“This is where we gather for the morning coffee and croissants,” The Liberator said showing us the cafeteria of the superhero headquarters.

I was still trying to get used to his size and appearance. We have all seen him thousands of times on tv and in various videos, but once he stands this close to him, it’s truly uncanny.

I myself was higher than most people but I barely came to his chest, and he was almost three times as wide as me even though I was in my peek, training every day.

His size was one thing, what made me feel uneasy was his carapace that had grown as armor around most of his body. Some of it was hidden behind his suit, some incorporated, and some fully visible like that big piece around his neck and ears.

“This is nice,” I said looking over at my team, who was cringing at the site of the giant. “You sure have a nice interior decorator, can we get a number?” I asked jokingly.

Liberator let out a loud thunderous laugh, don’t know why it wasn’t that funny, but he laughed a lot. “Lady Zap had done all of our decorating, doubt she is for hire.” He said and continued to walk. “Let me show you our meeting room.”

This was the further from our plan we could get, we were in the middle of the superhero quarters with some of the stolen things still with us, and the Liberator himself, one of the strongest superpowered people alive was giving us a tour.

“Can we come back for a full tour some other day?” I asked trying not to sound disrepsctull. “We appreciate it deeply but this was our first superhero stint and all, we feel truly tired,” I said and all of my friends nodded in agreement.

“Ohh, silly me,” Liberator said. “I remember my first time, my heart was pounding after the mission, I couldn’t wait to get home and just relax.” He stopped and turned towards us. “Let’s go back to the cafeteria you can sit there and relax, but you can’t go before Lady Zap comes, she wants to meet you and thank you in person.”

“When will she arrive?” I asked.

“She will be here in 30 minutes tops,” He said and pointed back towards the cafeteria and we had no other choice but to go.

We sat down and ordered some coffee and on Liberator’s suggestion, we got some donuts and croissants. So here we were sitting in the most secure building in the world, surrounded by dozens of superheroes and their sidekicks and we had just robbed the most secured vault in the city a few hours ago, I had some of the items hidden in the secret compartments of my suit.

How did we get here when we had a perfect plan? Well, those idiots that call themself the Shadow Sidicate had the same idea as we did, to rob the Ambiens Vault, the most secure place to store your valuables on the planet.

They as we did, knew that most of the heroes would be away on this day due to the impending crisis in Asia. We made a distraction on the other side of the city to give the rest of the heroes something to do as we silently broke into the vault, they didn’t think that far.

We were almost done with everything in under fifteen minutes, no one would have noticed that the vault was broken until they’d done the routing check in the morning, have those morons not shown.

They surprised us but we gave them chance to leave without a fight, to choose something different to rob, we even offered part of the loot to them, but they wanted it all, greedy bastards.

None of us react well to the threats so we kicked their asses right away. We dismantled them quickly and easily, but unfortunately, our fighting signed the alarms and the heroes were there as we tried to leave.

Luckily for us, they thought we were a new group of heroes, those showed up almost every day these days, so we played along and well our plan of getting not revealing our powers for a better part of a decade and getting rich out if it failed miserably. We were sitting silently sipping our coffee and eating some of the best donuts as we await Lady Zap to arrive and probably figure everything out on the spot.

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Authors note: I tried something different, a bit darker, hope you like it!

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Three days ago - The oceanic life research facility (OLRF) - Mariana Trench division, Indonesia.

“Fascinating,” Amelia said.

“What’s that?” Daniel asked sipping his coffee, his earbuds in his ears like always.

“I said,” Amelia raised her voice. “Fascinating!”

“What’s fascinating?” Daniel asked taking another sip of his coffee.

“The liquid that new species of fish produces, the one we discovered last month,” Amelia said with annoyance. “One single drop of the liquid can kill a whale… What are you even doing now?”

“Drinking my coffee, with milk finally,” He answered.

“What milk, no one bought milk once again,” Amelia said.

“What was this then?” Daniel asked shaking the empty beaker.

Amelia froze instantly, could it be? No one could be that stupid to pick a beaker with an unknown liquid from the laboratory table, right? She thought to herself. Then again Daniel was, well Daniel the IT guy, he never really cared much about anything, living life on reserve power.

“Where did you find it?” Amelia rushed towards him.

“Here,” He pointed to the table where liquid from the fish stood minutes ago. “It tastes kinda funny though. Which kind is this, don’t tell me they mike out of limes now?”

“You idiot!” Amelia yelled.

“What?”

“You drank the poison?” Amelia frantically looked around the lab, hoping she was wrong.

“What? WHAT?” Daniel yelled the information only hiding him now. “No I took the white liquid from here, the milk.”

“That is the poison,” Amelia said. “It was white, like milk yes, but what the hell Daniel, do you even use your brain?”

“Oh my God, Oh my God, what do I do now?” He started pacing around the lab.

Amelia took a deep breath, trying to stay calm despite the panic rising within her. "There's nothing we can do now," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You should have been dead by now."

