Difference between revisions of "Astron"
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* Astron, the superhero, is not to be confused with Astron, the Living Asteroid Belt. | * Astron, the superhero, is not to be confused with Astron, the Living Asteroid Belt. | ||
| − | * | + | * The character and story of Astron are heavily inspired by DC Comics (specifically Superman and Jack Kirby's Fourth World/New Gods) with trace amounts of influence from other popular media. |
[[File: AstronPenthouseApt.jpg |400px|thumb|right|Nolan in his Millennium City residence.]] | [[File: AstronPenthouseApt.jpg |400px|thumb|right|Nolan in his Millennium City residence.]] | ||
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= '''''<div style="color:#FFFFFF; background-color: #000000">Comments and Opinions</div>''''' = | = '''''<div style="color:#FFFFFF; background-color: #000000">Comments and Opinions</div>''''' = | ||
Revision as of 00:34, 14 February 2024
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AmericanMother: June Ryan
Sister: Renata Ryan-Woods
Astron is an American superhero who has been active for over twenty years. Although he is officially based in Rhode Island, he routinely goes on missions that take him to locations around the world and even beyond. This owes to the immense power that stems from his celestial origins. It places him in the top tier of superhero powerhouses on the planet. Like all heroes, Astron would like to make the world a better place. With the gradual rise of his powers, this goal has come to cover an even greater expanse. In the last few years Astron has been spending more and more periods of time off-world as the call of duty takes him to conflicts of cosmic scale.
His civilian identity, which has been publicly known since 1998, is Nolan Ryan, a writer that has been active since 1994. Most of his works have been published under the pen name of Percy Hart. Nolan is known for his prolific output of critically acclaimed literature. Some of his books have even been adapted into motion pictures. In spite of his successful career and considerable work as a good samaritan, Nolan is not much of a public figure. He prefers not to have his likeness commercialized and eschews celebrity. This way he can keep focused on what really matters and also prevent his image from overshadowing the cause.
You might have seen him in the news at some point or heard of his books. It is not uncommon for some to recognize him and ask for a picture, autograph or both. If you're an enthusiast of contemporary literature, you've probably read at least one of his novels. Probably Heroes & Villains, Aeons, American Capes or, his latest, Monarchs of Millennium.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Description
- 3 Powers, Abilities and Equipment
- 4 Weaknesses
- 5 Description
- 6 Powers, Abilities and Equipment
- 7 Enemies
- 8 Bibliography
- 9 Trivia
- 10 Comments and Opinions
- 11 Gallery
Biography
Origin: Fall to Earth
Classified Information.
Dichotomization of the Progenitor
Eons ago, the Kings of Edom emerged from the Qliphoth and invaded the Multiverse. The greatest of warriors, almighty gods and even entire dimensions were destroyed or consumed by these unfathomable abominations. In order to confront the Kings and their servants, there was formed an alliance of dimensional powers. Among those who confronted the Qliphothic invasion was a goddess whose name has since been lost to time. During the battle she suffered a fatal wound, allowing her to be infected by Qliphothic corruption. The malignant darkness ate away at her quintessence. To spare herself the fate of becoming a slave to the Kings, the goddess tore herself asunder. Her body split in two and each of the halves formed into planets.
The world possessing of the goddess' pure divine essence would come to be called Atrum. The planet tainted with edomic corruption was named Orith. These two planets drifted in opposite directions across existence until eventually being fixed in place. Orith descended close to the Shining Darkness while Atrum found its place in the Middle Astral. The goddess' soul shattered and scattered across the two halves of her body and embedded within the earth like seeds. From these fragments of the goddess' soul, her children came to be.
Atrum vs Orith
On Atrum there arose a race of magnificent celestials that stood as gods among gods. They were powerful, majestic, virtuous and compassionate beings that sought to defend the universe. The dark and cold Orith gave rise to evil creatures that struck terror into the hearts of arch-demons. Despite their separation, each clan was aware of the other's existence from the beginning. The Atrumites took up their progenitor's duty to protect the Multiverse. But they also felt that it was their obligation to destroy their vile counterparts. To them the Orithians were representative of that which had brought about their progenitor's doom as well as the evil that threatened all of existence.
