Part One. Chapter One - The Arrival

Part One.

Chapter One - The Arrival

Lorc Dorne was a child who never wanted much. All he cared about was having fun one day and forgetting what happened the next. But his parents were strict and did not want to encourage such behaviour. Everyone recognised that brown hair,and that smile that made other people smile as well. At four-and-a-half years old he was mischievious but..he quickly noticed something. He would never get into trouble for his pranks or his jokes. For some reason...deep down...he WANTED to get into trouble for his pranks. He WANTED to take the blame.

Just once,he wanted to make eye contact with his teacher,and then get the telling off that other students always received. Something...anything...to feel like everyone else. He never questioned why but he was alway aware. He always hoped for the day when he could finally accept responsibility for his actions. That day would come soon,but he would never notice it.

It was a dismal day in Felnid, and the evening bus was packed with people. Coughing echoed from the back of the vehicle and a baby in a pram wailed constantly. A young woman held a child close to her as they both stood on the wet slippery floor,with her shopping bags digging into her palms. ''It's OK, Lorc,just a few more stops'',the woman whispered to her son. Her long black hair swept against her shoulders,and her complexion was porcelain. Lorc reached for the ''STOP'' button but his hand missed it completely. Then his mother looked at his feeble arm with worried eyes.

He was six-and-a-half years old but his motor skills had still not developed very well. Then she glanced at his legs for a second. His legs were slightly bent,even when standing straight and he held on to his mother with his stronger hand. Just then, a voice came from behind. ''Excuse me, do you want to sit down? I can stand, it's no problem,''said a schoolboy. He held a phone that showed a video of a figure somehow pushing against a tsunami. It held a title that said,'Felnid Beach'. But the woman shook her head. ''No,don't worry, we are getting off soon,but thank you so much. It was good of you to ask,though'',Lorc's mother said pleasantly.

The bus trundled along a few more stops until it paused completely and the mother and son bundled off towards their home. The area was deserted and the streetlights were lit but held a dim shine. All around them,towering council blocks stood tall and the pair walked towards the nearest one. They reached the door and a silver panel sat next to it. It had numerous buttons and Lorc's mother fumbed in her pockets,then pressed the one marked,''03''. A buzz sounded and a kind but deep voice came through the speaker. 'Hello?' ''Hi,honey,it's us. I forgot the key at home.'' 'Alright,it's open.' A buzzer sounded and the door swung open. A narrow corridor beckoned and they walked down it towards a pair of creaky lifts.

''Ah,it's at the top floor again...don't worry,Lorc,it won't be long...'' Then he piped up. ''Do I have to do my homework first or my body movement stuff first?'',he said annoyingly. ''Obviously,your homework....because I know how you like to spend two hours doing two questions of your homework...so today, we will do the homework first then your exercises...'', she added with a look of skepticism. Lorc groaned as the lift came. A ding sounded and the door slid open. An empty coke bottle lay discarded then Ellena and Lorc entered the creaky lift.

The lift door slid again and began taking them up to their floor. ''Mum,I promise, I will do my homework quickly,''he pleaded. ''No,the homework comes first...or do you want me to ban you from having fun?You know what that means? No more games or fun time until you get your homework done,''she replied curtly. That was enough. ''No...'',said Lorc in a gruff tone. They arrived at their floor and entered the long corridor. It held many doors and their home was placed at the end of the way.

The woman helped her son as they walked to their front door,then she pushed it. It creaked open to reveal a narrow walkway with a small kitchen straight ahead, and a bedroom and bathroom oppposite each other. Another door up ahead led to a slightly cramped living room,which held a TV and a khaki sofa. Nearby,a games console sat idle and the living room table was worn but sturdy. Then the same deep but kind voice rang out. ''You made it! I was getting worried about you guys! How are you,Lorc?'' A large arm gently held Lorc as his father beamed at him. ''Fine...'',he said gruffly. ''He is just upset because I won't let him waste time any more. On a good note,though,I don't think the school incident happened again...'',Ellena said somewhat happily.She set the shopping bags down and gave a sgh of relief.

