Force and Fire

New York City
4:20 pm

Paris Blake, also known as the super heroine Pyra, sat in a dressing room; getting her hair and makeup done. She was wearing her red and gold costume, while her black cape hung on the wall. The makeup artist painted her lips with clear lip-gloss, while the hairstylist put the finishing touches on her golden locks. Pyra sat, legs crossed and bored, waiting for them to finish. She didn’t see the point in getting all dolled up, but her manager insisted on it. Speaking of her manager, she glanced in the mirror to see Emilia Frost on the phone. She didn’t seem happy, but then again, she hardly ever was.

Emilia had her blonde hair up in a perfect bun, with sleek sliver framed glasses and white gold hoop earrings. A silk light blue shirt hugged her figure, underneath a white suit jacket and skirt. Her legs looked great for a woman of 50, with a pair of white Jimmy Choo’s on her feet. As usual, her iPhone was glued to her ear. “I’m sorry, James, but it can’t be done. The show premiers in two weeks, and we still have a lot of publicity to generate.”

Emilia’s assistant brought her clipboard, which she signed, and then shooed him away. Paris chuckled. She never understood why people put up with Emilia the way they did. Aside from herself and Paris, Emilia treated everyone as a ‘lesser being’. “We’re at a comic convention now, trying to reel in the nerds and geeks; by the way, James, call Patricia and tell her the new revised costume is fabulous. I love how it show’s off Paris’ stomach. We’re on in 10, so this conversation is over. Ciao.”

Paris stood up, grabbed her cape and attached it to her suit. She glanced in the mirror one more time and she turned to Emilia. “So, how do I look?”

“Ugh, darling, you look fabulous!” Emilia fixed a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Ready for your close up?”

Pyra smiled and nodded. She followed Emilia out of the dressing room, down the hall, and entered the backstage area. She could hear the convention goers on the other side of the curtain. The trailer for her show, Pyra: Starring Paris Blake, ended and the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Pyra took a deep breath, she had only been a hero for a few months and being in the public eye still rattled her. Still, Emilia taught her how to be a celebrity, and she was getting better at it.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the star of Pyra: Starring Paris Blake, and the newest superhero to grace our city skies, help me in welcoming, PYRA!”

“It’s showtime, dear,” Emilia said, with a smile. Pyra smiled as well, and took her first step onto the stage.

John Capore was attending his first comic convention after being persuaded by his friend Kyle.He expected it to be quite the event but it still exceeded his expectations.
"So what do you think?"Kyle asked him
"It's pretty crazy."John responded.He was rather glad he came"So what's this big show you were mentioning the other day about?"
They had started making their way over to the site of the big event
Kyle responded rather excitedly"Well.There's going to be an actual superheroine doing a show for the attendees.We're attendees so we get to enjoy their mere presence."
John looked at him rather curiously for a moment.He had been keeping his superhero identity secret hidden from everyone."You are way too into Superheroes and the like I swear."They had just tooken their seats when things first began
Kyle looked slightly annoyed as the trailer for the show started.When it had ended Kyle finally spoke"It's just a passion that's all.It's really not a big deal.I mean there's-"Before he could finish however the announcement came for the arrival of the guest heroine

Pyra walked out onto the stage, waving at the audience. She took a seat at the panel table, along with the show’s producer and director. A giant Pyra logo was displayed on the screen behind the three. The announcer introduced the panel and opened the floor for questions. Hands instantly shot into the air, eager to learn more about the new heroine and her show.

A young man, dressed in a Jedi costume, was called on and stood up. “Hi, I wanted to know what we could expect from this new show?”

“Well,” the director cleared his throat, “this show will give you a front row seat into the life of this amazing woman next to me.” He gestured towards Pyra, as she smiled. “The first season is full of action, heroics, and you’ll get to know Pyra on a personal level. It’s the first show of its kind, a real superhero show.”

The producer chimed in. “A camera crew follows as closely as they can to the action, without getting in Pyra’s way. It’s like the viewer will be there, for event that you may have even heard of in the news. You’ll get to see what really happened.”

