Freelancing Ain't Easy

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."

The Big Man was leaning up against a fence behind the two freelance heroes, he had shown up to the junkyard just a few moments ago. His arms were crossed over his chest, and in his right hand was a newspaper. He was dressed in a simple attire, black boots, blue jeans and a black t-shirt with his logo on the sleeve. In between his lips was a shriveled up cigarette, the big man puffing on it as he looked at the two possible recruits. Pain had been wandering throughout all the major cities scouting for new heroes to join him, and luckily for him he was in New York at the perfect time. He was just enjoying lunch at one of his favorite places to eat when he read the suspicious newspaper article. The Big man was curious if this article was legitimate or just a trap, and if it was for real, how tough was this 'Sul-Fury' guy? Either way Pain had to check it out and deal with it. So that's how he ended up here in this junkyard. "Yo." He said with a nod over to the larger dark skinned man, this guy was obviously super human.

Once he got their attention, Pain exhaled a drag from his cigarette before speaking up again in his deep and rough voice. "I'm guessin' you're Sul-Fury." He stopped for a moment to take another drag, speaking up as he exhaled. "So what makes you think you got what it takes?"

As soon as Sul thought he was going to finish up and call it a day, a mysterious guest was watching. "Yo" caught his attention, and his head whipped in the direction it came from. Leaning against the fence was Pain, reading a newspaper. Sul-Fury was no fool, he'd put that in the paper knowing full well a Villain may appear. But Sul wasn't going to be too quick to judge. He'd let whoever it was get the first hit in if this came to be a scrap. But his next words needed to be chosen carefully.

"Yes, I'm Sul-Fury. What makes me think I have what it takes? I have a little experience. I've been in a few scraps, fought some metahumans. A few of them have been on the News, maybe you've heard of El Ray?"

He realized his attempts to impress this character may be futile. He had combatted some fearsome foes before. He had to brawl against three robot androids at the same time, and a slew of demons in an awkward moment of history. Though, that probably wasn't what was going to answer the question.


"Maybe I don't have what it takes. Maybe I don't have the skills. But I have the motivation. The fire in my heart burns for vengeance. To defeat a man named Hurricane. That one inspiration has led me to make this choice. In being something greater. A defender of humanity."

It had finally happened.He was in a team.Granted it wasn't a large team,but still.Satisfied he placed his hands into the oversized pockets of his tattered jacket.Then something caught his attention entirely.A "yo" coming from nowhere.He turned to see a tall extremely tough looking man."I wonder who that is" he thought the heels of his feet tapping together nervously.He had a bad feeling about this guy.Though he couldn't quite place the reason why.Then he stated the reason he was here."well looks like hes here for you"He said to Sul still curious about this man

Pain eyed the smaller frail man, curious to why he was here, and if he had been super human himself. He didn't have a clue what either of these guys were capable of, but he could tell they were both a little inexperienced. They both seemed a little intimidated too, the smaller one especially. Couldn't blame them though, Pain hadn't exactly been the most affable man. The big man just stood there quietly while Sul-Fury began to talk, mentioning something about a villain named 'El Ray'. "Nice." He replied with a little sarcasm in his rough voice. Pain inhaled another drag from his short cigarette, continuing to puff on it as Sul-Fury spoke. He waited for him to finish before speaking up again. "So you've got the 'fire', but I'm not sure if you can handle it. Show me that you can, and maybe I'll work with you. How about you demonstrate some of that 'fire.' Your little friend too. Show me what you punks can do."

Sul was interested in Pain. From what he was saying, it's possible that Sul could turn this group into a Trio. He had to show Pain what he could do, and if he was strong enough, then maybe he'd join up? Ideally, three make for a better team than two for sure. His odds of finding and defeating Hurricane seemed to increase greatly at the thought.

"Alright, a demonstration. That I can do."

Sul turned his head back around and looked at the steam engine train he had just scrapped for parts. Its chassis remained intact, it was still a heavy piece of machinery. Sul walked up to the massive piece of steel and placed his fingers underneath the engine. He threw his head back, straining his neck, arm and leg muscles to lift it up a few feet off the ground. He held it there for a few seconds before tossing it a few feet into the air, and then catching it over his shoulders. He leaned back and hurled the steam engine over his head towards a scrap pile.

