to learn about earth and all the squishy things that lived on it, and honestly? She was freaking starving. She glanced around, making sure to look both ways before crossing the street, and went to the only burger place left in town that would serve her.

Walking into Burgerzilla, home of the 30-pound cheeseburger, was like a dream for Gabbie, and a nightmare for the employees but that’s beside the point. The crew hardly ever challenged her. The fact that she looked like a 16-year-old girl who probably didn't weigh 90 pounds soaking wet, but could eat twice that in a matter of minutes was perhaps terrifying. Or it could be what happened to Jimmy when he tried to refuse service. No one wanted that to happen again, especially Gabbie.

She ordered her meal and pulled out her phone to start texting her friends. They asked her what she was doing, she told them that she was about to sit down to eat, they told her that she needed to come back to the university before she ended up in the wrong hands, she sent them a selfie she had taken with Jimmy. It was the same old shtick.

Soon, her burger and 128 ounce soda arrived. After a quick selfie; Gravvy inhaled the burger, and left the drink basically untouched while doing so. She then grabbed her drink, waved at the passed out new girl who had somehow lost her shoe, and walked out of the now semi-destroyed restaurant.

She sipped on her soda and went on a bit of a walk, or a float an inch or so off the ground while moving her legs, as she was far too heavy to walk normally through the streets without breaking something. She continued texting and drinking her literal gallon of soda when something backed into her.

Hearing the crunch more than feeling it, Gravvy accidentally dropped her drink. ”Gosh darn it. Where am I going to get a drink now?!” She asked before the car behind her exploded into red light, throwing her phone into the road. She was barely able to catch it with a gravitational field before it dropped to the ground and shattered. She breathed a sigh of relief and went over to grab her phone, and found that it had a screw placed firmly through the battery. ”Great. Now I need a new phone.” She said turning around to the woman behind her. ”I hope you’re happy. You spilled my soda and broke my phone.” She said, before looking at the guy in her arms. ”Oh, and apparently you hurt that guy too. Is he okay?”

”What? Yes, he’s fine, he’s just the driver.” Katrina wasn’t concerned about Antonio, he’s been through worse. If her driver couldn’t handle a little car crash, then he didn’t need the jo. Besides, she was much more concerned about the teenage girl currently spouting gibberish at her. Did she even notice she was hit by a car? And not a small either, this was a fully-loaded, several ton Mercedes, and she was complaining about her phone? And something to drink? By Ala’khir, it was too late for this.

”... are you okay? We … just ran a car into you. Even the most durable …”

Her voice faded off as she got the first, good look at the girl. There was something off about her; perhaps it was her hair, or the hungry look in her eyes, or the fact that she was literally floating as if she was filled with helium. Quite taken aback by the apparently teenaged girl, Katrina’s mind worked, filling in gaps and coming to a simple conclusion; this girl had superpowers. Quite potent ones, if the state of the car was anything to judge by. A thoughtful look crossed her face, and Katrina met her eyes.

”Well … I do apologize. I have a hotel not far from here. Perhaps you can return, and I will buy as much drink as you want, and compensate you for your phone. Sound fair?”

Gabbie was not as surprised as the woman before her that she was unhurt. After all, Gabbie was far denser than anything this planet had seen. She listened to the woman for a moment and responded. "Yeah I'm fine, really sucks about the soda. You know, the only place they sell those things in this whole county is Burgerzilla? Humans are weird. Fun, though." She said, stretching slightly.

She looked around, noticing the fact that she was still standing in the middle of the street, and shrugged at Katrina. "You had me at all that I can drink. Let's go!" Gabbie walk/floated over to the remains of the car, and sat patiently.

“Human.” She said it in the third person, as if she weren’t one, confirming Katrina’s hypothesis. This person, if she could even be called that, certainly looked alien enough, with her slightly glowing hair and hyper density. Honestly, looking her up and down, she wasn’t even scratched! Still, Katrina had to wonder if her form was purposeful or a happy coincidence. She certainly acted like a carefree teenager, it was hard to believe she could easily handle a car crash. Curiosity burned within her, and it burst out as she started walking down the street, stopping long enough only to fish her utility belt out of the wreckage. The blades dangling from it comforted her a bit.

”I do hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but … what are you? Power likes yours, being a superhero would be quite lucrative. But I’ve never heard of you.”