After more hands were raised, a girl dressed as an anime cat was chosen. “How much of the action and heroics is real, and how much is staged?” The crowd seemed very interested in this question. Before ether of the other two speakers could say anything, Pyra spoke up.

“Nothing is staged. When I agreed to do the show, I made it clear that I didn’t want to portray anything fake. I’m a real superhero, I put myself in real danger, and everything you’ll see on the show is real.”

“Where did you come from?” a random voice called out from the crowd.

“That… I don’t know. I woke up one day, not knowing who I am, or where I came from. I had these abilities, but no idea what to do with them. I was lost and alone, until I found friends who helped me realize that I could create my own identity. The superhero thing kind of grew from that. You’ll see that in the show, too. It’s my journey of discovering who I really am, out of the costume.”

“Any other questions?” the announcer asked.

While John was viewing this conference he was in deep thought.Though he had been doing this for some time, he really hadn't seen many other people like him and had little to no interaction.Based on what he had seen though he noticed just how different some were from others on so many levels.Differences in principal was easily noticeable amongst them all.He had seen heroes who only attempted to subdue while others would kill without second thought.He wanted to ask one about their principles but he wasn't sure what their answer might mean to him.After all he was still trying to figure out what principles he had.Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted.

"So do you think we should submit a question?"His friend Kyle asked him in an anticipated manner.He always had a way of pushing John over the fence on things.

"Yeah."John responded in a surprisingly calm fashion considering what he was thinking."I want to know what she's like as a hero."

"Really?"Kyle was a little bit surprised by this."Then go ahead and ask her."

John sighed"I suppose I should."He stood up so that the announcer would notice him

"Yes, you there young man."The announcer called out"You have a question for Miss Pyra?"

"Yes.What are your standards and principles on being a hero?"

Pyra thought about the question for a second. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment. She sat up, placing her elbows on the table and cleared her throat. “Well, that’s hard for me to answer. I’ve only been a ‘hero’ for a few months; I guess I’m still learning what it means. But, what I do know is that being a hero takes strength. Not physical strength, but strength of character. We heroes have abilities far beyond normal people and it’s what we do with them that define us. You can use the power for good, or you can let it corrupt you. That’s the difference between superheroes, and super villains.” She smiled at the young man that had asked the question. “I hope that helps,” she said with a laugh.

Elsewhere…

A tall blonde man walked into a dimly lit warehouse, a briefcase in hand. He wore army fatigue cargo pants, and black combat boots. His hair was in a ponytail, and he rubbed his scruffy beard as he turned on his computer. The silhouette of a woman was on the screen.

“I trust the payment is acceptable?” she asked.

“Da,” the man said in a thick Russian accent. “And, where is my support?”

“A van is arriving now. A squad of very high-tech backup will accompany you. Remember, Pyra is the target, but we need her alive. Once she’s delivered, you’ll receive the other half of your payment. I’m sending you her location now. It’s crowded, so have fun with the civilians.”

“Oh, I intend to…” The Russian turned off the computer and exited his warehouse office. A black van pulled up in front of him, driven by a young henchman.

“Support’s in the back,” he said, gesturing with his thumb.

The Russian opened the back door and smiled. “This is going to be fun…”

"Thanks."John said with a slight smile as he sat down again.He wasn't sure if his smile was real though.He had a tendency to give fake smiles.Sometimes without knowing it.
Upon sitting down Kyle immediately asked him"So what did you think of her answer?"
John thought about it for a moment.It was kinda the answer he expected to be honest.But he wasn't sure if it was truthful.He had known some people to be very protectiveof their reputations.Going to any length to preserve it.After a period of time he finally answered."To be honest.I'm not sure."

