(I'll beg your pardon, these are some rough excerpts I haven't fully cleaned or finalized them yet)

[b]The Last and the First[/b]

“Okay, just input your ID number and scan your finger…oh. Um, we’ll do a retinal scan for that part.” Ulthix stepped away from the console and let Kyengen put in the information. “That’s it then. You are now the acting leader of Heroes Unlimited.” Kyen nodded but didn’t reply. “You can come with me you know. Epic has plenty of room, specially for someone with your power.” The other man faced him, still without saying a word. Ulthix sighed, “You really shouldn't stay here man. It’s not healthy.”

“I have things to finish here. Thanks Ulthix, but it’ll be fine.” Ulthix couldn’t figure out what his friend was thinking. Kyengen never showed much expression, though the set of his jaw was harder than usual at the moment.

“Sure. But let me know if you change your mind.” Kyen promised he would. They walked together to the telepad bay, exchanged a terse farewell, and Ulthix left. It was just Kyengen alone in the base now. The familiar hum of the machines had run down to a low purr since everyone else was gone. They would fail to disuse soon.

Kyengen moved through the telepad bay to overflowing storage room, and finally back to the control center. The computer wouldn’t hide anything from him now. “Authorization code K-G-1-0-8.” A desktop screen popped up with a list of frequently used commands and a blank window that should have contained the recent activity of HU members. “Status report on all active, disabled and missing beacons.” The screen locked up for a moment then showed a list of names with a colored dot on one side of them, and a date stamp on the other. Ulthix’ name was missing, Kyengen’s showed today’s date and a green dot. All other names had white, blue or black marks next to them. White meant deceased, blue meant retired, and black meant missing. Kyen looked the list over carefully, recalling each name. “Update priority status: Immediate communication with all active beacons for a status change. Register channel six.” The computer confirmed the input code and promptly went back to sleep.

That seemed like as good a cue as any to head out. He returned to the telepad bay, and set the beacon to Croatoa. Once he was gone, the scanner confirmed everything living had left the base ran down into sleep mode.

[b]The Changing of the Guard[/b]

"It's not the same," Airtha whined.

"It's a renovation. It isn't supposed to be."

"You know what I mean!" The younger woman had spent the last several days pouting exhaustively.

Angeleye considered her for a moment. She was right, Kyen had taken Heroes Unlimited from brink of destruction to become one of the most well respected groups in the city. DL did her best, but the hole he left was hard to ignore, partially because they were still fixing it. Angeleye wanted to believe he had made a hard choice, or it wasn't what it seemed, but things being what they were, it was difficult to stay optimistic.

Kyengen had disappeared a little over a month ago. At the time he was supposed to be taken into custody under manslaughter charges. A meeting had been called of the entire group, attendance wasn't mandatory but he did say please, which was an anomaly unto itself. Everyone had half expected him to ask them to join him in revolt, but instead he announced that he would be stepping down as the group leader, Daemon Lady would be stepping into the role and Sip of Stone would be her new second in command.

The news old by then, almost everyone had heard it. Supposedly he had gone off the reservation, killed several people he was supposed to be apprehending. He didn't hide it, part of the speech explained that he had in fact killed his adversary, a technology infused monster that called himself Leet Skills, only he spelled it with number for some reason. He said there was a good reason, though he declined to state it, and he wanted to spare the group as much backlash as possible from what was to come.

Nobody was surprised. Kyengen always handled his business alone, at least in so far as he was able. Everyone had worked with him, not everyone liked him, not everyone agreed with him, but everyone did trust and respect him, there was no one in that room who would have been unwilling to stand behind his cause if he asked it. But he didn't. He wouldn't. Jacob stood to object, but Kyen silenced his old friend before he began with barely a gesture.

"I've chosen my path. It must now be followed." And no other explanation was offered.

Those that had been closest to him, which translated to those that had worked with him the most, followed him to the portal. He approached the glowing column tentatively, which was another oddity, but it was already of a day of strangeness, one more didn't matter. Before going through, into the waiting arms of the authorities, he turned to look back over the assemblage of people called heroes, those few who counted themselves among his friends. His visage hadn't changed, the corners of his mouth turned slightly down in a perpetual frown, his human eye was narrow, but his cybernetic was constantly refocusing.

Angeleye picked up on it first, her own reticle reading a sudden power surge a moment before it was released. She was able to divert the force of the blast away from herself, but nothing could be done for her comrades. By the time she fully realized what had happened a second later, Kyen had already destroyed the base portal and was gone. The portal had been the main entrance and exit for the interdimentional base, but it wasn't the only one. She headed for the telepad bay, using the residual power from Kyengen's attack to propel herself at inhuman speeds.