Then Lorc's father turned to his wife. ''There's a letter for you near the door. Grab it then come and eat. I finished work early and found time to cook this time!,'' he said with a laugh. He took Lorc into the kitchen and she moved towards the door. An bundle of envelopes lay and she picked them up. The first boasted harsh red letters saying : ''FINAL WARNING:PLEASE RESPOND''. She opened it and saw a familiar logo. It held an address for 'Andersons' Returns Management';then,she quickly closed the envelope and shuffled the bundle again. Next, she saw,''IMPORTANT INFORMATION ENCLOSED'',in black letters on the next letter. She tore it open and the top of the page said,''Friern Limited''. Her eyes lit up as she read. It said:

'Dear Mrs Dorne

It is with great pleasure that we can inform you that you have been accepted on our Interim Banker Internship Scheme. It will start six months from the writing of this letter and you must arrive at our headquarters in the centre of Felnid. There will be an assortment of tests but you have been enrolled so they are compulsory. Please dress as correctly as what is detailed on the back of this letter. We hope to see you there within the next six months. It is our pleasure to welcome you to our company.'

Yours sincerely, Jonathan Renswick(HR Manager,Base One)

Ellena looked up and stopped completely. 'I can't believe it...I actually passed...is this real...?',she wondered. She slowly walked into the kitchen,holding the letter. Then her husband noticed her. ''Hun...what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost...'', he asked with a worried expression. She didn't speak, then he took the letter from her. His eyes skimmed its contents then they lit up.The expression on his face brightened as he held his wife and raised her into the air. Lorc stared at the two of them. ''Congratulations,Ellie! This is great news! All of your hard work and years of applying to Friern finally paid off!But first things first,Lorc, go start your homework,please.I will be there in a minute.'' Ellena was still in shock,as Luke lowered her to the ground.

''I really can't believe it...I actually did it...'',she said softly. 'It's really a great day for us!'' Ellena came back to her senses and quickly pulled her husband into the living room,then whispered. ''Luke, it happened at school again. The other kids,they were calling him such terrible things...'' But Luke shook his head. ''I will come down to the school and speak to the Headteacher. This is getting too much. We finally get some good news and it won't be ruined by other people!''

But Ellena looked at him in slight confusion. ''But he can't defend himself, you know that...plus, it's becoming more of a 'his word versus theirs'...'',she said weakly. ''I will deal with it, dont you worry. Let's just celebrate you making a great step in your career!'',he said encouragingly.

She grew more concerned,however,as something else was on her mind. ''Also...the bailiffs sent another letter again...when will we pay them...the letters are coming more often...'',she pleaded. ''I will pay them tomorrow...and you need to stop worrying,''Luke said reassuringly. ''But if you do...then how will we manage for the rest of the month...there's not much left in the fridge...but there's enough fo---'' Suddenly Luke reached out and held Ellena close.

She instantly stopped talking but he knew it was enough. ''Do.Not.Worry. Everything will be fine,and you know what? Earlier today,the doctor said Lorc's legs are getting stronger,and that's a great sign'', he added positively. Ellena perked up slightly then nodded. ''Okay,I get you...but it was just a bit much today...'',she stammered then opened the living room door. Lorc was rested against the wall. ''Okay,let's go and start that homework! Where's your schoolbag...?'',she said with great enthusiasm. He held his hand out and she led him but Luke remained in the room. He called out,''I'm just doing some more stuff before I come and help too,Ellie,give me a second!''

Then he stood up and went into the bathroom and locked the door. The creaky bolt nudged slightly as he looked in the mirror. 'I..can't keep lying to her...she doesn't deserve this...the money we need just keeps increasing...and Lorc isn't even getting any better...his legs are so fragile...' He stared at his reflection,and a single tear dropped down his face. ''Why is it like this...I thought I would do better for my family...I thought I could do better for my family...Lorc is my child...but every month it is getting harder and harder to support him...I can't let Ellie see me like this...and I can't tell how I have been getting money all these months...'

He wiped his face as more tears came and left the bathroom.He stood in the corridor and grunted,then he forced himself to smile. Luke returned to the bedroom beaming,where Lorc and Ellena lay. She held him close as they worked through his homework.

A few hours passed and they sat together in the living room,with the TV news blaring right at them. A straight-faced newsreader wore a brown suit and her tie was a bright red. Lorc,however, grew bored. ''Dad,can you change the channel? This is so boring, I want to watch 'Final Zero!'...I need to...!',he complained.

Then Luke said,''...uh,you need to? Really..?...Well,the news is important,because you have to know what is going on in the world..Lorc,it's probably much more interesting than you think...''

