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"I'm still not sure I understand what you're trying to do," Erin told Alex as they sat together in front of Alex's computer. "I mean, I get it in general, but not really. How are you going to play the stock market when you can't even buy stocks? I'm pretty sure they don't sell to teenagers." The start of Christmas break meant they all had more time on their hands, time for all sorts of extracurricular activities. Erin had mostly intended to spend her break catching up on television, but Alex had other ideas. Erin studied the voluminous page of trading terms and conditions that Alex was scanning through, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. She suspected it was in English, it was just that the sentences didn't line up into any sort of rational order. "And how can you be sure you're going to make money off of it?"

It was a gloomy day near the end of November when Mark decided to call Taylor Chun, having spent a long day at home in his father's study reading up on the City of Brass. Amid all the horrors and wonders of the demonic invasion earlier in the month, those taunting words from the demon in the graveyard had stuck with him. He knew perfectly well what the City of Brass was, of course, he'd been raised on stories of the place for much of his life. Azim-al-Aziz, his grandfather's friend and ally during the Second World War, had been a prince of the City of Brass, an efreet kidnapped by Nazi sorcery and held in their clutches before being rescued by the Liberty League. It was supposed to be a wonderful, magical place where the Arabian Nights had never ended, a place where a thousand wonders lay just beyond the veil. But he'd never visited there himself; his grandfather had passed on a warning that with the end of the Second World War, Azim-al-Aziz had encouraged his people to seal up their dimension to make sure they could never be taken against their will again. That also meant they didn't visit Earth much anymore. With the issue still nagging at him as he sat in his dorm room, Mark had decided to phone a friend. That's what friends were for, wasn't it? As his cell rang, the rain outside stopped. Maybe today was going to be a good day after all.

Between one thing and another, it was a very busy November for every Claremont student. It wasn't until the third week of November that Mark Lucas finally made it out shopping with his mother, buying a present for a friend who'd had an especially hard time of it that November. He headed for Erin's room on the evening of the 21st, taking advantage of the warm Saturday, a big box under his arm that hardly smelled of the herb-stuffed and scented pillow he'd bought in the city's art district. It had the promise of a good day...or so he hoped, anyway. Between one thing and another, things had been...unsettling for the scion of the house of Lucas. Erin, despite everything, was one person who he could count on to be herself.

James had been miserable, sulking really. It was nice to breathe clean air again and all; it had been years since he'd last breathed clean air (to him anyway, not that he needed to). But it still smelled like ash, just like food. Everywhere he looked all he saw was what could have been. How much damage he could have cause. What he had done. He wasn't the type of person who really felt guilt. It was a strange feeling to him. But currently that was dominating his emotions. He felt like crap and there was really nothing he could do about it. He was back at the school, not because he cared about studying or not having anyplace else to go, but because...it was where his friends were. Are. Maybe were. He wasn't sure they were still friends despite them saving him. They could have done that as side-effect for saving the world; a kind of two-fer. He'd certainly done and said things to them that were far from friendly. He still missed them, even if he wasn't sure if he should approach them. So he'd spent the last few days kind of lurking in the outskirts, unsure of himself or even what to do. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was going, just walking randomly as the rest of the school slept.

