G.U.N.

New York City, well, what's left of it. Here two mighty heroes stood tall, shoulder to shoulder overlooking their once beloved city and killing time with idle chatter. They were among the rubble and debris, a constant reminder that they could no longer do this alone. This place felt the most fitting to test the recruits. If they haven't already, they'll be able to see first hand what will happen if they do not band together and fight back. These ruins will also allow them to use their powers to the fullest, considering the lack of buildings and innocent bystanders. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the recruits to arrive..

"This is a mass message to all new recruits, we are gathering in the ruins of New York. Bring whatever you feel is necessary to prove your mettle. Remember, we must come together as allies, but today we fight as enemies. You will be shown no mercy in real combat, and you will be shown no mercy in this test. I will not allow for any deaths, but if you cannot complete the test you will not be considered a full member. The test will consist of three stages, first, a raw display of power. Second, you will be pitted two on one with a leader for a brief time. Third, you will be sent on your first mission with another new recruit. The details will be filled in after you have passed your first two 'tests'. The coordinates to our location are attached to this message, I look forward to meeting you all.."

The two relocated to the meeting place Pain had chosen, and the site was rather unexpected. The Black Knight crossed his arms and stood with Pain in some sort of makeshift arena. It thoroughly impressed him, which was very difficult to do. A prideful smirk clung to his face as his masked glowing white eyes marveled about his friend's work. It was oddly beautiful, even if it was made with raw power, he didn't think Pain could use his hands to create something like this. The man used the destruction around him to create something new, moving piles of rubble and debris to create a circular arena. It clearly took him some time, but he had been spending all of his days in these ruins. William worried for his friend, but his biggest concern was the man's psych and how it would effect their goals. If Pain were to lose it, he feared everything they set out for would fall apart.

"Pain, if you and I are going to work together..."

"Save it Knight. You don't gotta' worry about me." Pain quickly retorted, walking away from his friend to clear one of the last piles of rubble from the 'arena'. The place looked like a junkyard, but for this area, it might as well have been a luxorious park. There were 'seats' set out for the new recruits, if they didn't feel like standing, they had a nice rock to relax on.

"I ain't ever, gonna' let that happen again.." A bitterness rang throughout his voice, grindind his teeth as he growled the words out.

The two did not speak to each other after that, giving each other a respectful silence until the new recruits arrived. They had bigger things to deal with than their disputes with one another.

Sphinx picked through the rubble in her slow walk through the city ruins. She could have flown in, but she found that walking gave her a clearer picture of the destruction around her... she was a part of it rather than a spectator from far above. Whatever this "New York" had been did not mean much to her, but the aftermath of its destruction brought back painful memories from an earlier time. Many times the once mighty Egypt had been conquered, leaving its own signs of destruction as scars within her own heart. She could no longer avenge the ancient world she knew, but she could still stand for something that mattered in this new world she had woken up to.

Her full, feathered wings spread to scoop the air beneath her as she leapt the arena's boundries with all the grace of a lioness, and landed just as softly. "A ring, but no wedding. A theatre with no actors. A thumb puts out the lights." Her eyes scanned the edge of the arena until they rested upon the two men within. "So Rome's influence continues even in this wasteland? Will we be holding executions as well?" She let her obvious distaste for the Roman Empire remain clear in her voice. "I would hope humanity had evolved beyond such barbaric practices by now."

Shiny flew down to the ruins, landing softly. Then he gasped. "This place is nice, but I would have preferred somewhere in the country..." He sighed and walked over to Pain and Knight. Suddenly, his Metal out-layer starts melting. And Shiny appears as a normal human being, wearing an Army Jacket. "Sir!" he says to Pain, and salutes.

It was a pretty ordinary day, just me flying over the ruined part of New York, my wings enjoying the feel of the breeze beneath them. I took in a deep breath, lungs seeming to thank me for the sudden rush of fresh morning air. That was of course when the transmission hit the small beaten radio I had managed to acquire not too long ago. I couldn’t ignore it really, so I did the smart thing and quickly descended into an alleyway and listened to what it said with half interest. It was something about initiates and already I was curious. Sure the prospect of a fight was not all too pleasant to me but not like I could turn down whatever it was that they were offering. Maybe they could be offering some sort of shelter too and that alone had my attention.

