Despite our joint alliance, each of us ran our factions a little differently in this world gone mad. Algorithm uses sultry words and honored promises, Gyro and Barrier were a joint effort, and Ursa relied on blackmail. I followed dear old dad and dealt with a harsh hand and iron fist. Whenever failure reared its ugly head, I punished my servants twice fold, but that quickly got doubled if Tactic was the subject of this failure. But now that I saw the man face to face, I realized that every tale paled in comparison to the real thing. He may very well be human, but he radiated anything but that. Through that damn HUD, I felt a mechanical disdain that just made me all the angrier. This man, in his short uprising, has become a symbol amongst the people, thinking he's a legend when he's nothing. And I hope to remind him of that fact today. A cold dominance once again took over my frame, as soon I stood up with my poised finger still shining bright.

"Lucky shot, but I promise that the next ones are going to cost you," I said through focused eyes.

"Luck had nothing to do with its abomination. I don't whether you were ambitious or just plain stupid for thinking I wouldn't recognize you and every other escaped animal from last year. I'm just thankful that you sped up the process. Surrender now, and you might leave this elevator alive," he says as he closes the elevator doors.

"This isn't an ultimatum; it's a standoff. If you know my identity, then you know damn well I've got enough power to blow us all to hell," I said as my finger's light grew more intense.

"And if you know my identity, you'll realize that I'm more than willing to take that chance. I came here to make an alliance that may level the playing field. And I'm not going to let all of you ruin that."

In response, my finger grew even brighter, to the point where a small light started to sprout from my finger. I wasn't going to back down, not now, not ever, not when I'm so very close to what I want. So as my finger held more concentrated power than I've ever wielded, my other hand was completely free. My power is suppressed wrath incarnate, utilizing stored up sunlight in the form of energy that I can use however I want through my hands. It's powerful, to say the least, but it's a lot to manage; I have limited "ammunition," meaning I have to control everything from the output, concentration, and range in real-time, but also means that my versatility is nearly unmatched. That case becomes all the more clear as my slightly turned right thumb suddenly sputtered with rocket-like propulsion! But before that could take hold, I let my shot explode!

All hell broke loose as we both let our shots fly! My propulsion saved my life by an edge, only escaping with only a large scratch to my side! Meanwhile, my bright golden beam of light exploded out of my index! In the wake of such a blast, Tactic somehow, with almost inhuman speed, dodged my blast as if we were mirrored! The Laser quickly tore through the elevator doors metallic flesh like cheap fabric, as it kept going until it exploded far away with more force than an RPG! That explosion was so strong that it left the whole base shaking, stunning Tactics perfect blitzkrieg by a hair! This small opening was one I exploited for all of it's worth as I used my right hand to rocket both of us out of the elevator! My opponent retched in my stride, realizing all too late he was getting an augmented palm strike from my free hand!

A rabid bloodlust started to fully take over as I curved my left fingers to have us both parallel to the ground! Once that happened, I unleashed even more power, turning my propulsion into an almighty halberd. But before the fateful punch could connect, Tactic once again employed inhuman strength, using a spinning armbar and powerful kick to separate us both in one fluid motion! Our speed was so intense that we were both sent spiraling into the opposite walls!

Adrenaline and vertigo clashed with rattled bones and welted bruises, leaving me in complete disarray. My surroundings were completely blurred out, but they quickly came back into full focus as I saw the glint of metal! Automatically I took pseudo flight, dodging bullets while giving my suppressive fire!

Unfortunately, this did the opposite of creating distance instead, forcing Tactic to charge forward with a knife in hand. With a quick curve, I land on my feet and answer his call! Pinpoint propulsion and concentrated carnage combined as I found myself countering each slash with a series of widespread sweeps! Eventually, the battle turned in my favor as in one split second, opportunity unleashed a hardy punch! But Tactic once again shocked me, catching my blow perfectly! From there, all I could hear was tensed servos and grinding hydraulics, leaving me with one flabbergasted question.

"What are you?" I said in astonishment.

"Your future captor," he said single-mindedly.

Once again, anger took over as in response; I flared up my fist into an energetic burst! With surprise now on my side, I clapped back with a small series of surgical shotgun-style strikes! Each blast tore away through stone and armor alike as I could just feel him getting closer to death! But that only made Tactic even wilder, as he soon gave a brutal elbow that sent me back into a wall! Before I could even register, the blow two bolas wrapped around my upper body! With my hands tied, Tactic pulled out a grapple gun that soon wrapped around my neck! An iron grip clamped around my throat as soon enough; I was reeled in straight into a primed Agonizer! With desperation seeping in, I counted on another gamble, using my thumbs to propel a couple of weak shots. This gave me just enough to give a messy kick that saved me from the deadly baton! I tried going into another kick, but by then, Tactic had once again adapted, eventually wrapping his arm right around in a choke lock! My vision then started to get hazy and blood red, right in time for me to hear the sound of several fully armed soldiers marching with weapons primed.

I swear I could see their pistols leveled, could see my death coming. But almost on cue, the three soldiers started to glow with a familiar teal hue. All at once, a dense weight fell on their bodies to the point where I heard bones crack like candy. At the same time, Slime moved in, throwing Tactic aside like a ragdoll! Heavenly oxygen returned to my lungs again as soon enough; my ally returned to me with a compassionate face while holding our enemy from a back tentacle.

"Don't worry, I got you," he said kindly.

