Memoirs of a RAFian

[redtailedsaffa]

Politicians, supervillians. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if there's any difference.

[Cloak]

Well, Lex Luthor was both.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
A Political Statement

"I'm starting to think that he's nev--" Faerie began to complain.

"He's here!" Yarin alerted and Parker gave an involuntary shutter at this.

Cloak quickly scanned all present, but could not make out any glowing yellow eyes.

"Where?!" Cloak demanded, voice low.

"Give me a moment!" Yarin hissed tersely.

"We may not have a moment!" Cerulean said, in an undertone.

"You think this is easy?!" the Nyac snarled quietly back. Then, with dawning realization, he said, "The boy."

"What boy?!" Cloak demanded.

"-- because, without a doubt, our children are our future. They should never be forgotten." Joe Savage was saying, pitifully oblivious to this danger.

Then a boy's voice piped up, "And yet, Joe Savage, you have forgotten one of your own children!"

And on the stage, unblocked and unfettered by Joe's "protection" came Tobey's body, which still housed Proteus. The metahuman was right -- Tobey's body held up much better than Proteus's other hosts for this time period.

"Tobey?" Savage said, genuinely perplexed. "What are you talking about, son? You know you're the only son I have."

"No, he isn't!" Proteus snarled. "Tobey isn't your only son! I cannot believe you've decided to forget all about me in the twenty years --"

"Tobey, son, you're -- you're delirious." Savage said, attempting to save the reelection.

"Don't you get it yet, Dad?!" Proteus screamed in his unwanted sibling's voice. "I'm not this pathetic twinkie that you call Tobey! He's not home, and I ain't taken messages. I just wearing him to get at you."

Suddenly, cracks began to form on Tobey's body as if Proteus was Blight from "Batman Beyond" burning through another shell. Eventually, Tobey exploded off of Proteus as if he was nothing more than a faulty radiation suit. It was unclear if this was a result of Proteus's realitybending or . . . real.

"T-T-Tobey?" Joe stuttered.

"Your fake son is dead." Proteus said, standing tall, dwarfing the lamebrain politician (whose "security" fled the minute that Tobey exploded).

"Now, dear, Daddy," Proteus said spitting the last word, "time to bow before your firstborn."

[Cloak]

Again, another chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
A Maniac's Monologue

"K-Kevin?" Joe gasped quickly.

"Yes, that's right, Father," Proteus snarled. "I was born Kevin Joseph Savage. But like so many things, I shed it and fashioned myself a more appropriate nomenclature. I . . . am . . . Proteus!"

He said that last sentence with ringing tones. The whole of the audience was shocked, motionless and silent. This was quite the skeleton -- it's a wonder how Joe Savage managed to shove into his closet.

Proteus continued his monologuing.

"My childhood was a sham, though. Nothing but bitter loneliness in a house of excess opulence. And I knew from the mind and memories of your fraudulent son that he underwent the same neglect I did in your stead.

"My mother . . . Do you even remember her, Father? No, of course not. It wasn't like you were ever home. Career came first, didn't it? Family was no nearly as important, hmm? In the end, Mother resorted to the drink to medicate away the feelings of loneliness, drinking until she passed out every night. But did you care? No! Not unless it was dragged into public sight.

"Didn't matter, I didn't need you then, and I don't need you now. But the world needs to see through your lies.

"I admit I was a bit selfish, I foolishly wanted to be loved. Now, that's a simple prospect, I can just wear some who's beloved instead. But why bother? Love's only point is to find a mate, an equal I haen't an equal!

"Anyway, eventually, I got so fed up and ran away -- but you found a way out of that one, didn't you, Daddy? Found a way to smooth it out all over, didn't you?

When I was out, I was kidnapped, thought to be an orphan. They did . . . things to me. Awakened my latent powers. I was easily able to escape then. I first discovered my ability to wear the bodies of others when I grew jealous of the loving cheers a child was getting after a school play. The kind of praise that I never got. Well, I got it, though I had to possess another do so.

"I don't remember how I figured out that reality itself was my plaything, but that really doesn't matter, because you decided to authorize my imprisonment. So boob from beyond the stars created a canister and trapped me inside it and -- hey!"

Proteus was suddenly encapsulated in a golden-scarlet orb.

"And," Cloak said, having successfully snuck up upon Proteus, "that proves that you aren't uncontainable."

Cloak smirked. "You really shouldn't monologue like that, boy."

[Underseen]

All good villains monologue for a considerately long amount of time.

[Cloak]

To their cost, Underseen. To their cost.

