Freelancing Ain't Easy

Alan had never been accepted by everyday society, his appearance set him apart from the rest. His charcoal gray skin and yellow eyes made him appear to be a freak of nature. The only place he had been accepted by was his job in New York. He worked at a Junkyard, scrapping the unscrappable. Manufactured vehicles built too tough to pry apart with a pry bar. That's where Alan came in.

To the average Joe, he was Superman. He had thick skin. To the other workers at the Junkyard, he appeared virtually indestructible. So they thought. His strength allowed him to lift the giant vehicles into the air, let alone shred them apart for parts. It was the only job where nobody cared what he looked like, as long as he did his part.

All day long, he had been thinking about all the side-work he had done. The work he didn't get paid for. He had been a Freelance Hero, saving innocents where he could. If he heard of a robbery somewhere in New York, he'd come as quickly as possible. Most of the time it was small-time crime. Thugs with guns, things he could definitely handle on his own. On the rare occasion, though, he would bump into another Metahuman. One with Power and Ability that could match his own strength.

He had a few close calls... A bunch of crazed robots tried to kill him and steal his mutant ability. They had nearly accomplished, if it weren't for some outside assistance of another Freelance Hero, Blackout. He barely escaped with his life, and learned that he wasn't nearly as indestructible as many believe. Indeed, he had been thinking. What if BlackOut hadn't come? He would have been killed and had his powers used for some villainous plan. Freelancing ain't easy... He needed to make something better. A system. A group of Heroes like himself that want to work for the betterment of Mankind's future.

But how do you start something like that? Alan thought of the funding required, thought of how the team would function, how they would train. He was no rocket scientist, let alone a practical Leader of such a group. But nobody else was trying. He needed to send a simple message. He made a newspaper article for the local paper. It read:

"Freelance Heroes: To those with extraordinary skill, and the will to protect civilized man. I am a local Hero from New York, who goes by the name Sul-Fury. The rise of crime is prevalent. As metahumans are discovered, men seek to exploit their strength to take advantage of the weak. I am seeking to start a new trend. A new organization. A group of Heroes. If you believe you have the strength and stamina to form an opposition to evil, seek me out.

At 5512 Freemont Street, there is a Junkyard. I'll be there from 12pm-8pm, Monday through Friday. If you believe in serving the greater good, and are willing to combat very dangerous foes, meet me here."


The message may have very well appeared to be a trap. A scheme to lure Freelance Heroes and kill them. Junkyards were a dumping grounds for mafia-types.

"Good" Thought Sul-Fury. "They should be afraid. They need to know that being a Hero is dangerous for your health."

It was a sunny day .Not exactly a type of day Sean enjoyed.He much prefered one that was extremly rainy.In one hand was a large bottle of water and in the other a newspaper he was reading intently.The hood of his tattered jacket pulled up to cover his eyes.Walking down a half crowded sidewalk humming softly to himself.Then something in the paper caught his attention.Stopping the humming he scanned the article intently.
"Hmmm I wonder what this is"He spoke silently to himself curious.Shoving the large bottle into the oversized pockets of his jacket.Putting all of his attention into the article."Is this serious,its obviously a trap"He thought to himself.Though the thought of finding about this was too inticing for him to ignore.
"mind as well check it out"

(This thread was created with a disclaimer that it was Closed, and if you wanted to join, send me a PM. Only because if 5 people join in at once it will get Cluttered fast. But you're fine Wallace, we'll keep going. But for others interested in joining the Thread, please send me a PM asking permission first.)

Alan was busy at the Junkyard, scrapping a busted up steam engine train. The other workers were watching in amazement as he placed his hands on a sheet of steel and peeled it backwards, sending bolts flying out of their sockets. He grabbed the engine of the train with one arm, and braced his other arm on the surface of the decaying vehicle. In one swift pull he tore the engine clear out of the engine and slammed it on the ground. The men around him were slightly fearful, but at the same time thrilled at how much time he saved them.

"Alan, I think you have a Visitor." one of the workers called out.

Alan fixed his eyes on Sean Collin, who had recently entered in taking up a challenge he had posted in a newspaper article. Looking him over, he was slim, seemingly fragile. He wasn't really taking up his offer, was he? Or maybe he was lost.

Sul-Fury clapped his hands together, sending dust falling to the ground.

"What can we do for you?"

(thx)
When he arrived at the junkyard he saw who he assumed would be sulfury tearing an engine out of an old decaying vehicle."This must be the place" he thought to himself .A million questions came through his head. Though they could wait.After all he was asked a question."i'm here to take the challenge.The one you posted in the paper"He replied smiling charismatically.Hopefully they would take him seriously.People mostly never take someone as thin as him really seriously,but he was ready to prove himself.Nothing could stop him from doing that.

"A Challenge?" Sul folded his arms and looked over the lad. "Heh, perhaps you didn't read my article properly. I'm looking to start a long-term challenge. There are people out there who are using their abilities for their own personal gain. Whether it's wealth or power. There are many Freelance Heroes out there, but alone we're vulnerable.

Is this what kind of 'Challenge' You thought I was speaking of?"