And as the mucus man started to free my bindings, I realized through his watch that our yellow has quickly turned to reddish-black! Simmering wrath took over my now drowsy frame, wanting to break Tactic in every way imaginable. And yet, for some reason, when I saw the fabled man break free in an electrical discharge, I repeated the thing I said at the beginning of the fight: he was nothing. Which also meant my rage towards him meant nothing, only the mission at hand. In this moment of clarity, I ignored everything else from Slime's buffering of bullets to Scale's brutal bindings. Instead, the harsh light that tried to snuff out every inconvenience turned into a focused light completely devoted to my mission. So with what little power I had left, my index once again decided to glow, remembering the base's layout just enough for one last shot!

Rebound/Marco Fern POV

I don't care what anyone else says; out of all the powers in this crazy new world, it was truly mine that was the greatest. Because so far, I haven't seen anything yet that has given me the same freedom as I. The freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted while giving my opponents exactly what they deserved—a perfect answer to years of pleading. Because I was a baby, my family had already planned my entire life for me. From the friends I've made to the sports, I played they orchestrated every minute of it. It was so suffocating that I felt I couldn't breathe, so suffocating that all that frustration just welted up year by year. This is why when Genesis came, I was more than happy when I was the sole survivor of my family's massacre. And when I had finally discovered my power, I realized now more than ever that I can let all my rage out with nothing to stop me!

To make sure I stayed on top, I trained my powers harder than any of my peers. From bullets to blades, I was put through every trauma imaginable until my breakthrough finally formed. So far, I've got two big limitations; the first one is that I'm only as powerful as whatever hits me, meaning that bullets could only do so much before Wildfire comes in and completely overpowers me. Secondly, I can never hold on to my power for long; hell, I can barely regulate myself. However, as long as I maintain concentration, I can store and build up the energy longer than I've ever thought possible. This mission is just another step to my superhuman supremacy.

After our little split up, Barrier and I quickly took control like nobody's business gaining access to the fabled holding cells of Area 51 with the proper gear and identification. Before his unfortunate death, our contact gave us the necessary low down. Due to the renovations, Area 51 has turned into an underground labyrinth. Each floor contained more dangerous helixes than the last. While I kept a good memory of each one, the bottom floor was what our true goal was. Even with his crazy aspirations, Algorithm still knew that we couldn't escape with all 30 of the prisoners here, which is why we decided to pick the three most dangerous people here. The government tried covering up their actions, but the Internet is a beautiful little beast. Each step to our goal proved harder than the last, though, as my accumulated power was becoming unbearable.

When we finally treated to a stale white futuristic prison. All three prisoners were lined up at the end of the hallway with basic amenities. One was an Asian man with light purple hair and a glass eye with a blank expression, the other was a seemingly scared out of her mind black teenager with long hair, and the other was a large rock-like creature with large spiky "hair" and coarse skin. Instead of conventional bars, their cells were held together by modified plexiglass layered with glowing blue energy, probably a barrier. Each of them was given about three dozen eyes on them, each man and woman equipped with enough military-grade hardware to tear through a Swat team.

Most people would be more tensed up than ever. But instead, all I could feel was a burning excitement as we completed the rotation. Because these prisoners were just like me, superior beings held down by the shackles of others, which made me all the happier to be their liberator. However, that excitement quickly threw off my concentration, just enough to let the power loose! Sparks of purple lightning started to erupt from my body, forcing me to the floor in groaning agony! At once, 34 eyes now turned themselves towards us, worried and scared out of their skulls. What's worse is that despite our accessories not turning black just yet, a trembling explosion from up above proceeded to cut the power, sowing even more disarray. Barrier tried to jump in and cover it up, hiding our presence while whispering in my ear demandingly.

"Get yourself together, Rebound, you can't slip up now you can't!"

At her orders, my rage started to flare, instantly grabbing her collar for one order.

"Go ahead!" I said with no hesitation.

From her face, I could see a judgemental and desperate expression that instantly understood she had no choice. So in a moment of frustration, Barrier did her job, putting up a series of twin shields around our person. That sight alone was enough to get us enveloped into a barrage of gunfire. Barrier decided to let go of all control, steeling herself mentally to create exactly what I needed, A barrier around the shape of a wooden plank. That sight was truly all I needed, as I let the lighting overtake my very being! All at once, an hour's worth of abuse from both Gyro and Ursa came forth in a blinding violet aura that showered the entire prison!

Yet, despite the unfiltered storm, a sense of tranquility started to form around me. All at once, the bullets went from torrential rain to lulled drizzle; the soldiers shriek slurred into something incomprehensible. I almost didn't understand what was going on, but my now light speed neurons found an answer. I see now that the first step was done, this slowed down world was evidence enough, but the second one was still a work in progress. My intended stream had now become a wild flood that would last a couple of seconds. But that only left me feeling even more excited. It wouldn't be rewarding if I mastered it all at once, and this form was more than enough for what was required. Like a wet tissue, I walked through the blue barrier with the plank-like shield in hand. When I had fully walked out, I casually moved every bullet away from my partner. Once that happened, I smashed the giant plank into nothing more than light blue smithereens!

This is exactly what I wanted because now I had all the weaponry I needed. With inhuman grace, I aimed each shard right where it needed to be. By the time my power was fully used up, I had made it with time to spare, leaving me with nothing left except relaxing amongst the carnage. Once real-time reactivated, each soldier collapsed to the ground, choking on supersonic sharpen! Simultaneously each cell shattered like regular glass at the onset of this same weaponry. And as these three prisoners breathed for the first time in their entire lives, my aching body was ready to greet them with open arms.