The Orithians relished in their dark nature and were compelled by a primordial drive to enslave, degrade, consume and destroy. This was their inheritance from the Qliphoth. Given these opposing characteristics, the Atrumites and Orithians were destined to be in ceaseless, hateful conflict. But for all their differences, each clan could not help but see something of themselves in the other. This undeniable feeling of connection to their hated archenemy only served to fuel their desires to make war. Separation by time, space and dimensional boundaries prevented a full-scale cosmic clash between these dichotomous forces. But the intertwined nature of their fates was inescapable. Eventually, inevitably, they would meet in final confrontation.
The first Atrumites were Atox, Ortheos, Majoris, Promulo, Zomulax, Herian, Prewom and Kirtala. Unions of two formed among them and the number of Atrumites grew. The most notable members of the second generation were Ulkules, Sydozura and Astron. Life arose naturally alongside them and they accelerated their advancement, even experimenting in different paths of evolution. This lead to a world with an astoundingly diverse population of sentient and insentient life. The Atrumites welcomed peoples that had lost their own worlds to live amongst them. They lived in harmony and peace on the paradise that was their planet. The Atrumites often aided other celestials across numerous dimensions. Their purpose was to defend against multiversal threats, including their archenemies, the Orithians.
The first Orithian was Oraxus. He claimed the world as his own and declared that he would conquer all existence and merge it into the Qliphoth. After him, Zerala, Kragthuum, Rogtara, Estokk, Phromst, Vassi, Quasteem, and Somox emerged from the abyss. They all bowed down before the overwhelming power of Oraxus. He took Zerala as his empress due to her being the most powerful, cunning and sadistic of the females. The others bred without any unions or loyalties being formed. Oraxus took with each of the females as he pleased. Zerala was the only one that the dark god kept to himself. The Orithians created minions for themselves, using varying methods. This resulted in a vast population of lesser Orithians. The legions were lead by the first Orithians and their children. Evex, Naedrak and Qrotha, sons and daughter of the emperor and empress, were the most prominent among the purebred progeny. The Orithians waged war on the multiverse and conquered and destroyed numerous worlds. They were like a cosmic virus, spreading through the multiverse and leaving nothing but death and destruction in their path. And the Atrumites were the cure.
And so the two forces clashed with the intent of finality, just as the forces of good and the Kings of Edom before them. It was a cataclysmic battle of epic proportion that saw countless casualties. When Ulkules ran his blazing golden spear through Naedrak, the legions of fallen warriors he continuously resurrected were rendered inert. Advancing forward, the Atrumites and their allies were sure to emerge victorious. But Oraxus would not allow this war to end in his defeat. The dark god-emperor tore open a colossal void in the fabric of existence that consumed enemy and ally alike. It was a super-cosmic black hole that expanded without end and Oraxus was the event horizon. The last remaining Atrumite was Astron, who faced the final foe with fearless resolution. And to the end of all things, he charged forth as a blazing supernova. The transdimensional Omnishield of Atrum absorbed the absolute dark until the two forces annihilated one another in a union of oppositions. Then there was nothing, and nothing besides.
Death & Rebirth
"He's our little miracle." - June Ryan
Astron, the lone survivor, was blasted through time and space until he was caught within the gravity of a small planet. He fell to it, landing like a meteorite into the ocean. In the blue abyss, Astron felt death approaching. The darkness afflicted upon him by Oraxus was slowly extinguishing the fire of his soul. Soon he would be overtaken by Qliphothic corruption. Astron would not allow this to pass and tore into his own flesh to retrieve the source of himself. The crimson orb shined in his hands before darting up to the sky. As his former material form disintegrated, Astron's soul sought to acquire a new one. It detected electromagnetic waves generated by sentient brain activity and was drawn to the source. It was a pair of humans, mourning the loss of something deeply precious to them. They wished for its restoration. And some higher power granted it to them.