(Pyra you may begin the attack if you so wish)

After a few more questions, the host informed the audience that the Q&A session was over. Pyra began to stand up and make her way off the stage. She was about to go behind the curtain when there was a loud crashing noise, followed by glass shattering and screaming. A black van had barreled through the convention and stopped in front of Pyra's section. The Russian man stepped out of the drivers seat, smiling. His right arm gleamed in the sunlight light, it appeared to look like it was made of metal. The back doors of the van flung open and a troop of six robots charged to his side. Civilians ran, screaming for their lives, as the Russian began walking towards the stage Pyra was on. He removed his sunglasses and stared her down.

"Pyra! A pleasure to meet you. I am called the Fist, and I am here... to KILL YOU!" The Fist aimed his metal arm at Pyra and bast of electricity erupted from his palm. Pyra dodged it, but it struck the curtain and set it on fire. The robots began to follow his lead, as they each began firing lasers aimed at the heroine. Pyra put up a psionic shield, deflecting the blasts, while she tried to think of what to do now...

After a few more questions the interview with the heroine had come to an end.So this little part of the event was now over.John and his Kyle had risen from their chairs and were starting to walk off.The thickness of the crowd wasn't making it easy.All of a sudden a loud crash echoed through the building.A black van was driving through the arena.People were scattering left and right trying to get away from it.A man with a metal arm stepped out and 6 robots came charging out.Things at this convention had gotten perilous.
The man walked right up to Pyra and said something something to her right before attacking.John couldn't make out what he said but he had a pretty good idea what it might have been.The curtains on the stage had erupted in flames.The robots were now attacking her too.It looked like she was in serious danger.
In all this commotion John had become separated from his friend.Using the panicking crowd as cover he ducked away and found a hiding spot where he changed into costume.With all the costumed people here he didn't look exactly what you would call suspicious though he didn't want anyone knowing about his 2 identities.Forcewave then made his way through the crowd and back over to the stage where he immediately engaged the robots in an attempt to help the heroine.

Forcewave was watching the movements of the robots, the man with the metal arm and pyra at the same time.Waiting to see what might happen.What move would be made next.The man was now staring directly at him.Forcewave just looked right back at himHe made the robots lower their armsIt was at that very moment he heard a strange voice in his head.He recognized it as Pyras having heard it before.He didn't know how to communicate anything back to her without giving word to the man who was trying to kill her for who knows what reason.
The man was now talking to him.He was clearly not a fan of any sort of superhero.Pyra sent another message into his mind.She had a plan of attack in mind.It was probably the best course of action they could take.As Pyra started to count Forcewave decided to keep the attacker's mind occupied"My name does not matter.What matters is the fact that your little evil plan is going to fail."When the moment came he charged forward and struck at the man.He then immediately followed that with a blast at all of the robots aiming to take them all out at once.

After Forcewave's attack successfully hit both the metal armed man and his band of robots Pyra grabbed the main villain and flew him out of the building leaving Forcewave to deal with the robots.He saw that the robots were getting back to their feet.Their weapons now pointed directly at him.Forcewave acted quickly by blasting each and every one of them destroying them all.After a moment he made absolute sure each and every one of those robots were incapable of doing anything else.Once he was sure that that was the case he made his way out of the convention center in search of the location of Pyra and her attacker.They weren't exactly hard to find.He saw them both lied out on the ground across the street.They were starting to get back up as he made his way over to them.

Forcewave was hurrying towards Pyra to try and help her with the would be killer when he fired at him.Several blasts flew his way.Forcewave stopped in his tracks and blasted each one of them aside individually.He noticed that the blasts were made of solar energy.Such a thing confused him.How could he have the same power as pyra.He did not think it was exactly a common ability.He stood there staring back at the guy.He wanted an answer to the question of why this man was trying to kill her."Why exactly do you want her dead?"He asked in an altered voice to keep her from recognizing his voice from before.He waited for an answer while formulating a plan of attack.Pyra was lying right next to where he stood.He decided not to bother really waiting for an answer to come.Though he was cautious about the aspect of launching any sort of attack due to the risk of possibly hitting her.Yet he knew he had to stop this guy.He had learned to control his powers well.He fired a blast at it's arm since that seemed to be the thing that needed to be destroyed.