That day started like so many others in Freedom City. The sun was shining, a few light and fluffy clouds in the sky. People went about their business as usual. The day started like any other; but it certainly didn’t stay that way… The first warning was quiet, subtle even if there wasn’t a lot of lead up time. Seers and psychics, ESPers and precogs felt like someone shoved a hot needle in their brain as the horror of what was coming crashed over them like a tidal wave. They saw the destruction of everything, the death of all life coming. And not just coming eventually; it was standing on their doorstep and knocking. The coming event and the things they saw crushed them and kept them from doing anything but try and pull themselves together. Elsewhere: At the base of Centurion’s statue, a young man appeared. He seemed to have arrived in mid-stride. His skins was dark reddish-brown, his eyes were black. Beyond that, he could have been human. He looked around the park, taking everyone in with his contemptuous gaze. He turned and looked up at the symbol for righteousness and all that was good in the city and sneered. He threw his hands forward and massive lances of black flame struck the statue. For an instant the statue held, before breaking off at the knees and falling backward. The tremor from the impacts was felt for hundreds of yards. Quickly, the broken legs of the statue became darker, an ugly color of stone as they changed. An arc formed, connecting the two towering stone legs. The space between flickered changed and, with a tear that screamed into the horrified citizens, a rent in the fabric of the world opened and filled the space with a gateway. On the other side, waiting, stood rank after rank after rank of nightmares of various shapes and sizes. With a roar and scream, the demonic horde charge through the opening as their summoner leaned against a pillar and smiled coldly. Everywhere: Across the city, the sky darkened. This was no eclipse, there were no clouds. It was as if the sun died and went out. While it was dark, a harsh reddish glow filled the city with enough light to see. The gloom of a hellish eternal night settled over the city. The city itself began to change. Slowly at first, starting in the city center and quickly moving outward. Grass and plants withered and died; just dead husks as the life was drained from them. Roads became pitted and cracked as if they had not been used in ages. There were splits in the earth where magma burst forth, creating new rivers of destructions. Fire burned everywhere; some just springing into being. Even the buildings and landscape were altered. Things twisted and changed; sometimes no longer even recognizable. Everything took on a dark and malicious appearance. Horrific creatures, demons of all shapes and sizes quickly appeared. Some came from the hellish glow in the city center while others came from the numerous small portals that opened everywhere. A wave of fear, terror, hatred, sadness and hopelessness seemed to engulf the city. People shook in fear, cowered or ran. They knew in their souls the end had come and they were powerless to stop it. Nowhere was safe now. No place was untouched. The world of heroes was over. Suffering and death was all that remained. Freedom City was gone. Hell had come to Earth and it wasn’t going anywhere… Amidst the darkness, amidst the terrified people, there were those that stood strong. Those who shook off the darkness and rose above it despite how it ate at the center of their being. They could still feel this new city/world trying to tear them down, but they were strong enough to fight through it. The world may have gone to hell, but not everyone was willing to give up and quit. Some were not going to go down without a fight… Over in the North End, visible for miles around, a pillar of golden-white light rose to pierce the darkness. It shone like a beacon in the tainted city; a sign that not everywhere was changed; not everywhere was Fallen. It called to the hearts and souls of the terrified people. Hope wasn’t completely gone yet. heading to Liberty Park in Riverside It had been a rough week for the young heroes. After James was lost at the cemetery, it wasn’t an easy thing to bear. And it wasn’t hard for them to guess what was coming. It was only a matter of time after all. They were gathered in their base when the other shoe dropped. The lights dimmed, colors changed. Things go darker, both physically and emotionally. Their less than cheering moods were now mirrored in the world around them. It was time. Now they just needed to know where to go. What they would do when they go there? That was still a little fuzzy.

Alex was easy enough to find these days. Sitting at the Manor's giant databanks, she looked small and very young as she clicked through the screens of information, searching for anything that might help them understand what had happend to James. Except for the corona of ambient power surrounding her, she looked waifish as she sat with her legs folded up in her grandfather's leather chair in worn jeans and one of Mike's sweatshirts that swallowed her fragile frame. Her eyes were smudged with faint bruises and a half drank cup of coffee had long ago gone cold next to the large keyboard.

James looked around the park as the sun was setting. Already he could see trick-or-treaters, kids in costume out on their jaunt for candy. They were looking for fun and sugar; for them the evening had limitless promise. Back at school, he was certain his friends were getting ready or already at the party. James sincerely would have like to be among them. But it was not to be. He was doing his best not to get antsy, knowing what was coming. He’d chosen his ground, planned as best he could. At least if he fell, he would be gone forever. Dead for good. While that would really suck and certainly wasn’t his plan, it would at least prevent his father from using him and keep James from fulfilling his ‘destiny’. He watched, just waiting and enjoying the moment as the sun set. As the last ray of sun disappeared, James stood up. Anytime now, they’d be coming. He walked over and passed through the gate to the cemetery. While the whole thing wasn’t holy ground, there were places inside that were. It would do. He took up his position and waited.