They were walking north now, down the street, ignored by the ruffians on the street. It might have been the glow they put off (as a precaution, Katrina activated her Ruby Ring), or perhaps the wickedly sharp, curved tanto clutched in the hand of Katrina. Either way, nobody wanted to mess with these obviously empowered ladies. Curiosity still coiled around her chest, but she figured the majority of her questions, and perhaps the subsequent offer, could wait until they got to the hotel room. Injury or not, she still Gravvy with her car.

Gravvy stared at everyone as they walked by. She wanted to take it all in, after all; you never know when the entire planet might end. She remembered the worlds she had a hand in ending. That planet of insectoid pacifist was exciting, had a unique flavor though. Oh, Katrina was talking.

She remembered that her friends at the university had told her not to tell anyone what she was. But... she seemed kind enough even if the woman did hit her with the car. "Well, my friends at the university don't want me saying anything, so you have to keep this quiet. But! I'm what I think you call a 'black hole.'"  Gravvy said, looking to her companion.

"Oh, right. That's a metaphor in your society. Okay. I'm the cosmic manifestation of destruction, an ender of worlds, I am the darkness inside of a star. Gravvy said without changing her inflection. "But my friends call me Gravvy. Sometimes Gabbie."

Katrina almost skipped a step at this revelation. A physical manifestation of destruction, huh? She eyed the girl; Gravvy certainly didn’t look too impressive. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a typical teenage girl with glowing hair. Not that out of the ordinary in this world. But to think, underneath that teenage facade was unlimited cosmic power. She could only laugh. Who was she to doubt? Katrina herself looked like a teenage girl despite possessing the kind of power men can only dream of. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that she wasn’t unique; in a world of superheroes, power comes in all shapes and sizes.

Still, Katrina couldn’t draw her mind away from the image of the car wrapped around the girl. Even the most powerful beings would be perturbed, at least a little bit, but her total nonchalance was … endearing, to say the least. It was nice to meet another powerful, confident woman, even if she was a bit odd. And that was putting it mildly. It seemed she had an appetite that could put Asgar to shame, and that’s a sentence she never thought would be uttered within this lifetime … though perhaps comparing a Viking to a black hole isn’t a fair comparison. It does make sense; if her hunger was relative to her durability, then she’d definitely be aching for food all the time.

The hotel loomed in the distance, a bright tower among the slum, somehow maintaining a positive reputation despite its appearance. It wasn’t the most fancy place, no restaurant inside or anything, but they did have a gift shop, and in that gift shop, they had food. The door jingled as they entered, the sleepy front desk agent seeing her and nodding. Katrina was a popular sight among these types of hotels these days, her recruitment drive bringing her to all sorts of exotic locations. Like here. Not .. exactly her most glamorous mission, but it paid off in the end.

”Get whatever you want, my treat.”

The inside of the gift shop was small, certainly but brightly lit, with all sorts of goodies, ranging from microwaveable goods to candy and chips. A small door, half-height with a hooked handle, separated the little shop from the front desk proper, and it was on this the employee rested, propping her tired eyes up with her hands, watching them inside the shop. Katrina exchanged a look from her, stopping just on the outside. Her sharp eyes watched the gravity girl, absorbing the way she moved, every movement of her limbs, giving her some hint about what powers she possessed. A crucial part of any recruitment.

Gravvy was surprised by the woman's generosity. She looked around the shop and motioned for Katrina to step back. "This uh... This could get messy, and I don't think you'll want to be in the crossfire." Gravvy inhaled, and stared directly into the eyes of the shopkeep. Suddenly, he realized exactly who she was. "Oh my God, not you!" Said the former owner of Burgerzilla as he ran for the exit, and just a moment quick enough.

The air became thick with the feeling of suction, and as Gravvy opened her mouth; snacks and various other matter flew towards her. The matter quickly became spaghettified as it reached her event horizon and disappeared into the small girls' frame. At this point, the only things left in the shop was the television displaying information on the hotel; which was currently slamming against the wall and slowly breaking, the display cases, and the desk where the cash register was. There was nothing left in front of Gabbie. However, on the other side of the wall, there were still morsels to consume.

"I'm gonna just save the rest of this for later." Gabbie said and used her gravity manipulation to set things back upright in the shop.

"Thanks for the meal. It was really good! You wanted to talk about something right?"