"Whoa thats pretty good"He thought to himself impressed.Before closing his eyes in deep concentration.Extending the reach of his power to its limit.About four square miles around.Trying to draw in all the water possible.Feeling th reaction of a large rush of water approaching.He had to show him what he was capable of.A sharp pain flashing through his head.As a large rush of water came to him.Followed by another flash of pain through his head.Then he looked at a rusted yet still sturdy car.Willing for the water to move.As a large spike of ice sprouted from the mass of water.Crushing the car into nothing."Hope he likes it"he said hiding the twing of exaustion.

Pain figured that this Sul-Fury guy would be strong, but lifting up a heavy object didn't impress the big man. Neither did the water show that his friend did, it took a lot more than that to impress Pain. The real question is how well they could use their powers in a fight. If these two wanted to be heroes that one day fight amongst the big man himself, they needed to prove not only their abilities, but their resolve as well. The Sul-Fury guy claimed to be motivated enough, but words wouldn't prove anything to Pain. His ally's powers were odd to the big guy, he didn't understand them, so he could control water and turn it into ice? Sul-Fury's powers were more his style, but he wouldn't exclude any heroes who proved themselves. Pain inhaled a heavy drag from the shriveled cigarette hanging between his lips before speaking up in his rough voice. "Not bad." He said with a little sarcasm as he exhaled the grey smoke.

Pain gripped the cigarette in between his fingers using his right hand, pulling it away for a moment to flick the ashes off. He quickly returned the now tiny cigarette to his lips, inhaling a drag as he crossed his arms again. "Hit me with what ever you can dish out. Both of you." He said as a confident smirk came across his face. Pain wanted to have a quick spar in the junkyard, to see if these punks could even hurt him!

Sul wasn't expecting a taunt to attack the man, let alone teaming up with Sean to do it. He looked at Sean and looked back to Pain quickly. He certainly didn't want to send the guy home in a stretcher. Compared to Sul, if he had any powers, they certainly weren't very visible. Sul's skin was cold and solid as stone, on the other hand. Sturdy to take blows, and hit with extreme force when dishing it out.

"Uhm, are you kidding? I don't want you to get hurt if you're planning on joining up with us. I may not be an old dog, but I've knocked out my fair share of metahumans."

He turned and looked at Sul a bit confused.Was he taking this man lightly.Something he wouldnt have suggested."Sul ummm..could you umm drop the heroics.I have a bad feeling about this man"he said warily to the large man next to him.This guy seems stronger than Sul seemed to give him credit.He didn't want him to get hurt just from assuming."So you need to take this guy more seriously"He suggested taking a stance.One he was used to doing ever since he was young.Even though he didn't plan to fight him hand to hand.After all that could get him killed.

Pain smirked confidently at the two of them, no fear or doubt was in the big man's eyes. His icy blue optics fiercely stared down his two soon to be opponents, and he couldn't wait for this to start. This Sul-Fury guy was severly underestimating what Pain was capable of, had this punk never of heard of the world's greatest hero? His little friend seemed to have a better grasp on their situation, they were going against a very fierce and experienced fighter. "I'm guessin' you punks aint ever heard of me." He inhaled one final heavy drag from his cigarette before spitting it out onto the ground and not bothering to put it out. As he exhaled the gray smoke, he brought his hands up to his chest to crack all of his fingers, starting with his thumbs and moving from finger to finger. "You should worry more about yourself." He stated calmly in his deep and rough voice.

Pain then slid into a defensive fighting stance, his legs and fists spreading far apart, appearing almost like a boxer before the two of them. "Your move..." The same confident and sly smirk coming to his face.

Pain may have been a popular man, but Sul was a man of very little means. He only worked to fuel his efforts to progress his career as a Superhero. His main goal, of course, finding Hurricane. But that was only a beginning. The allowance of Hurricane's existence caused the misery that he's in today. But that isn't his goal. Not today. Today it's this man, while unknown to him, his name was Pain.