"More or less"He answered crossing his arms across his chest.Though he wasnt thinking of a long term challenge it did sound interesting.After all everything the man spoke was the truth.We freelancers were vulnerable alone.Some more then others but the concept was the same.Now was his chance to join something.Which would hopefully mean an end to the almost endless wondering he does.After all he did have some extraordinary skills and a will to protect."I'm willing to do what it takes"He said resolutly

Alan raised his chin at Sean and squinted his eyes. He seemed scrawny, and didn't appear to have any appearance mutations like Alan did. But he would need to see a demonstration of his abilities before approving of allowing him to risk his life. They were similar in age, but very different upbringings so it appeared. But appearances can be deceiving.

"Alright then, as long as you know what you're getting into, and you know the risks. The second step is to show me a demonstration of your stuff. Let's see what you can do." Sul was interested, hoping it wasn't some kid coming to make fun of him for trying to form a Group or League similar to the comics. Hoping he had something real to show. His biggest concern, would be trying to protect this kid if they ever did agree to group up.

"alright this is my moment of truth"He muttered to himself a little nervous.Afterall he didn't have enough for a breath taking preformance.Though 32 ounces would not do for a demonstration either.With nervous hands he removed the bottle of water out of his over sized pockets.Unsrewing the cap slowly.When the cap was removed the water shot out.Forming a ring around around him.Rotating at an increadibly high speed."Now what to do"He thought to himself.Would a show of force be good or skill.Closing his eyes he concentrated hard trying to draw in any water in the area.Opening his eyes he smiled as a good amount of water joined itself in the small circle around him.Increasing its size at lest tenfold.
"Now i can get started"

Sul rested his palm over his mouth while he watched Sean manipulate the water around him. Was this his power? Sul couldn't help but wonder: "How is this going to be applicable in combat with a Villain?" The best thing he could think of would be to extinguish a Fire. But a Fire-Blaster could easily evaporate that and overwhelm the poor kid. He started to become skeptical of his power. He didn't want Sean to lose his life, and he definitely didn't want to lose his own life trying to keep Sean alive. Heroes show compassion, Villains show no mercy. They weren't going to go easy on Alan and Sean because they were in their early 20's.


"That's a unique skill... But I'm not sure how much it will help you in a battle, Squirt." Sul had to think of a demonstration of what he was talking about. He grabbed a rusted steel rotor off the ground with one hand. He was either gonna break Sean's jaw and send him home where he couldn't get killed, or see him do something useful. "Let's see some real-time application!" He swung the heavy disc behind his back and hurled it forward, sailing through the air like a 15-pound Shuriken at Sean's upper torso.

The next thing that happened was almost instantaneous.One minute Sulfury was talking and the next throwing a steel rotor at him.It didn't make any sense at all but he knew there were two options.Block the attack or get hammered down.Many options were flying through his head.Filling it up in those few seconds.Then on instinct the water moved.Erupting forward with an increadible pressure.Meeting the rotor head on.Stopping its momentum and sending it back a few feet.Into the ground with a thump,dented and slightly twisted.
"How was that"he asked a little breathless from suprise.

"It was pretty good. I put a good amount of pressure behind that, wasn't easy to stop. You been in any real-time combat before? Fight any famous villains?" Sul really wasn't expecting him to stop the blow. He may have expected at best, dodging it. The amount of pressure and precision required to stop the flying steel disc would have been tremendous. He showed some true skills this time, Alan definitely may have something here.

"Well i've seen combat before.Even had a little training .Though i can't say i've met anyone famous"He replied sighing in relief.Apparently he had done it.Managed to impress him or at least catch his interest.He smiled as the the water returned to a circle rotating around his body."So ummm..are there any other test i should know about?"He asked a bit wary.Afterall he didnt want another rotor thrown at him,or anything larger than that.

"It depends on what you think a test is. For now, I believe we have something to start with. There's still a lot of ground to cover between us if we're going to work together though. I think it's safe to assume neither of us have solid experience in working as a team. So the chemistry between us will need to grow if we're going to be successful.

As well, I don't have a reliable source of funding, if you catch my drift. I work here at this Junkyard so that I can travel occasionally. Most of the time I work right here out of New York. Plenty of criminals to stop here. I'm not sure what you do, but you should have enough to cover yourself. In a way, our tests from here on out will never end."

Sul-Fury was kind of laying it all on him at once. Perhaps for the first time in a while, he was getting excited about being a Hero. He had been searching for Hurricane all this time, and that won't stop. But Hurricane had allies and resources. Sul did not. His seemingly impossible task suddenly felt like he had taken a step towards accomplishing that goal.

"One more thing. I'm looking for a Villain named Hurricane. He's a very powerful man, if you hear anything about him... I need to know it. You may have your goals and desires in being a hero yourself. And I'll be glad to help you attain them. But my friends need to be avenged. This man is very dangerous."

"As far as money goes i have a good amount of it at the moment.Though i can't really say i've heard of this hurricane"He said crossing his arms across his chest.Thinking over what he was saying.A small smile coming across his face.It was the first time he was considered part of a team.Honestly it felt pretty good to him."But if I do find anything out about him you will be the first to know"Sean smiled.Mind half focused on the problem of Sulfury's lack of funding.That of course would need to be changed, but at a later date.Now he had to work on "chemistry".

Sul nodded. "So all that's left for us to do for now, is look for our first mission as a team. As we go along, we'll be able to possibly pick up new Allies in our team. It doesn't need a name for now, it's too small. But we definitely need to attract some criminal attention."