On March 21st, 1970, Wallace and June Ryan found a lone infant on the empty coast of Newport, Rhode Island. Unaffected by the harsh cold, the infant smiled warmly and his hand reached out towards the sky. He rested upon a rock, its surface perfectly flat. The woman took the child into her arms and felt his soft skin. He held her finger in his small, warm hands and their eyes met. And she knew this child was hers--and his. They named him Nolan and raised him as their own. The boy grew up with no idea of what he truly was. He knew that his parents kept a secret from him and that he was somehow not like the other kids. But Nolan would have no idea just how different he was until the time came for the power lying dormant within him to emerge.
Childhood and Coming of Age (1970 - 1988)
Awakening
Nolan Ryan grew up with strange dreams. He would find himself wandering in beautiful places that were obviously not of his world. Massive constructs that were greater than any manmade object. Stars lighting up and burning out like candles. Horrifying creatures that stared through his soul. Colossal entities that spoke to him in a language he felt he should understand, but didn't. These dreams were like memories of experiences that never happened. He did not speak of them to anyone. His parents, always concerned about him, probably would have made him stop reading the comics and films that were probably causing these dreams. But that was the last thing he wanted. Most of the dreams, particularly those in which he explored different worlds, were enjoyable. Others terrified him out of his sleep in a cold sweat. Even so, he did not want them to stop. They intrigued him. He had the feeling that they helped him remember something that was buried deep inside his mind. It was like having a word on the tip of his tongue, and each night he got closer to remembering it.
Meanwhile, the Atrumites and Orithians continued to battle in their extradimensional prison. For a brief time, the boundaries between this plane of existence and ours was weakened. This allowed an Orithian to slip through the cracks, as well as an Atrumite. After tumbling through space at breakneck speed, they found themselves on the planet Earth, most likely due to an innate attraction to Nolan. In the wilderness of the Canadian north, Ryvax the Hunter sensed the presence of two Atrumites. Both would make splendid prey, but, like any good predator, he chose to pursue the weaker one. Prince Ulkules of Atrum sensed the presence of a friend he had not met in a long time and flew to him. The warrior made it just in time to save the unsuspecting Nolan Ryan from sure death. The boy, just fourteen years of age, was confused and frightened out of his mind. He watched as the two clashed just off the shore. The impacts of their strikes created tidal waves that came crashing down on rocks and sand. When Ulkules drew his attention away from Ryvax for a moment to save the life of an innocent, the Hunter took advantage of the opening. He turned to Nolan and dashed in for the kill. And then Ulkules shouted out Nolan's name. Not the name his parents had given him, but the name that had been bestowed upon him hundreds of millions of years ago.
"Astron!"
The syllables that made up this name resonated within Nolan. He spoke it in a whisper. Astron. It was the word he had been searching for his entire life. Energy surged through his body like a strike of lightning. An intense arc of energy blasted forth from his chest and shot through Ryvax, disintegrating him on an atomic level. Nolan could feel a newfound power bursting inside his being. It grew even greater as he ascended into the sky and transformed into a colossal form composed of a brilliant light. For a single moment, Nolan was not himself, but his true self. This display, or awakening ceremony, did not last long as the young man was soon exhausted of energy and he collapsed into the wet sand below. When he came to, Ulkules explained everything to him. He was now more than a normal human being and he held the potential to become something even greater. This apotheosis would come about once his humanoid vessel could no longer contain his godly being. Ulkules bid his old-and-new friend farewell and departed from the Earth in order to reunite with the allies of his lost planet. He invited Nolan to join him, but the offer was refused. The thought of actually visiting the faraway places that filled his dreams was an enticing prospect. He could learn more about the universe and his past self if he left Earth. But Nolan chose to remain on his homeworld in order to defend its people and join the never-ending battle as a superhero.