James waited for everyone to exit the bus, not saying anything until the entire group had gathered. He’d put the word out he was springing for a trip to the Ocean Heights Amusement Park for his seventeenth birthday, making sure people knew it was free for them to get in at the least. (He didn’t expect gifts, indeed had said to the few people who’d asked that there were to be none.) Since it was only a short drive from their school to the place, he had made sure a bus was provided in case some people needed it. He’d headed over in his own car earlier, making sure things were in order, and was now just waiting. He wasn’t sharing or talking about this until he was ready. Once everyone was gathered, he spoke up. “Ok, I’ve got your all-inclusive cards here. They included passes to the various paid rides so you’re good there too. As a happy birthday bonus, I’ve included a little gift. Each card doubles as a prepaid card you can use in there for various things. Toys, clothes, whatever. Even after you use it, it’ll still get you food and access to the rides. The numbers won’t be bad today, so waiting in lines should be pretty short as well. Basically, just have fun. Everything’s covered.†He quickly handed out the card for people, complete with clips and neckloops. “Alright, get in there.†He really did want everyone to have a good time. He had a few ulterior motives of course, but this was the main focus after all. He'd originally not planned to celebrate this at all but that didn't quite work out. He was part of this group now. With responsibilities to them. Least he do was make sure they had some fun. For as long as he could.

Date: August 5th, 2009 (Continued from Daikaiju Days, Morning in America, and Team Science!) When all was said and done, the return to Earth-Prime took the space of only an hour or two. First came the triumphant return of the Young Freedom stranded in Japan, and the happy reunion of the two teams. Then came the quick trip back to the Resistance base with their stolen hardware, leaving behind the smashed Nazi base that never did explode behind them. Everyone had a chance to see the grim horror that was Erde and understand the magnitude of the struggle the Resistance was facing there. Agent H chose to return with her friends from Young Freedom back to Earth Prime, leaving behind her world with a tearful farewell and a sharp, precise salute to the Resistance and the fallen heroes there. Lilith was delighted to hear of the twin victories on both Kaiju Island and over the robot fortress near Freedom City, and left all the teen heroes with a salute of her own and a job well-done. They'd done a lot of good that day, even if they could tell how much help these people might need in the future. And with that, they were gone in a flash, reappearing on the teleport pad recently retrofitted by Dr. Archeville and his two trusty assistants. It had been a very good day to be a hero...even if they were going to have quite a story to tell Mr. Summers.

Halloween Night Erin looked out the window of her dorm room as the sky outside grew steadily darker, casting the lights of the city into sharp relief. From this side of the building, she wasn't going to see any Trick-or-Treaters, since her room faced the campus, but she could see the occasional student dressed in a costume and hurrying towards the main building for the party. She'd wondered if anyone would go in their practice uniform or hero costume, just to be a smartass, but so far she hadn't seen anyone sporting the blue and gold. It was going to be a cold night tonight, from the weather reports. Anyone going out for candy had better be dressed warmly. Turning away from the window, she went over to her bunk and sat down, picking up her bag of candy. She'd conscientiously poured half the mini candy bars into her emergency stash under the bed, but that left quite a bit of chocolate to be eaten. If she could get sick at all, she could get herself halfway there on candy without knocking on a single door, she reflected as she unwrapped and ate a Mr. Goodbar. But it was boring to do it that way. She was, in fact, entirely bored, and perilously close to getting lonely and feeling sorry for herself. If she let that happen, it would be hard to stop feeling that way. If it were any other night, she'd go and take the Chevette for another spin. That had been more than entertaining. Thinking about the car made her think about James, and his personal business. Why had he given her the keys, anyway? Was it just to cheer her up? She wouldn't put that past him, he was pretty sneaky. Or could he have been really worried about whatever business he was going on tonight? Whatever it was, he should be back by now, surely. Or maybe he hadn't left yet, if it was family business. Either way, it might be a good idea to talk to him again, and it would get her out of her room. Pocketing the car keys and rolling the bag of candy to take with her, Erin headed downstairs to James' room, keeping an eye out for nosy RAs. Surely they'd all be at the party by now.