The portal had been located in the center of the base, the telepad bay was close by for ease of access, but the pads took a few seconds to calibrate, and he couldn't move as fast as she in the narrow hallways; she could reach him before he got away. But the bay was crowded with other heroes and civilian workers. The destruction of the main portal had triggered the evacuation alarm, and the costumed members of the group were herding the others out into various city zones. Kyengen was nowhere to be seen.

Jacob appeared at her side a moment later, fully transformed from his human state to the alien hybrid mode he assumed as Polestar Emerald. He was still pulsing with photonic energy as the alien aspects sought to repair the human ones from Ky's stike. "Do they know?" he asked gravely.

"It doesn't look like he's been here." Angeleye started scanning the base for any energy fluxes.

In her heightened state, she felt rather saw him nod. "Good. Don't say anything. We don't need to increase panic." She agreed, news of a renegade Kyengen would not be well received. "Arriana's got him. Park." Pole took off through the air leaving a trail of incandescent energy in his wake. Angel's earlier speed boost had worn off so she helped to the residuals and sped after him.

"Why the park?" She asked when catching up.

He shrugged, "Ambiance." The park was the training grounds for those with plant or earth based powers, it was basically several hundred tons of dirt and rocks in a domed room with an artificial sun. A couple ponds, benches and pathways had been added for, as Jacob said, ambiance. There were two entrances from the base, but they were still in an enclosed space, the park was a dead end.

Daemon Lady caught up with them on the way. Unlike Angel, she wasn't human, and was able to keep up with their pace under her own power. Of course DL could also fly. They hovered on either side of her now, which she attributed to an attempt to keep her in the conversation rather than give her a complex. "There is another portal in the park," she explained without prompting. "It's above the ceiling but only goes to the spiritual realms. I'm the only one that uses it."

Angel was startled and annoyed to learn this. "And you never saw fit to mention this?"

Daemon Lady didn't look at her. "It wasn't necessary. The portal is dangerous, and well shielded on both sides. But the base straddles several dimensional crossroads, we have to be able to balance it on all sides. So there is a portal." Her voice dropped. "Kyen shouldn't be able to use it."

"I don't see why not," Polestar chimed in. "He's from the same clan as Airtha...kinda, he doesn't use magic but that doesn't mean he can't."

Daemon Lady scoffed, "He's covered in steel plates being kept alive by cybernetics. He should not be anywhere near magic nor the lands of the Fey. If he intends to use that portal, he must have found some way around that. But it would take planning and preparation. I do not wish to think he had been long intent on treachery." With that thought in mind, they reached the park.

Polestar turned to Angeleye at the entrance. "Wait here, but keep your ears open."

She gave him a hard look. "I'm the only one that can stop him." Kyengen was a kinetic generator of immense power. Angel's abilities were also mired in kinetic energy, but she could manipulate them. A number of very influential people had worked long and hard to keep them from meeting, and when they finally did, just looking at him almost knocked her out. She had needed a massive firmware update and extensive training before she could even be in the same room with the man, much less attempt to deal with his powers.

"Exactly," intoned Daemon Lady behind her. "And he knows that, and something is wrong here. I'm not prepared to write him off yet."

She wasn't happy but did as they asked. Those two had known Ky longer than anyone. Together, Polestar Emerald and Daemon Lady took off towards the ceiling. She lead him through a small hole so well camouflaged that it was hard to see even after watching them go through it. She tried moving around the area, but couldn't hear anything. Finally Pole and DL came back down.

Neither would look at her. "He's used the portal." Daemon Lady said after a few seconds of silence.

Pole settled on the ground as light exploded from around him. When it faded, Angel found herself looking at the human Jacob Emerald. "I'll go talk to the police." And with that he walked off. Jacob had been a cop before his retirement and subsequent transformation, he was probably the best candidate to handle that particular task.

Angel looked at DL, "You're in charge. Now what?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back for a second. When she opened them again, they were hard and focused. "I need everyone back here. Let Jake handle the police for now. We aren't making any statements until we are reasonably sure we know what happened. Get everyone who was with us at the portal and have them meet in the library. No, that was his room, have them meet in the lounge."

"We can't get anyone back in yet. The base is in lockout until the main portal is back up and the telepads are one way exits. Unless you can do something with that mystic hole in the ceiling."

"That is not to be brought up again unless absolutely necessary. It's a secret for a reason. Can you get the portal up and running?"

"Probably, it'll go faster with some help."

Daemon Lady nodded. "Get whoever you need, but no one else is leaving this base until I give the word. Until we know otherwise, this is to be treated as if we are under attack."