Messiahs in Manhattan
"Attention! My fellow humans, today is the advent of your savior, your Messiah! And I am he. Hear me as I declare the beginning of my crusade! And join me as warriors ready to crush their enemies! And our enemies are those who claim to protect us! Yes, it is these so-called superhumans and their like that we must annihilate! For too long have we allowed these demons to live among us, fooled by their pretenses of brotherhood and guardianship. While we live alongside them they infect our genetic pool and look down on us as if they were gods! I say the time has come to put an end to this invasion! As the Earth's rightful inheritors, we must defend it from those who would aim to usurp us! Join me, Titus Tiberius Towers, as I purge our planet of this scourge and usher in a new age for all mankind!" - Messiah
Immediately after that fateful day, Nolan's powers seemed to disappear. The blurry memories seemed more like dreams than reality. He began to think he was just going crazy. But over the course of a year, his powers gradually returned. The slow process gave Nolan an opportunity to adjust to his abilities and learn his limits. He also realized that his powers included force fields to some capacity, as the heavy objects he lifted into the sky did not break apart from their own weight. Nor did traveling at high speeds cause any adverse effects to the environments he ran through. "Force fields" was the best explanation he could give, as his knowledge of unusual physics mostly came from comic books. These colorful magazines were also what gave him the idea to become a superhero. And he had always looked up to real-life superheroes like Vanguard and MeteorMan. Nolan's crime-fighting career started when he was fifteen-years-old. He disguised himself in an antique warrior's helmet. Clad in his crude costume, Nolan patrolled the Greater Bridgeport area. The locals dubbed him the Helmet. His area of patrol broadened in proportion to the growth of his powers. It was only a matter of time until he moved up from busting low-level street criminals to taking on full-fledged supervillains.
It was his senior year of high school and Nolan’s girlfriend, Emma Wright, had helped organize a trip to a museum in New York City. It was then that Nolan first confronted the man who called himself Messiah. The school bus carrying Nolan and his class just so happened to be traveling through Manhattan when a containment field was erected around the borough. A live video feed was then projected on the containment field and displayed the person responsible. It was Titus Towers III, exceedingly wealthy chairman of the Towers Corporation. He had thrown away his position and status in society to become the Messiah, a self-declared title. As his face was projected for all to see, Towers gave a speech declaring his intentions and ranted about superhumans. He saw himself as a cross between Nietzsche’s Übermench and Christ the Savior. It was his aim to lead humanity against the superhuman population and “reclaim the world that is rightfully theirs.” He believed that the superhumans were nurturing weakness and dependency in the human race, which would ultimately lead to their replacement. It was his duty to make sure this never happened and that he alone would save and rule the world.
Towers and his people, the Crusaders for the Preservation of All Mankind set up a biochemical device that, when activated, would terminate all "genetic deviants" within the enclosed sphere. He fought the heroes that were in the bubble with his technologically-empowered henchmen Genocide Girl, Sanctus and Optimuman as well as an army of robot minions and adherents that followed Towers with a cult-like devotion. It was during this first dramatic battle that Messiah swore to destroy the "meddlesome menace" that was "that fiend in the blue hood" he would later learn was Astron.
After a few minutes into their bout, it seemed that the Helmet, reported by the news as an "amateur hero from Connecticut," was already beaten by Messiah and his advanced power armor. His powerful energy blasts were more painful than anything else Nolan had ever been hit with. The strikes from his armor-covered fists weren’t much less painful. On the other hand, Nolan could not even make a dent in Towers’ armor, as the force field and metal alloy were too hard for even his fists. Holding Helmet in his metallic grip, Messiah tore off the hoodie disguise and revealed the Helmet's identity. Seeing that it was an absolute nobody, Messiah prepared to finish Nolan off. With the people in panic and the heroes scrambling to get past Towers’ forces, it looked like Nolan’s career would be coming to an abrupt end. Messiah charged up his right hand's blaster and pressed it against Nolan's face. Anyone who bothered to pay attention in the midst of the mayhem would see a badly bruised, swollen face that almost nobody would recognize. But Emma Wright recognized her boyfriend, and she was terrified at the idea of losing him. It was then that she unleashed something that had been locked up inside her for as long as she could remember.