Not really one to wait once his mind was made up Mike made his way to the girls dorm after he finished up his chat with James. He was glad his friend had been able to clarify some things to him but wasn't completely sure he was right about what Erin thought. Then again it may have just been his own perceptions that were skewed. After all it had been but one date and an unorthodox one at that. When he arrived at Erins room he gently knocked hoping she'd be home. He knew Alex had class so it woudl be a good chance for them to talk without outside ears if she was.

"You ready?" Erin stood in the doorway of the dorm room she shared with Alex, doing a few light stretching exercises while she waited for her roommate. She was already dressed in her workout uniform, hair held back by the blue and gold headband, and wearing her rapidly-wearing-down tennis shoes. Training in the Doom Room was certainly no new thing for her, but today was a little different. She had trouble thinking of Alex as a combatant at all, despite her impressive mental powers. Things in the combat simulator could get very rough. Erin couldn't help feeling just a little bit worried.

Date: October 31st, 2009 James dropped onto the couch, tired. It had been a busy day and not entirely a happy one. His powers had spiked recently, his control increased quickly as well. Not a good thing really. He could feel the ‘day’ coming fast. It would be tomorrow, he knew it. The day when every moronic yahoo tried to do some ‘black magic’ or something equally foolish. It didn’t help that it was the day when the barrier between Earth and the lower planes was at it’s weakest. Some of those yahoos would likely succeed when they would otherwise fail. And their success meant James was going to be having some unpleasant visitors of the fiery kind. He hadn’t really changed his behavior much over the last week, or even today. He still lived his life pretty much as normal, had fun, done his best to relax. He’d put some things in order, made a few preparations just in case as well as to prepare his chosen ground. It wouldn’t be pleasant but he wasn’t going willingly. He glanced out the window. It was still dark but dawn was only a few hours away. The battle for his existence and ‘soul’ would start today. So what had he been doing these last few hours? Having fun on a date, or two, of course. He chuckled to himself. Typical for him really. It would be a battle though. He knew this wasn’t exactly a minor event. They wanted him quite badly. They weren’t going to be pulling any punches. Which was why he hadn’t told anyone, not that many knew what he really was anyway. It was his fight after all. He wasn’t going to risk his friend’s lives for nothing. It was a novel concept to some degree still. But they were his friends. And he would protect them, even from himself if necessary. He’d already made plans for that as well. He looked between his guitar and the game stations. He had a couple hours to kill and a little relaxation seem appropriate. The games weren’t nearly as fun playing alone though. He’d shown up a lot later than usual this evening so his partner was had probably headed of to do something else. He shrugged and reached for his guitar. He couldn’t create music like most gifted artists, but he could play. He’d been holding back a little lately in Eddie’s band. He hadn’t wanted to eclipse them; it was their thing after all. But now? He picked an old ballad and just let it play through him, giving it feeling.

Late at night in the girls lavatory, there was no one to hear as Alex blew her nose on the toilet paper and let out a sad little hiccup. With her pink backpack hanging on the inside of the door and her sneakers drawn up under her ontop of the toilet, it would be nearly impossible to tell she was even in there. Except of course for the occasional sniffle. As if the results might have changed since the last time she'd poured over them, Alex smoothed out the crumpled papers and ran her fingers over it again. She hadn't made a mistake. For the thousandth time, she hadn't. Mike was still sleeping soundly. She'd locked down her sheilds so tight that nothing would leak and Alex was glad for that small mercy. Otherwise he'd have been up here fretting and then she'd have told him and she could hardly do that. Really, there was only one person to reach out for at midnight on a school night. Her mental voice drifted out forlornly to her best friend. 'Erin? I need help. I don't know what I'm going to do!'

James was sitting around the table, phone in hand. "Yeah, yeah. Leave it on as a rider. Once I know we'll stick it on the list for the duration. I'll get your the numbers and id's as well when I find out. Standard coverage of course. It'll likely get donated so maybe a tax write-off or something? Find out for me. Later." He hung up the phone, putting it away. He grabbed his drink, taking a sip. He wasn't sure exactly what the plan was but at least he had covered his bases.