Whatever this young girl - or, indescribly ancient cosmic being, as she had to keep reminding herself - was about to do, Katrina could not predict this. She stood back as requested, expecting some display of power, but this massive vacuum she could not have predicted. Were it not for her training, her jaw would have been on the floor. As she watched a couple of the displays right themselves with a gesture from Gravvy - most likely gravitic powers, come to think of it - and Katrina could only stare at Gravvy with a raised eye. It was amusing; this … force of nature could likely annihilate most heroes, and villains, without raising an eye … and she had no idea of the power she wielded. Either that or she was way too casual about it.

Ignoring the look of abject horror on the front desk agents face, Katrina casually slipped a credit card from her pocket, placing it on the counter in between the shop and desk. The agent opened her mouth, likely to say something snarky, but Katrina forestalled it by raising her hand. ”Just … keep it.” She pushed off the wall and grabbed Gravvy’s hand; simply in an attempt to guide her, no way she could move her against her will. Her incessant hand pulled her to the first floor, a suite room of course, and closed the door behind her.

”Yes. I wanted to talk to you about … how special you are.” She hesitated. That sounded like she was trying to explain to a toddler he was mentally ill. ”Or rather, how your special talents would mesh well with my team.” She sat, crossing her legs on the leather sofa, and faced Gravvy. ”I’m putting together a team of powerful individuals with the difficult but simple premise to save the world from any threat that arises. I want you as part of it. Doing so would net you all the food you want, plenty of opportunity to meet interesting people and travel the world … and I can provide a place where you don’t have to use your powers.”

Her eyes burned into her.

”I had thought it weird, at first, how you didn’t walk and put it down to laziness. Your explanation, however, got me thinking. You float because if you don’t, you break things, isn’t that right?” She spoke matter-of-factly; it was a matter of deduction, not pride, after all, and she had no personal interest in whether she walked or not. No, it was simply leverage. ”I can provide you a place where you can rest, reinforced for even your, what I imagine, impossibly massive weight to be safe. That’s what I provide, Gravvy. A safe place. Plus, all the good food you can eat, provided you don’t eat the table while you’re at it.”

Gravvy looked at Katrina closer once more. She seemed... stronger than she would've thought at first glance. She looked like a real leader. Honestly? Gravvy wasn't sure about this anymore. This woman might be dangerous.

She was led into a suite where she quickly floated over to a nearby couch and "sat" down on it. Gravvy raised an eyebrow at the comment about her being special. She had heard people talk to children at the university this way... she didn't think she was that kind of special. Katrina quickly corrected herself however, and went on.

The more that Katrina spoke, the more Gravvy felt... off about the situation. It seemed great, but she couldn't help but feel like she had seen something like this in one of those movie things.

"Alright, look. I've seen the movies. I know when I'm being groomed for something." Gravvy said this in a harsher tone than she really meant. "It's hard being a girl when the world is made of tissue paper, Katrina. What even makes you think I would make a good fit for this team of yours? I've severely diminished in power, and I'm almost certain that if you were to give me enough; I could regain that strength, but here's the thing. I don't know what the... adult version of me will look like or act like. Last time I was her, I ate entire planets." Gravvy motioned to the sky for emphasis.

"I think that we're missing something here. Now that I've gotten a full tank, I can think a bit more clearly, and I gotta tell you. I think there's a catch here. One that you probably won't tell me. So I want more than just food. I want research on how I can stop with this constant need for matter." Gravvy nodded. "Get me that, and we will talk about this team."

She was … smarter than Katrina gave her credit for. More clever. The door clicked behind, and immediately Katrina felt more on guard; being in enclosed quarters always reminded her of the Bone Chambers. She felt a shiver evaporate on her back, quickly calmed before it could show itself as a physical murmur. None of her uncertainty showed in her face, of course; no way by Ala’khar’s darkest dungeon would she let a stranger see her so vulnerable. Gravvy took the couch, but Katrina preferred to remain standing and mobile. Each word that fell out of the living anomalies mouth sent her lips further and further into a stern frown, even going so far as crossing her arms over her chest.

Katrina took to pacing, letting a long silence stretch between them. What could she say to that? Her carefully structured ideals, picked to pieces. It was impressive, if she was honest, only reaffirming that “Gravvy” was a good fit. But she had conditions, expectations. Her back turned to the apparent teenage girl, Katrina pulled out her phone. A beautiful, gold-and-red, custom designed device, with the golden phoenix of her family on top and “MI” evident of all Murumasa Industry devices. Her phone powered on. Many different schematics flashed through her screen, most beyond even her understanding, but one in particular flashed on her screen and stayed; experimental designs for a spacesuit, designed by none other than Katrina A. Russell. She had almost forgotten it even existed. The phone light clicked off and she spun to face Gravvy, a sudden, near-instant movement that was a lot more dramatic in the dress and tights than in her normal, skintight uniform.