Emma was illuminated in a bright golden light and ascended upward. As she hovered over the chaotic borough of Manhattan, Emma let out the most beautiful sound Nolan had ever heard. Rays of golden light emanated from her. In that instant, Messiah's armor malfunctioned and fell apart. Before he plunged down to his doom, Nolan grabbed him out of the air and placed him safely on the ground. Then he knocked him out with a punch that was probably harder than it needed to be. Emma's rays incapacitated the CPAM forces and healed many of the wounded, regardless of alignment. Her voice reverberated throughout the containment field and restored the destruction to the city structures that had been caused by the battle. The world within the sphere was under her control. She saved the day. And then she fainted.
When Emma came to, Nolan had whisked her away from the city and back to Connecticut. They were in the middle of a forest, and the Sun was setting. She noticed she was buck naked and wrapped up in a tattered, dirty white sheet. Nolan explained that her clothes had disappeared when light started beaming out of her and he had rushed to cover her up and get out before a mob of reporters and civilians gathered around them. His face was wrapped up in a scarf he said was to protect his identity, but it was really to hide the messy piece of modern art that Messiah had made out of his face. Emma gently removed the scarf and placed her hands on his cheeks. It was a brutal sight, and a silent stream of tears had been flowing from his swollen eyes. Emma’s hands lit up and the pain faded away as Nolan’s injuries disappeared. The two kissed, shared their thoughts on the ordeal they had just been through and soon departed from the woods. On their way back to their little town, Emma told Nolan that she planned on becoming a superhero. She also told him to call her Zenith.
Major League Cape (1988 - 1999)
Astron: Year One
"Ow, that actually hurt!" - Astron, on many occasions
"I am a hunter of cowardly criminals and otherworldly evils. For the sins I have committed in the past, I live every day on the behalf of others and in servitude to the righteous Goddess of the Moon. On Her behalf I roam this world, utterly devoted to my mission. I will live and fight for Her until my last breath is drawn. This is my penance. This is my oath." - Nocturne introduces himself
"I can totally tell that guy's into you. Are you sure nothing happened in there? You were trapped with him for a pretty long time." - Emma teases Nolan
When Nolan moved to New York City for college, Astron begin actively patrolling the big city while also keeping up appearances in Connecticut. It was different in New York. There were more people and more heroes but also more villains. He would have frequent encounters with opponents ranging from average street thugs hopped up on superdrugs to dastardly masterminds like Messiah and Dr. Destroyer. Fortunately for him, other superheroes like those in the Justice Squadron were there to defend the city that never sleeps. He knew he could divide his time between Connecticut and New York knowing that one was more heavily guarded than the other. He just wished that Emma had not gone all the way to England. Their schedules made it hard for them to meet. But protecting the people and fighting crime was what came first. He viewed it as his job. And, usually, it was an easy job because he had so many efficient co-workers. It was when Astron left his comfort zone that he faced more difficult challenges.
On one such occasion, Astron was chosen to be the mate of an alien princess when her body entered its stage of fertility. Her spaceship landed right in front of Astron as he was out on patrol. Princess Zantos emerged from its hatch in the traditional wedding dress of her people and commanded Nolan to marry and impregnate her. When he refused, she threatened to kill a human hostage. Nolan was coerced into going on a 'date' with this fierce alien girl. He got to know much about her, but Nolan did not feel much like holding up his end of the conversation. This did not go over well with Emma. Despite her initial enthusiasm, Princess Zantos herself revealed that she did not wish to go through with the arrangement her father had planned. She did not want to be tied down to a husband and yearned to pursue her passion of exploration and partying. But she could not go against her father's wishes, for he was one of the most ill-tempered rulers in the galaxy cluster.