It had been a hard practice session, not Archers usual mind games for which Mike was gratefull but they had really pushed him to the limit of his abilities this time. He'd been able to keep up but barely and it had been exhausting. The more physical workout had given him some time to think however and he had made some realizations. He was not ever really going to be one of the hip kids like Mark or Chris or Eddie, and really trying to emulate them obviously wasn't cutting it. So back to basics and he'd see where things went. Which was why instead of heading directly to the gym for a cooldown and then the showers he was waiting in the hall to the doom room while they reset. He knew Erin was next and usually was at least a little ahead of schedual so it seemed as good a time as any to talk to her. So he waited towel around his neck to ask out Young Freedoms prickliest member this time without the borrowed pretense.

As this was the first birthday that Alex had more than one friend as well as being the last real teen-birthday, she'd been given a stack of invitations to hand out to 'all her new friends'. So, over the course of the week, she had dutifully passed the invitations on to the classmates she thought might be interested which was mostly the members of Young Freedom. Without real variation, each invitation had been handed out with, "If you're busy or anything, its really no big deal. We're probably just going to watch movies and stuff like that, I think. It's really low key." Then she'd spent the week arguing with her mom, ("No clowns, please!" "My baby's all grown up!" "Mom!") But each invitation invited the teens to a nice house in Hanover with a big yard and a pool for a summer sweet-sixteen party for their resident psychic.

A flash of light erupted from the cafeteria ceiling, bathing the Claremont students in a wash of pure energy as they were pulled away from their seats into another place. Erin, Mike, Mark, and Chris landed on their feet, nearly falling over as the chairs beneath them vanished and they landed with a hard impact on a solid surface a few feet beneath them. They were in a small, battered room stuffed practically to the gills with glowing super-science equipment, a man and a woman standing at a panel on the wall pulling back their goggles with shocked looks on their faces. "Oh, Lord, we got the wrong ones!" called the dark-haired woman. "Ted, quick, reverse it!" "I...I can't!" he called back, a shocked look on his face as the Claremont kids gathered their wits. "Taking this many burned out the dimensional modulator! We're going to have to get another one!"

The morning after her date with Mike, Erin was up early, as usual. It was a weekend, so there was no class, and this was an off-weekend for group training, so it was practically a free day. She went out and exercised for a few hours, then came back to the room and did her homework. After that... she was bored. That was a weird sensation, given how busy she'd been all summer. She didn't like it. And though she could always go and do more training, or study ahead in one of her classes, that sounded even more dull. She was sitting on her bunk with her legs crossed, trying to decide what to do with herself for the rest of the day when Alex came in. "I'm bored," she told Alex, sounding a bit disbelieving about it. "What are you doing today?"

It was nighttime before Erin and Alex caught up with each other again, back in their room after evening training and homework sessions. Erin should still have been doing her homework but she was playing with her new toy instead, practicing collapsing and expanding her bat to its full impressive length. That wasn't new, she'd been doing that for a couple of days now, perhaps because it was the only toy she owned, or she just liked fidgets with violent applications. Right now, though, she was distracted by the conversations she'd had earlier. The Zoe thing was first on her mind, obviously, but she couldn't talk about that. Trying to imagine herself still alive in thirty years was really weird. Up to this point, she'd been planning month to month, maybe into next year if pushed, but not much beyond that. What would she do for all that time? To avoid that, she asked the other question that had nagged just a little lately. "Hey Alex, do you think Mike was acting a little weird this morning?"

Zöe noticed that Erin was still walking with her as she left the Admin Office on her way to the dorms. "Look, do you get it now? I know theoretical temporal physics isn't exactly your cup of coffee, but I don't know if this is a closed loop or not. Stuff that happens here might affect me, or I might be effectively outside the timestream and ripple-proof. I dunno yet. So if Mom and Dad never hook up, maybe I'll stick around, or maybe I'll disappear. And if I don't exist anymore, then I can't figure out how to save them thirty years from now." "But if I just tell them they have to be together, I'll kill the spark and make sure they never fall in love. So I gotta play this cool. Please, please don't rat me out. Mom didn't want me to worry about this kinda stuff when I was 16. It's not fair if I do it to her." As they were walking, a brightly-colored flier caught Zöe's eye. "Huh. Bandmates wanted..." She tore off one of the perforated strips of paper, studied the phone number, then crumpled it up and shoved it into her bag.