My wings folded against my back and were hidden under the black leather jacket tied around my waist. Now though I had to make sure I was up to fighting peak if I wanted to impress these people. My skills were okay at best and I was sure that that would not fly really well against whomever I was going to be pitted against. I knew that I would not fare well, against most of the freaks who called themselves heroes. I didn’t have any sort of super strength, my body wasn’t super tough nor was I like those super badass martial arts guys. I was just a girl with wings that healed kind of fast and that was all I had going for me. Not like I could fly them into submission.

When I thought I was ready, I took off to the place the transmission said to go, going my full running speed. It only took less than an hour to reach there and I was nowhere close to tired. Maybe that was also a perk of having this special body of mine?

At least they had an arena made for us, though it seemed a bit handmade. Not that it looked bad but had that self made touch to it I walked in the arena as my eyes fell upon the two who were to be testing us, a man in black and a really tough looking tall dude. I could already feel my flight instincts to run away, to get out there was fast as possible.

Raising an eyebrow I looked at the strange individuals that had arrived before returning my gaze to two. ”Well, I’m here.”

There was nothing too special about that day, except for the fact he was bored enough to actually do more math work for school. Actually, math was his favourite subject, but usually he would’ve just stopped where he was told to stop and gone to get a smoke or something. However, after coming back just a bit bruised from a fight while heroing, his cousin, Adrian, decided to ground him. Said that he couldn’t leave their ratty old shack of a house, no matter the circumstances. Tony had a smart enough mouth to ask if the building set on fire, should he still stay in the house? That just earned him a dirty look.

So there he was, sitting on the couch with a math textbook in hand. He sighed, checking the time. It was still pretty early by his biological clock, and he had nothing to do. At all. Especially since his best friend was busy being boring. Then, the mass message came along from that organisation/group thing he wanted to join. A hero organisation, was what Tony referred to it as. He had to contemplate these tests for a moment. A raw display of power? He brought his scrawny arms in front of him and just stared. “Well, I guess I’m already a loser!” and he just laughed to himself and slowly brought himself to his feet.

He went over to his secret stash of stuff and put on his jacket, then attached the belt with all his ammunition and such to his hip, where belts were supposed to be, anyway. He was going to bring his Grappling Gun, for sure, and was deciding between which pair of electric batons he should bring. In the end, he brought both, because he decided, why the hell not, right? Tony actually felt a bit empty handed. He was sure other recruits would be bustling with all sorts of great skills, and there he was, scrawny with a bunch of electric batons. He looked through the rest of the drawers, and realised that one of them housed Adrian’s pistol. He quickly put that in its own holster attached to his belt, and took some ammunition. His cousin wouldn’t miss it. He stuffed his gas mask and sunglasses into the inside of his jacket and decided he would put them on at the location.

Getting there was a problem. He had never actually visited that part of New York City before. He usually avoided it like the black plague. $9.70 could only get a teen in a taxi so far. He walked the rest of the way, but he got there, nonetheless. He couldn’t help but be fascinated by his surroundings when he reached. So fascinated that he almost forgot to put on his gas mask and sunglasses. Almost. The ruins, he thought, reminded him of pictures he had seen of Rome, only a bit more close to home.

He stuck his hands up in the air once he reached, “Well, I’m finally here, dudes!” he laughed to himself, thinking that no one would actually listen to him. “Had to walk all the way here, and now I think I’m like, the fittest man in the world! I think I should get a gold star for effort.” Typical Tony, there was no such thing as a bad time to joke for him.

July had many things to think about as he walked through the city, searching for the exact location of his rendezvous point. His journey had been a long and grueling one, testing him before he was even tested. Weeks before, he set out to the other side of the country from Los Angeles. July traveled with no money, forcing him to survive solely off of whatever nature would grant him. Despite this, he still preferred this more than being back in that dirty cell. One could hardly call that a room. About seven years had passed, yet he could still remember every nook and cranny within that cell. July was yet to feel the comfort of a bed, so he didn't think the straw placed atop the stone to be so bad. The food, however, he knew to be something one shouldn't even feed their dog. Above all the other horrible things he faced, the killing was the worst. That was why he was doing this.

