Aurora - Harvest Protocol

Even under the circumstances, it wasn’t long before a few hugs and crooked smiles passed between old friends meeting atop the vacant concrete garden of the high-rise. Even though this wasn’t exactly a social call, they'd all been in hiding a while now. They all looked different out of their costumes, but somehow still familiar.     Switch was first to get down to brass tacks, as always. “It’s good to see you all-” he started, expression warm before hardening into that familiar 'all-business' mask. “But we’ve got a problem.” His gaze slid toward the woman in their company, giving her the floor without another word.     Alias kept her smile but dropped her eyes, weighing her next words. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but yeah. We do.” When she looked back up, her face softened. “My Agency contact reached out. One of their experiments broke out. And... he’s after us.”     Apoc crossed his arms and let out a low scoff. “Wouldn’t mind a little excitement myself. What kind of experiment?” Even without using his power, the man could put most bodybuilders to shame. Hiding was never his style.     The dark-haired woman shook her head. “We can’t fight this one. Not really. They put him through some kind of new program. He’s hunting us. To, well... steal our powers.” She let her words hang in the air a moment so reality could sink in.     Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the shorter man scrunched up his face in defiance. “We both know what we’ve survived before. If he bleeds, we can kill him - hell, we’ve killed things that don’t bleed; so…” He trailed off, cleared his throat. “What makes him so special?”     The larger man agreed. "We should dust the old uniforms off. One last time..." Apoc teased, peeling the cap off his beer with his teeth and spitting it over the edge of the building.     Alias exhaled, the tension catching in her throat. “A few already tried. Fighting him now’s like taking on a line-up of our worst enemies and best allies rolled into one. My friend risked her life warning us. We need to move. He’s been working his way up, collecting powers like weapons. We can’t win here. I’ve told everyone to regroup at the old spot in Panama. We’ll figure it out there.”     No one liked the plan, but they knew she was right. Alias’s contact hadn’t risked everything for them to throw it away. This wasn’t a drill. It wasn't a headline for some public stunt. They were being hunted by a serial killer. Collecting their most intimate strengths and perverting them into weapons against the innocent.     And somewhere out there, that thing was already moving toward them - the Agency’s worst secret yet.     The man calling himself Harvest.

In the blink of an eye, Switch was above the man in the trench coat, the folded steel of his ancient katana falling with killing force.     Alias ran distraction, aloft on nightmarish wings, claws glinting sharp enough to slice bone.     Nearby glass shuddered under Apoc’s war cry - his feet pounding across the macadam as his body doubled in size, the outer layers of clothing tearing away to reveal the faded colors of his old costume.     Without expression, the man who called himself Harvest countered. With inhuman speed he slipped past the descending blade, meeting Switch’s eyes for half a breath before catching the sword in a vice-like grip and flinging him aside casually. Alias dove to catch him just as Apoc made his move. His fists swung so hard they harmonized the air in a low vibrating hum, yet Harvest skipped between them like a puppet on invisible strings.     “He’s goading us, seeing what we can do- we need a plan fast!” Alias gasped, helping Switch to his feet.     Switch glared toward the blur ahead, then down at his blade. “I don’t think we can hurt him.” His gaze swept the street, fixing on a laundromat sign flickering in the dark. “We need to get creative.”     The stalemate dragged on, each heavy swing landing on nothing but cold air. Frustrated, Apoc barked, “Fast little bugger, aren't ya'?? Dodge this!!” He pushed his power to the edge, growing again, muscle rolling over bone until he towered above the other man. His palms slammed together in a deadly thunderclap, sending a shockwave through the other man so strong it tore off his ballcap and sent him reeling.     In a flash, Switch was there with a dry-cleaning bag in hand. He wrapped the zipper tight across Harvest’s neck like a garrote, doubling the plastic over and smothering him without mercy. “Choke him out!!” he shouted- though his team was already on the move.     Alias swooped in, limbs melting into large tentacles she used to constrict the struggling man. Encircling and entangling, she held fast as Apoc wrapped his own bulk around her and Switch, the trio hugging and gripping with all their strength to end the fight.     For a heartbeat, it felt finished.     Like a calculated response, a wave of electricity passed through Harvest and caused involuntary spasms in their muscles. It was hardest on Apoc, whose eyes rolled back in his head as he flopped around the street like a fish. Alias was forced back into her human form, while Switch was left clawing burning plastic off his hands.     Before anyone could recover, Harvest was rising above them, eyes and fists pulsing with condensed energy.     “Run - just run!” Alias screamed, stumbling for cover.     Switch collected himself enough to teleport away, leaving behind the smell of ozone and burnt cloth in his wake.     Apoc was still reeling and could only look up as the figure approached him, speaking for the first time since their meeting.     The man known as Harvest tilted his head slightly, voice calm, almost polite.     “You're carried the burden of power long enough. Let me ease your responsibilities...”