Z-Day Ten hours after Zephyr's departure from 2039 The big Dakanan hovership powered its way through the massive black rain clouds like a bull in a china shop, the huge daka-powered engines cutting through the massive turbulence in the middle of the atmosphere. There was good reason for the clouds. Not too far away, all things considered, all that was left of Freedom City and all the land for miles around was burning. A powerful nation, more powerful now that a chunk of the American east coast had been blasted and irradiated, Dakana had sent a fleet of ships to help with the relief efforts in America in what promised to be among the worst disasters of the heroic age. Without planning or thought of his own hardship, one man had come with his sole companion to help save the day. There was no time to land; as the great ship lowered itself down to within a few hundred yards of the Manor's roof, Mark Mason Lucas rappelled down a grappling line to land firmly on his feet. At fifty-six, Mark's face was lined with cares, more so now than on perhaps any day of his life. His wife joined him a few seconds later, Argent Psion-Lucas flying down under her own power. The teenage psychic had gone from one half of a "creepy-twin set" to a mature, responsible woman in her early sixties who had adapted her grandfather's philosophy to an understanding that one day the superhuman would simply supplant the human. Arthur, her son with Mark, was watching the family house and Mark's younger kids, the ones he'd brought with him from his marriage to the late Tess Atom. They were far too young for such horrors. This was a place for family. And maybe, if they were very lucky, for one family member in particular. "ZOE!" Mark put his hand to his lips, walking away from their landing site in the browning front yard, his unstable moleculed costume protecting him from the dangers of fallout as surely as Argent's force field protected her. "ZOE HARRIS! It's Uncle Mark!" Overhead, the Dakanan ship pulled away, speeding towards Freedom City and the relief efforts there. Mark was confident they'd be able to find transportation there. Surely his luck would hold. "And Aunt Argent!"

New students got faculty and students together to greet them when they arrived at the school, but potential faculty was something else entirely. When the taxi from Hanover left Dr. Estelle de Haviland off at the front gates of the Claremont Academy, Dr. de Haviland was greeted at the door by the headmaster of the academy himself. "Hello, Dr. de Haviland. Welcome to Claremont Academy." The old man's grip was firm as he shook Estelle's hand, his hair grey but his back straight and eyes perfectly alert. "Let me offer you a belated welcome back to Freedom City." He was friendly, but it looked like he was making an effort.

Erin stood in the Doom Room as the nighttime city coalesced around her, dark and ominous and clothed in secret shadows. She'd had so much group training and fighting in the last month that it was almost starting to seem natural to have people at her back, but this was what it always came down to, fighting alone against a world that wanted you dead. Her bat lay at her feet when the city was finished forming; she picked it up and gave it a twirl to extend it to its full length. Archer had been running her up against crowds of civilians at the beginning of her scenarios, but she suspected he'd be changing it up today. She looked to the sky, towards the unseen windows where she knew he was watching. A moment later, his voice filtered through the air. "The scenario begins... now."

It was, of course, Alex's turn to pick the location, which was how the kids ended up in the library in the first place. When one's cute boyfriend shows up on a Saturday and says, "So, where did you want to spend today?" and follows that up with a far too handsome grin, very few girls at Claremont would have promptly responded with "The library!" Alex really wasn't quite like any other girl, so not only did she want to go to the library, she had no ulterior motive of necking among the stacks. No, of course she wanted to trade in a truely large stack of books for a different and equally large stack of books. They were halfway down the stairs when Mike's somewhat desparate mental plea had come through. He'd come up with some reason - as yet unfathomable the motivation behind it - that he was bound and determined to ask Erin out. "On, like, a thing. A going out thing. With, you know, us." Alex's best guess was it had come out of some conversation that was probably all mangled with the other boys. But, being a dutiful friend, she'd agreed and then corralled Erin to help with books. Which is how they found themselves standing in front of the courthouse one sunny morning, in the very first place.