On a role today. Maybe I can finish it today -- just a warning, the next book? It might get a little dark.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Lectures and Lessons

"Let me out!" Proteus shouted. He was clearly unaccustomed to not getting what he wanted. And, with him behind Cloak's energy bubble, Tobey's flesh shrapnel were merging back together and his clothing were restitching themselves back to how they were before. He was alive, but in a deep, deep coma.

Cloak only barely noticed this, because he was intent upon this monster, though he could not help but also acknowledge bitterly that, in many ways, he was as mentally damaged and emotionally abused as he, Cloak himself, was.

The only real and true difference was their choices. Cloak had chosen not to harm others in his pain, but turned inward, turned it into self-loathing and self-hatred. He took out his anger and bitterness out on himself, and no one else. He probably would have committed suicide had it not been for . . . her . . . his little Shadow. And she did not even know it.

Meanwhile, Proteus was the opposite he took his frustrations out on others. Innocents that were in no shape or form related to his suffering at the hands of his negligent father and passive mother.

And Cloak told him so.

"So what?! I have power, they don't. I should exert and control I desire over them! It is the strong that are on top!"

"Ideals of a child!" Cloak snarled. "The world is never so white-and-black! Your immaturity may have very well caused the deaths of forty-plus people!"

Cloak looked into Proteus's eyes and he still saw no mercy, no remorse. He shut his eyes sadly.

"Proteus," Cloak said evenly, "just because you have power does not mean you've been given the right to do as you please."

"Yes! Yes, it does!" he exclaimed as loudly as he could.

Cloak gazed sadly at the boy and realized this wasn't just his immaturity speaking, but a deep-seated belief. It saddened Cloak to see just how far this boy had fallen to the darkness within.

"Well, I had hoped to reason with you, make you see and understand the consequences of your actions." Cloak said somberly. "But I see now, that you are fully aware of the results of such actions  but you sadistically, heartlessly disregard them."

"So what?" he said with surprising bravado, considering his scope of doing anything.

"So," Cloak said, meeting Proteus's eyes, "we'll see hiw you feel when you're one of the masses who's lives you freely disregard. AniDragon?"

She jumped a bit at being addressed so suddenly, but stepped forward.

[Underseen]

Of course it is going to be dark. It is about a Realm Walker cataclysm you can't make a book about that without making it pretty dark.

[Cloak]

 Actually, Underseen, I think you misr-- er, never mind. I didn't say nothing.

Anyway, a brief chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Dejected, Depowered, and Denial

"She can't do nuthin'." Proteus said. "You open this thing and I will so escape!"

Cloak ignored this bluster, and turned to the Pemalite. "You know what you must do."

She nodded and entered the bubble with a ripple. She was unafraid, and full of conviction. Proteus immediately tried to possess her but it didn't work, just weakened him.

She firmly clasped his forehead and chest. Her eyes glowed as she focused, activating her powers, and the psionic force that made up Proteus's began to dim and fade. Slowly, inch by inch, the psionic force failed and shrunk, until AniDragon made tactile contact with the boy's flesh.

She didn't stop there though. She kept on, until this Omega-Level metahuman was fully depowered, his abilities bound forever.

Proteus was no more, only Kevin Savage remained. He was not happy about this arrangement, as he loved his powers, as it permitted him to do whatever he liked.

"What did you do to me, Dogface?!" Kevin yelled outraged as Cloak removed the bubble and interceded on AniDragon's behalf.

"She took away your powers," Cloak said, easily dodging Kevin's fists. "You enjoyed using your gifts to terrorize and victimize others, so they've been taken away. Now you're on of the 'weak ones' that your life philosophy denounces and derides."

"I'll kill you!" Kevin swore loudly.

"You couldn't kill me even as Proteus." Cloak said. "And now you will be held accountable for the pain you've caused, the lives you ruined and torn asunder."

Kevin continued to spout hate-filled rants, threatening tirades, and offensive oaths. Cloak came to the conclusion that the boy lost his sanity as the proper authorities carted him away.

Cloak watched sadly as this happened in silence, as the other RAFians followed suit.

Then he spared a look at Joe Savage who was on his hands and knees. Cloak felt a wave of revulsion. He had a fair few things to say to this mayoral candidate. In the end, he settled for saying, silkily quiet, "Hope you're proud of yourself, Savage. You turned your son into a monster."

Then the RAFians pulled out and returned home with a heavy silence.

[Underseen]

Great 19th chapter.

[Cloak]

Thanks, Underseen.