He'd hoped to start something new, but now he had something to prove. Pain was ready for him. Again, taunting him. Sul shook his head slightly, only in disagreement with himself on his next actions. He fought better angry, or with adrenaline pumping, he knew that. A fist-fight wouldn't get him going unless Pain had some power in his punch.

Sul walked towards Pain, and before getting in arms reach, he took his last three steps in a forced run, thrusting his hand behind his back and forward aimed at Pain's stomach with a small portion of his might, testing him out. Which in comparison to normal humans is still a significant amount.

He stood behind while Sulfury choose to make the first move.Which was a punch that didnt seem like it would really do any damage to the man.The man who called himself Pain.He felt as if he had heard that name before but, just couldn't remember from who.Still that didn't matter now.It was a show of strength he wanted,and thats what he will get.He concentrated on the water.With a mental comand the water moved into a condensed high powered stream.Directly at Pain.With enough force to tear through steel like it was wet paper."Lets see him block this"He sneered crossing his arms.

Pain watched Sul-Fury carefully, his fierce icy blue optics focused on him far more than his ally. The big man wouldn't underestimate his little friend, but this steel-looking skinned man seemed like the larger and more immediate threat. He could respect their determination, but underestimating the big man was the last thing you wanted to do. He suspected an attack from Sul-Fury once he stepped forward, smirking confidently as his opponent drew closer. Out of the corner of his eye he tried to watch his friend's movements as well, but it was difficult for the big man to focus on too many things at once. Pain's opponent drew close, stepping in with a charge and throwing a punch that slammed into the stomach of the big man. He let it happen, wanting to see what this guy could dish out. The punch was weak and Pain didn't even feel it, he simply shrugged it off and grinned madly at his open who was open to an attack. If this guy was as strong as he claimed, he couldn't hold back anything when up against the big man.

Pain would teach him a lesson, teach him to never underestimate an opponent. It could cost him his life, or some one elses if this were a serious battle agaist a super villain. He himself had made that mistake many times in the past, but Pain learned not to with experience. This guy claimed to be tough, let's see if he could prove it. Wasting no time, the big man cocked back a mighty right hook and threw it with all his might directly into the side of Sul-Fury's face. His opponent was sent flying back with the punch, his body hurling towards a pile of steel and debris in the junkyard. Pain assumed he could handle that, or at the very least survive it. After that brutal attack, the big man could now focus soley on Sul-Fury's little nameless friend. The man had gathered a powerful water attack and it was being sent streaming towards Pain far too quickly for him to have time to dodge. The big man had just enough time to put up his arms and cross them out in front of him, using them like a shield as the torrent of water pummeled into him. Pain began walking forward slowly through the attack, pushing himself through powerful water attack. It surely hurt to do it, but Pain was unstoppable! He could feel some of his skin being shredded by the powerful attack, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Eventually he would reach the little man and pummel him into the floor if he didn't do something!

The impact of Pain's fist told Sul all he needed to know. His head throbbed as the closed fist connected to his cheek bone and threw his head and body to the side falling on his back into a pile of scrap metal. He lifted his head back up to see Sean confronting Pain on his own.

"No!" He thought, as Pain was gaining closer and closer towards him. Sul-Fury shook his head and threw himself to his feet. His feet pounded against the ground as he ran towards Pain.

"THINK FAST SQUIRT, GIVE ME A BOOST!" Several feet away he leapt into the air, and a stream of pressurized water blasted a pool at his feet. Suspended in the air, his body flew towards Pain at an incredible speed. He threw both his arms wide open in a clasping motion at Pain, attempting to dig his shoulder into Pain's chest with a powerful tackle.

He watched in awe and fear as Pain approached him.Not letting up on the pressure with the hope it could at least bring him to a temporary halt.Sulfury was the only one at the moment who had any hope of taking this man on."THINK FAST SQUIRT GIVE ME A BOOST"Sulfury yelled emerging from the junk pile.Though he didn't like being called squirt he listened to the command.Allowing some water to pool beneath Sulfurys feet and propel the man with twice the pressure he was attacking Pain with."Kick his ass"Sean yelled to Sul while still keeping his concentration.