July would be sure to redeem himself for the acts he committed. No longer would he take the final breaths from other men. His purpose was to be a savior, not a killer. Hopefully this team 'G.U.N.' would be able to assist him with this goal. Hopefully he would be able to prove himself to gain acceptance from them. Hopefully his god would love him. July's self discipline kept him going throughout his whole journey. He survived his childhood, despite being thrown into the midst of combat as a young child. He survived his harsh travels with the Chinese master. Now, he would have to survive this one test to make it. His one goal to become a savior would be realized. Nothing would stop July from protecting the innocent. He would be the knight in shining armor like the story he read. The people would adore him for his spectacular abilities. Nobody would ever again hate him like the mob. Nobody would tie him down to a post and stone him. He was not a killer. Now was his chance to prove it.

Hours passed as July wandered the ruins of New York City. He had never been aware of the destruction that had occured. It weighed heavily on his heart to see something like this. All he thought about were the innocents that were caught up in the wretched battle. He wasn't here to help protect them. If there ever would be a next time, July would be sure to be on the front lines protecting the people like he was destined to do.

Something caught July's attention from above. He noticed a few flying objects he couldn't quite make out, but decided they must be going the same place he was. He followed on the ground, trying to not lose track of them. The landscape was unusual to run in with the roads destroyed and buildings fallen or decimated everywhere. The creature up above made its landing, and July set his course for the area it had made its descent upon. He slowed down to a walk again as soon as the arena came into view. July couldn't tell whether this was created by accident or by somebody on purpose. That didn't matter to him though, and began to make his way to the area the others had gathered in.

July wasn't one for flashy entrances. He was content with slowly walking to the meeting ground and waiting for the tests to start, unlike some others around him. He wasn't here to make people laugh or make friends. Right now things were serious. Who could find humor with their surroundings? They were in a wasteland. Nothing was funny about a wasteland.

It took Sim some time to make her way across the country to New York. Her heart stomach had itself tied in knots the entire way. This was the opportunity she had wanted, and now she found herself nervous. What if she didn't pass the tests? What if they didn't want an outsider like her in their organization? What if they decided she was too young, even though she had already lived one of their lifetimes? These thoughts filled the dragonchild's head as she made her way by bus and by foot to New York.

What she found in New York Mortified her. She had seen, and certainly experience, the evils of humanity that had been nothing but history lessons to her before she was abducted. Nothing on this scale though, a whole city in ruins. She should have been here. Every death, every empty house, the shattered city itself all began to weigh heavily on her as she made her way to the designated location. Another one of her failures. She couldn't forgive herself for any lost innocent while her damaged body still drew breath.

The roads of the once proud city were in ruin, Sim found herself having to climb over rubble or take alternate routes. sometimes she would simply use her strength to move some of the rubble out of the way herself. The city was mostly empty, but here and there those that had nowhere else to go milled about. Sim found herself giving the last of the food she had for her trip to a human child, dirty from living in rubble. She smiled and handed for the food, assuring her that things would get better soon. G.U.N. was here now, don't worry. That's what she told the child. She didn't actually know enough about G.U.N. to say for sure that rebuilding this city was part of its plan, but if it wasn't Sim wasn't going to have part in it no matter how far in she already was. She wasn't in this to punch villains, she abhorred violence. To protect people, to help those that have been victimized, forgotten, left behind...Sim would do whatever it took though. She couldn't let anyone else suffer like she had. As she involuntarily pondered all the broken families, all the young ones who had lost their loved ones she felt tears roll down from her jewel-like eyes.

"No time for that now." She said, wiping her eyes and regaining her posture. It had been nearly a year now, since she had seen her home and family. Soon she would reach the turn of her first century, something that was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but there would be no celebration. Sim couldn't dwell on what she had lost now though. She had to show that she was strong, with her body they would be waiting for her to act like a child.Her stomach complained noisily at it's lack of contents, but she ignored it. She would arrive soon.