"What do you mean, dead?" Daniel asked, his face going pale. "Amelia, please tell me you're joking."

"I wish I were," Amelia said. "That liquid is highly toxic, and there's no known antidote. Well, we have just discovered it."

Daniel sank into a chair, his hands trembling. "So, what's going to happen to me?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"Maybe it's not toxic to humans," Amelia said, her voice rising with hope. "Let's get you to the medical bay and see what we can do."

She helped Daniel to his feet, and they rushed out of the lab and down the long corridor toward the medical bay. Amelia was in a state of panic, her mind racing with all the possible outcomes. What if the poison really was lethal to humans? What if there was no cure, no way to save Daniel's life? Was she to blame? Was him?

As they reached the medical bay, the door slid open, and they were greeted by the medical team on duty. Amelia explained the situation to the doctor in charge, who immediately started examining Daniel.

"What do you say he drank, exactly?" the doctor asked.

“New poison from the new fish we discovered at the bottom of Mariana Trench,” Amelia asked. “It’s highly toxic, he should have been dead already.”

Doctor just nodded and continued to examine him. “He looks just fine, his vitals are up a little bit, but that could be from the panic. Let’s leave him here overnight and we will monitor him.” The doctor said.

Amelia nodded and said goodbye to Daniel leaving for her lab, hoping he would be ok.

Two days ago - The oceanic life research facility (OLRF) - Mariana Trench division, Indonesia.

> 08:30 AM: SOS signal towards the mainland.

> 08:36 AM: SOS signal towards the mainland.

> 08:38 AM: All contact was lost with The oceanic life research facility.

One day ago - The oceanic life research facility (OLRF) - Mariana Trench division, Indonesia.

> Still no contact with the OLRF

> Rescue teams deployed to the OLRF location, one day to arrive.

Present day - The oceanic life research facility (OLRF) - Mariana Trench division, Indonesia.

“What do you think happened, Chief?” Henry asked his commander, Norris.

“No idea, maybe the power is just out?” He said.

“Don’t they have like a gazillion backup generators?” He asked.

“I don’t, I guess we will see in a few minutes,” Norris answered and turned towards the side of the chopper, looking out of the window.

As choppers drew closer they could finally see the OLRF in the middle of the thick forest. Seeing it this up close, the facility completely dark, a feeling of unease came over Henry, something felt way off. As they came closer and closer, they could notice that the windows on the second floor were broken and the front door of the facility was busted. Looking closer Henry saw what looked like a white lab coat in front of the building, and something red around it. No, it was a body in the coat, a body missing its limps laying in a pool of its own blood.

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pt. 2 is out

Part 2

*****

Marcus left his crew in Egypt and flew straight home in a private jet that their financier Mr. White provided. His heart raced the whole flight as he was trying to convince himself he was wrong, but deep down he knew, those Angels, they were not who they presented themselves to be. They were monsters beyond horrific beyond human imagination.

Mr. White called him halfway through his flight.

"Marcus, what happened?" Mr. White asked, his voice calm and collected as always. "I have dozens of missed calls. Did you finally crack the symbol?"

"Yes," Marcus said, his voice trembling. "The mark means do not harvest, not fit for consumption."

"Oh my God," Mr. White said and went silent for a moment. "Why are you flying home?"

"My family has lost their mark sir, all of them," Marcus said, his voice crackling.

"And they have just returned," Mr. White continued. "I am so sorry Marcus, I hope they are ok. Rush to them and then call me."

"We have discovered something else on the stone that held the key for translation," Marcus added. “It translated to if they ever return find me!”

“Interesting,” Mr. White said. “Take care Marcus and call me.”

As Marcus landed at the airport, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that he had to get home as soon as possible, to see if his family was still there if the Angels have not gotten to them yet.

As he exited the airport, he saw his brother, Jensen, waiting for him in the parking lot.

"Marcus, what's going on?" Jensen asked, his eyes filled with concern. Marcus did not explain to him what happened, only to be there as soon as he land.

"I have a lot to tell you…" Marcus said, his voice trembling. "But drive home as fast as you can, I’ll tell you along the way." Jensen nodded and left the parking lot with the screeching of tires.

They rushed to Marcus's house, racing through the streets recklessly as Marcus told Jensen about their discovery in Egypt. As they pulled up to the house, Marcus’ anxiety was at an all-time high. He hoped he would find his wife and his beautiful children there running towards him for an embrace, but something deep inside him told him he was already too late.

When they entered the house, they found it empty, devoid of any sign of life. Marcus rushed to his children's rooms, searching for any clue as to what had happened. But there was nothing, no sign of struggle, no indication of where they might have gone.

As they searched the rest of the house and the backyard, Marcus felt a sense of dread creeping over him. He now knew what it meant when the angels took someone, and with every second passing, it was more evident that his family had been taken from him. He felt a deep sense of loss, a feeling of emptiness that seemed to consume him instantly.