The empire had been at peace since the beginning of his reign, but he was always threatening to declare war if he did not get his way. Although they were not too keen on getting the Earth into a war with an interstellar empire, Nolan and Emma encouraged Zantos to embark on the path she wanted to follow. She summoned the courage and strength to usurp the throne from her father, aided by political allies who advocated change, as well as her new Earthling friends. They expected the king, renowned for his great temper, to be filled with rage at the attempted dethroning. But Mauridion the Merciless listened to his beloved daughter and empire and made the decision to stand down. But Zantos did not want to be the monarch of an interstellar empire and left her now-changed father back in charge and chose to live out the rest of her life exploring the universe. Her father disapproved, but only wanted her to be happy. Zantos would start her journey on Earth. She now stays on the little planet as a guest, and hero, indefinitely. Despite this adventure not all of Astron's forays into places unknown were lighthearted.
Some time later he teamed-up with a mysterious vigilante calling himself Nocturne. Astron spotted him battling an evil warlock named Sylvester Scorpio in the middle of downtown Hartford. The villain had summoned three massive, demonic scorpions to wreak havoc upon the city. When Astron entered the conflict, the monstrosities were quickly subdued and sent back to the Netherworld. Scorpio had nowhere to go. But he had one last trick up his sleeve. The artifact he had come to Hartford to steal in the first place was a plain-looking mirror. When he took it in both hands and raised it in front of himself, the two heroes looked into the mirror and it flashed a blinding light at them. They found themselves somewhere dark and thick with a fog that seemed to possess mystical properties, as they disabled Astron's super-senses.
The two were on a small island that was surrounded by a sea of dark water. When Astron flew up into the sky, he dove face-first into what appeared to be a massive body of water suspended above this strange area. He swam for about twenty miles (less than a second for him) until he emerged from the very same sea that surrounded their island. He checked to see if the horizontal area was the same. After a few seconds of flying, he found himself right back where he started, hovering above the island, as Nocturne continued to contemplate the situation. He did not respond to Nolan's efforts at communication and began to meditate--or sleep. Nolan couldn't tell.
The longer he spent in this place, the more he felt like his body was having a negative reaction to it. He thought he could feel himself weakening with every breath of the fog he took in. After quite some time, a succession of loud splashes could be heard. Scorpio had sent more of his monstrous pets to finish them off. They were a mix of giant scorpions and sea serpents. Nolan was weakened by the mystic fog and struggled to fend off the monsters. Nocturne drew his twin blades out of the darkness of his cape and made quick work of them. Nolan collapsed and lost consciousness. As his vision blurred into darkness, he thought he could see Nocturne removing his mask and hood to take a bite out of one of the dead beasts.
He awoke to the sight of Zenith and her friend Dr. Twilight at his sides. Emma had placed her hands on him and was essentially healing him. They explained that they had captured Sylvester Scorpio and freed the two of them from the pocket dimension in Dr. Twilight's stolen magic mirror. Nocturne had left without saying a word, only giving Twilight a slight nod before vanishing into the night. Just six hours had passed in their world, which the doctor estimated to be the equivalent of three weeks in the mirror's world. Apparently the fog was composed of Qliphothic and other "dark" energies and acted like a poison mist to Astron. However, he could not explain how Nocturne could survive such prolonged exposure. Nolan was just glad to be out of that place.
Despite the abundance of adventures he had, Emma was even busier than Nolan. She was much more popular than her significant other and still managed to do more crime fighting than him. With all the charity work and visits to locations on and off-world, Zenith did not have much time for romance. With his powers not functioning correctly after his time in the mirror's dark world, Nolan was stuck with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Despite these unfortunate circumstances Nolan's first official year as Astron ended on a cheerful note. During a visit to Milford for new year's, the city unveiled a statue of their very own hometown superhero. It was inscribed with the words "In Honor of Milford's Own Bright Blue Wonder, Astron."
Battle of Detroit Tie-In: Gazing Into the Abyss
On July 23rd, 1992, the madman Albert Zerstoiten, also known as Dr. Destroyer, launched a massive attack on the United States of America. The crisis concluded with the near-total destruction of the city of Detroit and thousands of casualties. But even this calamity fell short of Destroyer's intended goal of obliterating the entire country. Among the fatalities were dozens of superheroes and, it was assumed, the Destroyer himself. If Astron had been there could he have stopped this tragedy from taking place? Would he have been able to save at least one life? Or would he have perished, like so many others? Perhaps he could have somehow prevented the chain of events that lead to an entire city being razed to the ground. But these are all "what if" questions that only lead to curious speculation. The fact of the matter is that Astron was facing a crisis of his own at the time. One that started not long before the Battle of Detroit took place.