”You are correct.” Finally she took a seat, her attention fully focused on the individual in front of her. Words had to be chosen carefully; they were balancing on the edge of a knife blade. ”Though ‘tis may be true I was saying such things to convince you to join me, it does not make them any less true. You are quite exceptional, moreso now that you have demonstrated quite the prodigious mental abilities.” This was said with no hint of humour in her inflection, though the vaguest glint of it was in her eyes. ”And though ‘tis true there is a catch, and ‘tis quite a simple one.” Her voice fell to a deeper tone, almost as if mocking the very concept. ”And that consequence is death.”

”’tis a dangerous job, protecting the world. Powerful metahumans, stronger than you or me, may go against us. ‘Tis together we may emerge victorious.” She clenched her fist against her leg, knuckles turning white with the intensity of her belief. ”And ‘tis true, I do not know what it is like to live in a breakable world. But I do know what it is like to not have a place to go. To be an outcast.” Whether she believed her or not doesn’t matter; truth was, just the affirmation would likely go a long way to convincing her.

”As for you demand, you just so happen to be lucky. We can help you.” From within her piece, she withdrew a piece of metal; save for its almost unnaturally lustrous shine, it appeared to be an absolutely normal hunk of metal. ”This is called Cavorite, a metal of my own making. I believe it can help you. Here, try to compress it.” He offered the piece of metal to the girl. If she used her powers on it, she would find that nothing worked; she could not move it, budge it, or crush it in any way, though the area surrounding the metal would certainly work. Regardless, at this point Katrina would stand up and begin her pacing again.

”I believe your worries are unfounded.” She was jumping back and forth between the conversation, but she was targeting the aspects of it she believed to be most important first. ”Our scientists can monitor you, contain your growth if necessary. Do not fret, you will not be treated as a lab rat, no matter how much our scientists may wish it. I won’t allow it.” Her lips were a grim slash across her face. ”And in the meantime, you’ll train with the best of them. Learn to use those powers of yours, control it so you don’t destroy the entire front desk of a hotel everytime you open your mouth.” She didn’t sound admonishing, but rather like she found it amusing.

”And of course, as a member of my personal Blackguard, you’ll receive special benefits fit for any king.”

Gabbie had to admit. Once Katrina had dropped the pretentious attitude that seemed like she was talking down to her, Gabbie could actually see herself liking Katrina. She was unafraid of death. Gabbie was older than some planets, even if she wasn't sapient during the majority of her lifespan.

"You have a point. I've seen the news from this planet and... some of these people..." Gabbie shook her head solemnly at the thought. She had seen one of these people... A man with a pumpkin head... Decimate an entire small town in Texas. Looking into his flaming eyes, Gravvy saw something that she had hardly ever experienced. Fear. "I never want to meet Mad Jack."

When offered the Cavorite, Gabbie found it to be heavy. Which was odd. She tried lifting it with her powers, but she couldn't. She tried crushing it, throwing it, everything. Nothing happened.

Gravvy sighed. "I'm going to just say it. I feel like... I'm selling my soul to the devil. But at the same time, I can feel the hunger causing me to lose myself again. So while I still have the rationale to choose clearly..." Gravvy nodded. "Your deal is fair, and... I will take on the role of "hero". Not long after this, Gravvy's eyes would glaze over, and the ditzy smile would return to her face.

”Yes … Mad Jack …”

She felt a stir, and the constant shadow of Kitty was turning to face her now, a smirk across her face. Oh, she didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to; the knowing smirk on her face told stories. Katrina spared her alter ego nothing more than irritated glare before turning her back to it; the giggles that followed only served to irritate her further. What she wouldn’t do to get rid of this damn necklace …. Her hand clutched the beautiful golden amulet dangling in between her breasts with disdain. She was drawn from her self-reflection by Gravvy and her acceptance. Relief flooded her.

”That’s … good to hear.” She turned to face the living black hole again, the first genuine smile creeping on her face. ”You won’t regret this, I promise.” Gently, she placed a packet of paper on the table, detailing all the information she would need to get to Olympus. ”I look forward to working with you.” And just like that, she was gone, out the window and down to the ground below.