As he sat in his empty house, Marcus realized that everything was about to change, but he did not know where to start. The angels were not the benevolent beings that history and the stories presented them to be, but rather monsters beyond human comprehension. And now, he had lost everything he had ever held dear.

He felt a sense of despair wash over him, a feeling of hopelessness that seemed to envelop him. He knew that he would never be able to go back to his old life, that everything he had ever known had been taken from him. But he also knew that he had to keep searching, he had to get to the bottom of this mystery, so he dialed his boss.

“Sir, they are gone,” Marcus said, his voice a flat line, still in shock.

“I am so sorry Marcus!” Mr. White said. “I am on my way to Egypt, meet me there, the plane is waiting for you at the airport. We have a lot to discuss!”

“I am coming with you,” Jensen said and they rushed back in silence toward the airport.

​

part 3 - On my sub, easier to read/post as this post is getting pretty crowded.

part 4

It was a day like any other when the earth shook violently and the skies suddenly turned bright. All around the globe same sight could be seen. People saw what seemed to be giant, glowing beings descending from the heavens, Angels. Angels were unlike anything anyone had ever imagined, with wings blindingly beautiful and an otherworldly radiance that seemed to emanate from their very beings. As they drew closer to the earth, people began to feel an unfamiliar discomfort.

Christians, true believers, were taken that day. Taken to eternal peace, while the rest of humanity was left to ponder their decisions. Angels circled the globe several times leaving an unfamiliar mark on people's foreheads as they left.

Everyone born after that day got the same mark. No one knew what it meant, the leading theory was that it branded them sinners, someone who would never be able to reach and experience what those people did on that holy day.

Since that day, Earth changed forever. Most people stopped looking for material success and turned towards Christianity. Years later first marks finally started disappearing and humanity found hope once again.

Five years later Angels returned once again, taking those whose markings had disappeared. That was a clear sign for humanity of what their goal should be.

Angels repeated the same process five years later and one of them spoke that they would continue to do so. Sins can be forgiven and people can be accepted and brought to heaven with them if they work hard enough, and devoted their lives to it. Almost fifteen years had passed after that holy day and humanity eagerly expected the return of the Angels once more.

All of this did not sit right with Marcus, a history teacher, who combed through every book he could find trying to decipher the strange marking. He found himself in Egypt, at ancient ruins, looking for the final clues, he was so close.

His children and wife waited for him at home, their markings gone almost a year now. His wife Vivian had begged him to leave this pursuit of his and join them, she could help him lose the mark, and become a believer. She could be his guide into eternal peace and ascension.

But Marcus could not let it go, he had to follow his gut. He brought his team of eight people with him to Egypt, and all of them shared the same feeling of uncertainty and eeriness that surrounded the Angels.

They combed through the ancient site looking for final clues, something was missing. Every translation they did reading the parts of the strange symbol made no sense.

“Boss,” Lorein yelled. “I think I have found it, come look at this.”

Carved into one of the stones was a part of the symbol that decorated most of the remaining humanity’s foreheads.

“That’s it,” Marcus said. “We have everything we need. Bring that whole block, we will have the symbol translated tonight!”

They spent the whole night translating the symbol and just before dusk they succeeded.

The message read: "Do not harvest, not fit for consumption."

It was a chilling revelation, one that sent chills through the team. The implication was clear: those who bore the marking were safe and the others were in grave danger.

Minutes later as the team was still proof-checking the earth shook once again and the sky became bright. The Angels have returned once more.

The feeling of dread and horror swept over Marcus, his wife, and children had lost their mark and he was on the other half of the planet away from them. He was right all along but he was too late, he had lost his wife and children.

One of the team members was unbothered by the revelation and angels returned and continued translating part of the stone they have found at the ruins. He finished the sentence that was written at the bottom of the stone:

“If they ever return, find me!”

part 2

part 3 - On my sub, easier to read/post as this post is getting pretty crowded.

part 4

part 5

part 6

I have been alive for three hundred years and out of those three hundred, two hundred and seventy years only revenge has been on my mind. I need to kill a God, I will kill a God and I will make him suffer. He took them away from me, he took my family away, I have been all alone and no one can understand that.

But there is a catch, he is hiding from me, he knows what is coming. So I need to die first in order to get to his realm. But the one that gave me this power has cursed me, I can only die a worthy death, trust me I have tried everything.

Imagine my luck when these so-called Heroes started appearing twenty years ago, I forgot what it is to have hope again and they have awakened that feeling inside of me. But they were weak, I fought them and let them beat me, but that was not a worthy death, the curse would not let me die. So for the past twenty years, I’ve created a guild, a guild of bad people with bad intentions, but I don’t care what they do and achieve, I have an ulterior motive I need them to make these heroes strong. So that’s why I’ve been helping them, financing all of their stupid ideas and plans and it has been working, heroes are becoming strong, they have to in order to defeat my guild and new heroes have been popping up left and right.

Soon I will have my worthy death and in death, revenge will be mine, Qhaxtis I am coming for you and everything that you have created.

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