After his first appearance over a year ago, Towers had turned to his corporate roots and implemented them into his villainy. That first all-out attack on Manhattan was the culmination of years of anger and hatred building up inside and finally being expressed in the form of an attempted extermination event and hate crime. But once he finally let the world know who Titus Towers was, the villain matured into the conniving mastermind that had built a business empire that reached all around the world. He became the type of villain whose every action hinted at something bigger; an overarching plan that was designed to slowly breakdown his enemy until the killing blow was dealt. Messiah placed his goal of exterminating the superscum on the backburner and focused his efforts on destroying Astron. All other plans would follow this goal’s fruition. Astron did not encounter him often, but when he did he was met with challenges greater than any other opponent offered him.
Just a few days before the Battle of Detroit took place, Astron once again faced off against Messiah. But this time he was different. Towers appeared before the hero in the middle of the day in downtown New Haven. Except he had somehow reversed the effects of aging and appeared to be in the prime of his life. Instead of his usual high-tech power armor, Messiah was fitted in white robes as if he were some sort of holy man. He greeted his archenemy and explained that he now had a dark ally aiding him form the shadows, bestowing upon him great power in return for his servitude. He was the herald of someone called Or-hak-zeus. The purported savior of humanity smirked with confidence as the buildings around them began to melt into puddles of concrete and metal and the sky above them quickly faded into pitch black darkness. Astron watched as his own hands melted away along with the architecture. An overwhelming sensation of heaviness was followed by lightheadedness. As Astron staggered toward his foe, Towers taunted the hero and found amusement in watching him struggle to get a hold of himself. He savored the moment of finally defeating Astron--and so easily too. Once he had gotten his fill, Towers prepared to finish Nolan off. His eyes lit up like little red stars, preparing to fire beams that would utterly annihilate his target.
Suddenly, Zenith's fist connected with Messiah's face and sent him shooting across the street. Astron fell to his knees, gasping for breath and looked to his hands to make sure they were solid. His surroundings returned to normal as well. Had it been an illusion? Up above, Zenith's super team, The New Altruists, confronted the empowered Messiah. He shrugged off the energy beams, explosions and magical assaults and laughed sinisterly as pitch black tentacles grew out from his back. They lashed out at his opponents and managed to coil around a few of them. Before they could crush her teammates, Zenith constructed her starsaber and slashed away at the tendrils. Once they were severed from the main body, the inhuman limbs disintegrated into dust. Zenith attacked Messiah himself and, to her surprise, easily cut through his left arm. It fell to the concrete, but the villain did not even seem to notice. A black circle formed beneath him and he sunk into its darkness, laughing maniacally until he disappeared completely. Astron, still struggling to get a grip on reality, was terrified.
He joined the Altruists at their headquarters in Chicago, where they attempted to locate Messiah. There were a total of seven members on the team. Dr. Twilight was an old master of the mystic arts, veteran superhero and expert on all things supernatural. Gamma Gorilla was an ape-turned-walking-WMD with an intellect to match the magnitude of his explosive powers. Metalix was a man who could morph into a form composed completely out of any one sort of metal . Black Zap was a mysterious but playful alien whose mischievous tendencies and electrokinetic powers caused more than a few blackouts in the Chicagoland area. Sister Psi possessed powerful telepathic powers and, on top of being a teammate, acted as the team's counselor. Minerva was the AI Gamma Gorilla had programmed to aid them in their efforts. Originally, she was a formless being that inhabited the New Altruists' computer system, acting as a data analyst, information center, strategic advisor, etc. But she eventually developed to the point where she was closer to a human being than most other artificial intelligences. Gamma Gorilla built her a robotic body when she was upgraded to an official field operative. Finally, there was Zenith herself, the team leader. Together, the New Altruists pooled their various resources and abilities together in their search for Messiah, who was now more dangerous than ever before.