As she expected, a large group was already there. She probably had the longest trip after all. She wore her normal outfit, a navy turtleneck bodysuit with a purple jacket and pants. Her clawed hands were covered with black gloves and the only skin that showed was her face. Aside from her odd dress, her stature and hair made her stand out. Her blue hair fell down below her legs, which seemed to make her short stature even more obvious. She looked to be only about 14 or 15 by human standards. Her straight-across bangs framed her purple eyes, another feature that made her stand out from humans. They shined and sparkled like two jewels set into her eyes. Normally she covered them with sunglesses, but she wouldn't hide what she was. If they decided they didn't want a non-native defending their world then so be it. It was easy to tell the recruits from the recruiters apart.Two men stood apart from the rest, even without knowing them Sim felt an imposing presence from them.

Sim made her way through the odd crowd to introduce herself to what she hoped would be her leaders. She suddenly found herself unsure of what to do in front of the impressive men. She felt there had to be some kind of show of respect she was supposed to do, but she wasn't sure what. She still didn't have the culture of this world down completely. Before she knew it she was in front of the men, so she simply decided to do what she would if she was home. She place her arm under her chest with an open hand and bowed slightly, her hair falling over past her shoulders as she showed the men the top of her head. "Greetings Sirs, I am called Sim."

Nina bounded between the destroyed buildings like a rabbit traveling through a field. She was silent, for the most part, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail and trailing behind her like the tail of a comet. Her brand new staff was clutched tightly in her right hand, held high enough so that it wouldn't hinder her rapid movements. She was sure her short, inexplicable absence from the world of heroism would be enough to make her mentor, Pain, want to clobber her. Perhaps, if she was lucky, a show of force and finesse would be enough to quell any negativity.

The smell of this dead place made her eyes water, and as she closed the gap between her location and destination, she kept her eyes level with the horizon to avoid seeing any bodies that might still lay undiscovered in the crushed concrete and steel. Few things brought the brave heroine to her knees, but the sight of an innocent life robbed of longevity was enough to make her just want to sit in the dark and cry. She shook the thoughts violently through her mind as her small frame cut through the air like a bullet. In the distance, she could spot others apparently going in the same direction as her, and she decided to lose some of the height in her jumps in order to be less of a possible target. ''I'm coming, big guy...'' she muttered, the make-shift arena now swimming into view.

---

Once she was close enough, she landed on her feet expertly, leaving no crater or surplus of sound. She slid her staff into the back of her vest and shirt to keep it snug to her back as she climbed into the ovular space. Already beings were gathering, some strange looking, and others completely normal. Her heart pounded in her chest when she saw Pain again, a monolith of a man made purely of muscle and battle-hardened experience. Nina swallowed hard, then steeled her gaze as she eked her way down onto the floor of the arena, sizing up the people around her while she tried her best to give off distinct ''don't mess with me'' vibes.

The Black Knight found their first arrival rather strange, it wasn't difficult to tell that she was not from this time. With his glowing white eyes focused on her, he simply responded. "No, this is merely a testing ground. But if you expected humanity to have evolved beyond that, then I am sorry to disappoint. Even now we fight like monkies over pieces of the ground."

With arms crossed over his chest, the Knight stepped forward towards the strange woman, examining her head to toe like a drill sergeant. "You clearly aren't from here, who are you?" He was intrigued by her, she was far from the 'norm' he dealt with.

Before she could respond to him, the sun above him was temporarily shadowed. William immediately responded, his eyes drifting up to view a dark winged man. His left hand instinctively reached down towards his utility belt, but he restrained himself when the man landed peacefully before him. "And you are?" He questioned after the man simply nodded; it wasn't wise to stay quiet around this detective. William kept his hands at his sides, but he was ready for anything. They knew the risks of having an open call to arms, anyone could be an enemy.

Soon after, another winged flier showed up. A young woman, she couldn't be any older than eighteen. William wasn't sure how to feel about that, but if she wanted to fight and was capable, he wouldn't stop her. "Welcome." He simply responded to her, his eyes darting between the three recruits that stood before him.