Now, let's finish up this book. May be brief. Most likely the last chapter of the day.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Endings and Beginnings

There was a rather heavier atmosphere to the forum over the next few days. Cloak felt that having Proteus's powers stripped instead of resorting to a more lethal recourse was the right thing to do. At least now Kevin was getting the help he needed, and Tobey actually held no grudge against him oddly enough.

Naturally, Savagw did not get reelected after this fiasco and he was replaced by Verity Justice, who was very much a proponent of RAF affiliation.

Oh, and Tobey's mother, Deena, divorced Savage shortly after. She was horribly shocked that Joe did not even seem abashed when her son was essentially blown up. She came to have adopted Kevin into the family, giving him the emotional support that he had to essentially steal from others by possessing them.

With all this, Joe's life was basically in the crapper So, rather than face the consequences, he took his own life.

Not all endings are happy. Cloak mused.

***

Cloak stood upon a bank of a large lake in the Nexus. Cloak recognized it -- it is where Sage taught him the Water element and where he taught Shadow. . . . And there's the ache he felt whenever Cloak thought of that cheeky monkey.

"Cloak," came a familiar voice. "We need to speak. It's urgent."

"What is it, Grandpa?" Cloak said, identifying the owner of the voice immediately.

"He stirs," Sage said enigmatically.

"'He'? 'He' who? Who 'he'?" Cloak asked.

"Him, my pupil, him!" Sagebsaid, and Cloak was disconcerted to see his grandfather this anxious and unnerved. He was never anxious and unnerved.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa, but I'm not getting --" Cloak said flummoxed.

"Cloak, Cataclysm stirs." Sage said, though agitated. "The one who cursed my grandfather's grandmother, Guardian, with hardship. It was carried down to us."

"Where is he? Can we put him to back to sleep?"

But everything was fading back to mist, and Cloak woke against his will.

[Underseen]

I am guessing the new book will come Sunday

[Cloak]

You guess right.

[redtailedsaffa]

Wow. That was actually one of the saddest books you've written so far. Once again, I take my invisible hat off to you, Cloaky. *applause*

[Cloak]

Thanks, Saffa.

Yeah, it's funny how sometimes a story just writes itself. This story turned out to be more tragic than I initially planned.

Brief introductory chapter.

BOOK XXXIX:
THE HORSEMEN
CHAPTER ONE:
Peaceful Forum

Sunlight peeked over the mountains, snaking down its side. It made its inevitable way toward the forum. It soon penetrated the threshold, and illuminated the slumbering forum.

Very soon, the early risers were already milling about, searching for some breakfast.

But one RAFian was not milling anout posting or eating, for he had neither the appetite nor the desire. Cloak was still mulling over this revelation of Cataclysm stirring. Was this guy really as dangerous as his grandfather suggested.

Then there was that annoying riddle:

THE CATACLYSM AWAKENS AND REMAINS PARAMOUNT
ONLY THE STAR AND THE CHOSEN CAN SURMOUNT
FOUR OF THEIRS WILL BE TAKEN
ALLIES AND FRIENDS WILL BE FORSAKEN
ONLY BY ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT HAS BEEN LOST
ELIMINATED CAN BE THE MIND'S OPAQUE GLOSS
ONLY BY THE LORD OF THE ELEMENTS'S HAND CAN ONE BE FELLED,
FOREVERMORE WILL THIS ANCESTOR OF MALICE BE REPELLED

It had reappeared in every dream he's had over the last three days. Cloak never put much stock into prophecies and things similar. He was, prehaps, too rational, his emotions somewhat maligned and atrophied.

The main thing Cloak took away from the riddle/prophecy thing was that, whoever this Cataclysm was, he was the ancestor of Malice.

Cloak looked at his Mark as was left to wonder once more . . . was this all because of his presence here? Would RAF be better off without him?

These doubts . . . he didn't like them. He had found the place where he belonged, here with his fellows, here with his RAFians. He did not want to consider just how horrible his life would be without him. He did not want to entertain the notion.

But yet those lines . . . "Four of theirs will be taken" . . . "Allies and friends will be forsaken" . . . despite himself, these lines cause him quite a deal of anxiety, worry and agitation.

"Oh, stop it!" he scolded himself fiercely. "It is a meaningless thing. Prophecies do not exist."

[Underseen]

Only the star and the chosen can surmount? Esty?

[Cloak]

You'll find out in due time, Underseen.

But, right now, I must finish my laundry. These cloaks do get dirty, you know.

But I'll post another chapter soon.