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2006 was the last year in which Bruno Pollux had ever trained with an ally. One year after the era-defining fight with Matriarch that solidified him as history's best hero, five years before his death. He stared at Harumi Anne. Every last needle she shot out at hundreds of miles per hour was dodged as if Bruno had seen it a hundred times before. He wasn't thinking of the fight. To Harumi, the way he stared at her was a little disconcerting. Did he pity her?
The ground under her feet tore itself apart, chunks of dirt and rock circling around Harumi's body. For the first time in years, she found herself running directly at her opponent. She flung a few of the chunks forward as she ran, sonic booms ringing her ear drums as they fired towards Bruno. It was all futile. Bruno blipped in and out of existence, weaving perfectly in between the ludicrously fast projectiles. Then, he jumped over her, perfectly avoiding the range of her frictive control. She caught one glance at his face - when had he stopped smiling? It couldn't have been that long ago, and yet, she didn't remember. Even before any of them had become the world-renowned heroes they were now, Bruno was always the first to tell everybody to come train with him. Today, he seemed reluctant when the Pentavirate asked him to join them.
He'd attained what many would believe to be the ultimate power, but was there any meaning in such strength? Without looking, he jumped over Arthur V.'s rapidly expanding scarlet silhouette. A laser shot out by Maurice von Reibnitz passed between his torso and left arm. While Maurice fired a second shot, Bruno jumped and spun in the air, so that the laser passed perfectly in between his legs. Maurice never understood - Bruno only ever showed a singular path forward. However, that path was ever-changing, unlike every single path Maurice's ability allowed him to observe, in tiny - but vital - ways. By the time Maurice had a good grasp of Bruno's next move, it'd already shifted ever-so-slightly enough for Bruno to completely take him aback. Once upon a time, that had been what drew him towards Bruno - the one person he couldn't fathom with his ability, that singular abberation. Always strong and reliable - that part had never changed - but, back then, the human embodiment of heart. Everyone centered around him not because he was the strongest, but because he was the kindest. That part had changed. He hadn't become mean, just... incredibly distant. He spun his body around, slamming down the trigger on his laser gun unnecessarily hard due to the adrenaline. Bruno, who'd only just reappeared, disappeared instantly again. Maurice felt Bruno's wooden baton gently touch down on the back of his head, and threw his hands up in defeat.
Thanks to the government-issued anti-telepathy inoculation that the Zenith Pentavirate had to take, Arthur V. had never been able to read Bruno's thoughts or emotions beyond what Bruno himself made available to him. At the same time, he desired nothing more than reading the mind of their world's very own urban deity. He jumped out of his silhouette and spun around, slashing his dagger around himself - Bruno ducked, swiping with his leg to destabilise Arthur, who'd only just landed. Arthur managed to sink into the ground in time to avoid a bad fall, and then reformed, standing about two metres away and carefully eyeing Bruno. Despite the inoculation, Arthur could still always get a slight grasp of Bruno's emotional state, whenever he let himself be wrapped in Arthur's silhouette for a combined attack. How could a man so beloved by his allies, friends and the entire damn planet no less feel such overwhelming loneliness?
This wasn't just a training session to see if they could land a hit on Bruno - no, to Arthur, this was a mission. Prove to Bruno he wasn't alone. Prove that his allies would always be by his side, and that even if the world's 'Indomitable Hope' were to lose to somebody, his friends would be there to help save the day. He had to win this. One cut, two, three, four, in rapid succession, Bruno avoiding all of them with a simple backstep. Two more missed slices, but then he saw the counterattack coming in Bruno's eyes - just as Bruno blinked, baton about to strike down on Arthur's head, Arthur dove into the ground, a silhouette expanding. Bruno appeared near the silhouette's edge, jumping over it every time it expanded his way, exerting only the minimal effort required to perfectly avoid it. Arthur's breath was running short, but he'd prepared a gambit - as soon as his scarlet silhouette was to reform into his real body, he'd shift to the side, winning this spar with a quick slash of a dagger. A manoeuvre too fast for even Bruno to avoid. As he went for it, he locked eyes with Bruno. His eyes screamed distance, loneliness, boredom. Arthur's dagger missed completely, and the wooden baton fell down on his head next.
Harumi Anne remembered. At some point, Bruno was the funniest person she knew. Their sparring matches were full of his witty quips, and his showmanship could always get a chuckle out of her. He hadn't said a word this fight, steadily avoiding her long-range attacks while taking care of Arthur and Maurice with ease. The first direct attack she'd attempted failed, but she had a plan now. Harumi jumped forward, shooting through the air frictionlessly. He was too smart to fall for any ordinary attack - instead, Harumi opted for a three-stage assault, starting with that lightning-fast dash ahead. This was her last chance - show that Bruno still needed her. That there was some difference she could make, that she wouldn't forever live in the shadow of the perfect man. As soon as Harumi dashed in, Bruno warped towards her, his baton positioned perfectly so that she jumped into it.
"I think... we shouldn't train together anymore." The Zenith Pentavirate gasped at his statement, but none protested. From that day onward, The Gamma was nothing more than their colleague. The last time he'd ever sustained a wound had long passed - Bruno Pollux would never again bleed. The Pentavirate wanted to prove that Bruno could rely on them as they relied on him - that his allies would be there if he was ever to lose a fight. Five years later, those at fate's loom would definitively prove them wrong.
Marcellus Brand slammed his hands on the table, rattling the mugs and computer screens placed on it. "Fuck!" Red lights flashed everywhere, emergency sirens blared. The end of days had come. Lasswell Stephen merely stared at the screen, wordlessly. It took about thirty seconds of Marcellus' understandably frustrated yelling for Lasswell to open his mouth. "We'll need a story, sir. And a plan. The majority of the United States will survive. The economy will take such a severe hit that only we can save it. We'll flip... Oceania. With the projected sea level changes, we can bring nearly all of these nations into our sphere of influence. Take Japan, whatever's left of China below the rift, as well."
Marcellus barely registered anything he heard. The Gamma's live feed had cut out twenty-six minutes before the alarms. What had happened in that time? How - why - would he... "Sir!" He snapped back to reality. "Right. We'll become the primary suppliers of food, water, control the rescue efforts... This will solidify our dominance in the States. We will become the builders of the new world, Lasswell. For Bruno Pollux." For the idea Bruno Pollux. Lasswell knew what that name stood for. The unstoppable, invincible false god, up until two minutes and seventeen seconds ago. A pretender to a throne of divine light - and, nonetheless, the closest thing to objective good this world might ever know.
"What about the heroes, sir?" "What about them?" "Look at everybody but the number one. Ever since The Gamma stepped into the picture, every other hero has fallen behind. There was no need for them to be strong - Bruno Pollux can-" Lasswell winced, "could carry all the world's burdens. If one hero lost, The Gamma would be there the next second to defeat the villain and save the people. This crisis will breed stronger and stronger villains, while these weak, complacent heroes will be dying too quickly to catch up." Marcellus listened carefully to Lasswell's explanation. "...An age of villains. Quadruple funding to Stonehearthe University. Contact Margaretha Ogunde, grant her the funding needed for Ogunde University's construction. And," Brand paused for a moment, almost seeming unsure, "you have my permission to carry out the BIOCODE and Khan projects." For the idea Bruno Pollux.