"I will give some time for the others to arrive, but I will only be recruiting four of you. Pain will handle the rest. But while we're all here, lets start with introductions. I'll start, I am The Black-" He was once again interrupted by the arrival of a new recruit. "..Knight..." It was some jokester, he ran up laughing at his own terrible joke. William shook his head and sighed, at least he had spirit. He understood that for some it was good to not always be serious, but this was not the time nor the place. "Yes, yes. I'll be sure to keep track of that on our 'wall of stars'...Fall in line." The sarcasm was clear in his voice, up until he sternly commanded the young man to join the others. "You four are my recruits, first, tell me your name, and your purpose for being here. Then I want you to show me your power. We'll move on from there."

Strangely, Pain wasn't smoking, instead he folded his hands together under his nose, rubbing his jaw as he waited for the newcomers. Not like it mattered if he smoked or not, but he just hadn't bothered with it; reminded him too much of someone.

The first to arrive before Pain was a man in army jacket, he ran up and immediately saluted the Big Guy. "At ease." He briefly stated, keeping a cold blank expression as he eyed the young man from head to toe. Pain was a man of few words, he had nothing to say to the kid. He'd simply wait for the others to arrive, then he'd get this started.

Another young man walked up, but he held a far more serious expression. He carried himself with a different kind of confidence, a stoic composure similiar to his own. Pain watched him closely, but did not greet him with words, instead just a simple respectful nod.

The next arrival was shocking to say the least, it was a girl who could not have been any older than sixteen. Pain did his best to judge her based purely off appearance, no one should be underestimated, but he couldn't help but feel guilty for her even being here. He wouldn't deny her a chance, but part of him would always oppose the idea of sending someone so young to fight for him. Pain gave her the same respectful nod, doing his best to treat her no differently than the others.

Only one familiar face showed, the young woman he took in off the streets and helped get back on her feet. Nina, but he'd never call her that out here; she was Valkryie, the tough gal that fought along his side many of times. He'd never forget how she helped him get his revenge on Fantom and Relic. A test for her was unecessary, but to be fair he'd force her to take it anyway. "Valkryie.." The Big Guy said warmly, welcoming her with a genuinely joyful smirk.

"Welcome, all of you." Pain stated loudly, removing his hands and slowly rising to his feet. He stood over them like a king to his knights, his light blue eyes scanning them all one by one. "You all know why you're here, and if ya' don't know me, the way I operate ain't pretty. I wanna' know all your names, then I want ya' to hit me with whatever ya got." The Big Guy stated fearlessly, rolling his neck from left to right and filling their ears with the loud cracking of his bones. "Well? Cmon' punks! I ain't got all day! He barked out, pounding his chest twice to signify where he wanted them to hit.

" I... I'm Metal Man I guess..." Chris was kinda surprised he wanted them for go for him as a first target, but he guessed if that's what he ordered... He quickly transformed into his Metal form, forming like an outer shell around him, He ran at Pain with all the Strength he could Muster, though it would probably do nothing against Pain he punched him in the gut, then he jumped swiftly and smoothly into the air, where he did a loop and punched Pain again. He landed and walked over by the others.

Sphinx sat back on her haunches and flicked her lion-like tail back and forth as the others began to fill in around her. With her origins, she did not seem troubled in the least about anyone's appearance... though the professionalism in some did not sit well with her. Was this supposed to be an actual army? She hoped she did not have to rely on them too much. Perhaps there would be some quality in the leadership though.

The stronger of the two men gathered his own group, while the other gathered her in. Sphinx's eyes leveled on him in silence while she took the time to judge his character. By his words, he seemed to have some sense to him. He had a commanding presence to him that she respected. If he was able to lead this ragtag group of so-called heroes, maybe they stood a chance.

Once things began to settle into something resembling organization, she answered the man. "No, I am clearly not from around here." She looked around at their surroundings, then back at him. "I come from the Gift of the Nile, where my services are no longer required. From what I understand, my kind have become legend in these times. So you may call me by that legend: The Sphinx. I am a keeper of that which needs guarding, and by the looks of it your new world needs much of that."

"As for showing you what I can do... first you must challenge my riddle:"

"Two brothers we are, great burdens we bear,
All day we are bitterly pressed;
Yet this I will say - we are full all the day,
And empty when we go to rest.
What are we?"