The news bulletin cut short as the newsreader looked dead on at the camera. A panel saying,''BREAKING NEWS'',ran across the screen and she said,''My due apologies to stopping this broadcast but we are getting reports of an incident near West Felnid. There have been no confirmations but a large number of people are thought to have been killed or badly injured. The police on the scene suggest that this could be linked to the Urban Threat, Thero Ruenn, a highly dangerous man who has evaded capture for decades. No other reports have been---Okay,I'm now getting reports that the situation has changed....please...please stand by...''

The Dorne family all looked in interest at the newsreader, desperate for any new information as she spoke. Their living room was silent as they awaited more news. The TV show immediately changed to a scene in the middle of West Felnid.

A piercing light flashed in the night sky and the crowd screamed in the street. Rain-battered umbrellas stood firm as the weather pelted them. But the crowd knew nothing of what caused such a bright spark. ''Was that..lightning...?'',said a civilian. ''Have you ever..seen lightning shaped like that...like a man...?'',shouted another. A second later, two flashes of light slammed into each other. ''There it was again...there were two this time!'',exclaimed a third. The crowd watched closely to see what caused the bright lights. A narrow silver streak appeared then landed amongst the crowd. ''What...who would attack us like this...we were just watching...!'',wailed a spectator. ''Well,you should have run,by now...'',said a sinister voice from behind.

A well-built man with fearful,red eyes and untamed jet-black hair stood behind the crowd. The group immediately retreated. A faint purple aura surrounded him and his eyes glowed with a strange amber light. Then one of the spectators gasped. ''Thero Ruenn...the true fear...was it he who caused those flashes...?'' Ruenn grew livid. ''You say my name so casually...but you can't even put respect to it either...!''

He burst forward and grabbed the spectator then leapt easily into the sky and disappeared with him. The sky cracked and shook as a powerful whooshing sounded.

All of a sudden,the spectator came back falling down to the earth.The sky snapped viciously and a streak of golden light hit him as he fell. Then he suddenly landed back in the middle of the same crowd. A small crater appeared under him then it began to widen slowly. ''...he's...here...he's...going to...end it...that is wh...what..he told me...to tell you...you all have...to move out...of..the way...'',the spectator said feebly. He held his stomach and lurched slightly as he closed his eyes and laid still. ''Quick...we..have..to.have...to...move...he's...bringing...him down...right..here'',he uttered weakly,before finally passing out. ''What's he talking about...?'',said one in the crowd.

They all suddenly panicked as a powerful ripping sound rang in the air. They began to run in different directions and a strange horizontal line appeared in the crater. The crowd picked up the unconscious man but the ripping grew louder. Still,nothing happened. A news van rolled up without warning next to the crowd and a TV reporter leapt out. She swept her muddy brown hair gently against her black uniform with a gleaming badge and an in-ear microphone.

''Are we live yet?? Can any of you tell me what happened here??'',she asked the group.

A burly cameraman leapt out of the van also, furiously untangling wires as he followed. Her eyes immediately caught the unconscious man,supported by two other bystanders. ''We saw some flashes of light, then Thero Ruenn, appeared. Someone spoke down to him and then Ruenn took him into the sky...wait,I recognise you! You're Evette Young...!'' But Evette had already bustled past as she heard the ripping in the sky. It grew louder and more terrible.

''Dwayne, we are ready to go! Make sure you get the angle right,otherwise that drone will eat tonight and you won't!'',she barked in the rain as they edged closer to the crater. It had grown wider now, and the marker was flashing repeatedly. Suddenly a burst of light struck the sky and a powerful hand holding something went in and out of view.Then it dropped quickly into the crater and there was an explosion. Everyone nearby was knocked to their feet as great cloud of smoke rose and lingered gently. Evett brushed herself off then stood up and watched. 'What is that...figure and where...did it come from...?',she thought to herself. The bystanders got to their feet and watched with keen eyes.

There was silence as the smoke began to clear,and the figure came into view. The silhouette was that of a man,and the people watching gasped in awe at him. He held a wide pair of shoulders that seemed to carry the world; he stood upright with a posture refusing to break. He bore a noble look which seemed etched into his eyebrows. The people in the crowd suddenly fixated on his eyes,which held a yellow glow,accompanied by a set of black hair that was tied back. A set of feathers sat on his back.

Evette somehow managed to focus on something under the newcomer's feet. A sinister looking man lay face up, his whole body under the foot of the stranger. Evette moved forward but Dwayne remained where he was.''...Evette...what the hell..are you doing?!'',he hissed in the silence. ''Don't move towards him!!'' But she ignored him and moved even closer.

As she did, she motioned Dwayne to follow him. ''Well..this is something new..'',she said,to the newcomer but almot to herself as well. He watched her with skepticism then replied. ''I deemed him a threat and justice has been achieved. It was needed at the time'',he added finally. Then Dwayne quickly turned on his video camera and pointed it at Evette and the stranger. A red light beamed at her and she immediately smiled. Within the news van, a whirring sound came and a small drone flew out. It hovered in the air next to the reporter up ahead. ''So...you look familiar. Have we seen you before?'',Evette asked.

But the newcomer ignored her.''People like this...Thero Ruenn...they cause so much trouble in this city. I have been here for a long time an we must not lose sight of the goal we share.'' At this,Evette interrupted. ''What goal...do you mean? Tell me, because your actions have caught the attention of many people. You stop tsunamis and push avalanches but we have no name for such a...hero.That's the only way to describe you.'' Suddenly, he held a hand out. ''This...will be all you need to know. It has achieved so much and so many lives will change because of it. Yet, I only know of one thing that works in your favour:justice.''

He went silent. Evette stopped as well,then she composed herself. ''I see,but you must have a name. People will encounter you again and they will want to show their thanks.People deserve to learn your name.'',she said pressingly. Dwayne looked at her with caution. 'Evette...what are you doing...don't annoy him...look at what he did just now...',he thought to himself. There was a pause again, then Evett pressed the newcomer. ''You saved that man...but at the cost of another. Are you really a friend or a enemy,acting like one? We need answers and I...want to know your name,''she said,with a sharp tone. At last,he responded.''The HEROweapons..answer only to justice,not...to people like you.'' The ground trembled slightly and the hero burst into the air, disappearing amongst the clouds.

A sudden burst of wind blew them off their feet and the drone was sent spinning away. It landed near the news van with a crunch. Then Evette said urgently,''Dwayne! Did you get that?! You're still rolling,right??! I swear, that drone is going to have your job soon!...'' Then she stood up quickly and cleared her throat as Dwayne stood up,fixing the camera. A red light twitched and he aimed the camera right at Evette again. ''....So there we have it. What we all thought was a saviour actually turned out to be a...HEROweapon. The world has seen God,and...that's all we know. It's a...unique name. This..weapon...held such great power and made such a difference. But who agrees with his quick and painful methods? Why is he able to deliver..what HE feels....is justice? Do we revere him...or dismiss him...? We want to believe we are safe but maybe...just maybe...we might have entered a dangerous contract with this being. Evette Young,News From Now.''

A second later, the screen changed back to that of the straight faced newsreader.

Inside the Dorne household,the living room was silent. ''Wow..that...was unexpected...'',Ellena said quietly. ''That was..incredible...I thought the announcements a few years ago were fake.but we have seen one...we have actually seen a...HERO...!'',Luke replied.He stared into space for a while then looked back at the TV screen. ''The speed...the power...it was amazing...what do you think,Lorc?'' Then he glanced at his son.

He watched him in shock as Lorc was sitting upright,with his eyes locked onto the blare of the TV.

'That guy..he was incredible...but I bet, when he started he was nothing...maybe when Im older, I can get better too..just like him..I dont need to be a hero..but I can definitely change...,'he thought to himself. Then he heard his mother calling him. ''Lorc,hey,it's time for your exercises! I'm going to be there in a few minutes...''

A few moments passed and Lorc clenched his fist. He pushed himself up with a grunt as Luke sat up and watched. Lorc's arms wobbled as he struggled for strength.

'What...what is...he doing...how...is...he..doing...this..?'.he wondered. The child grabbed the sofa arm and pushed hard with his legs.

All that could be heard was his grunting. 'Come on,Lorc...you can do this...you're doing so well...please..you can do it..',he thought desperately. His knees buckled uncontrollably and his elbows pushed against his sleeves. Lorc gave one last push and he stood up straight.At that moment, Luke instantly jumped into the air and punched.

''That's my boy!'',he shouted. Muffled shouting came from above the ceiling as Ellena came rushing into the room. Immediately, tears fell from her eyes and she held Lorc close. Then Luke hugged the both of them and a sense of warmth filled the room.