But the search turned out to be a wasted effort. Titus Towers saved them the trouble of looking for him and came crashing through their doorstep. He took the opportunity to offer the other heroes a chance to leave peacefully, as his sole purpose here was to kill Astron. They refused and offered him one last chance to give up and turn himself in. At this proposition, he could only laugh. Messiah constructed a crimson force field around himself. It shielded him from the blasts of energy and other projectiles that were shot at him. He fired back with a barrage of energy beams and one managed to hit Gamma Gorilla through the chest.
As he stumbled backward, he was hit with more beams that pierced through him like bullets. His suit was damaged and radioactive energy leaked from the tears. Neon green blood trickled out of his wounds. In a frenzy, the dying gorilla staggered toward his enemy and shouted at his friends to shield themselves. Minerva started forward to stop him, but was restrained by Elementallo as Zenith created a force bubble around the group. Gamma leapt up and caught hold of Messiah's force field. He tore it open with his claws, using every last bit of strength he had left. He entered through the tear and grabbed hold of the villain as energy beams continued to pierce through him. Catching Messiah in a bear hug, Gamma Gorilla let out a roar and erupted into a brilliant green nuclear blast.
The hole in the sphere closed up, but the force of the explosion destroyed it completely. Messiah took the brunt of the blast and it seemed that that was enough to put a permanent stop to him. When the dust settled, however, he rose to his feet. No longer fully human, the injuries that Towers sustained revealed the black substance that was now a part of him. It healed him and closed up his wounds, even the giant gash in his chest. Where his heart should have been, there was a black mass that pumped the darkness throughout his body. Astron did not hesitate and immediately went on the offensive. Messiah met him in combat and demonstrated his superior physical strength. There was no doubt about who would emerge victorious if the combat continued. The other heroes engaged Messiah.
He stabbed through Metalix's chest with his bare hands and injected into him the darkness that coursed through his own veins. The substance rendered the hero unable to hold his form and he melted into a puddle of steel and darkness. Messiah invaded Black Zap’s mind and made him believe that he had lost his arms and legs. Believing himself to be limbless, the little hero could not outrun the beams of death that shot at him. Sister Psi attempted to psionically disable Messiah, but instead her own mind was invaded by the villain. She was rendered comatose, trapped in her own mind and terrorized by the nightmares that were planted there. Minerva found her systems infected with a virus that completely erased her from the Altruists’ machines, including the artificial body that Gamma had built for her. She was permanently deleted. Dr. Twilight was useless against Messiah. But he was able to create a mystical protection field around the headquarters in order to contain the battle and the destruction that it brought about.
Even with their combined might, Astron and Zenith were outmatched by Messiah. But somehow Nolan managed to land a critical blow, stunning his opponent. Emma took advantage of the opening and thrust her starsaber through his chest. As he let out a pained howl, she drove another one through his forehead. Even this was not enough to kill the demon, as he was merely wounded. But the agony of the light piercing through him broke the mind link that he held with Sister Psi. She was freed from her nightmare and eager to get back at Towers. The psionic hero paralyzed the villain and established a mind link between him and the other two heroes. Ready or not, they plunged into the mind of Titus Towers. In the outside world, the exhausted Sister Psi concentrated her powers on sustaining the psionic connection. All she could do was hope that her friends could defeat the monster before she gave out.
On the first level of Towers’ psyche they found themselves in the middle of what Nolan recognized as the surface of the moon. This was confirmed when he looked up and saw the Earth. But it appeared that the planet and its satellite had gotten closer to one another. And the Earth itself seemed transparent, like a hologram. Titus Towers appeared before them but he did not seek conflict. Instead, he spoke to his adversaries and explained how he had gained such power and what he intended to do with it. A being from beyond space and time had made contact with Titus, probing his mind and conversing with him. Oraxus convinced him that the only way to save humanity was to destroy it, thus erasing the pain that came with their pointless existence. The Messiah gave in to nihilism and became the servant of Oraxus. In return he was given a fraction of Oraxus’ power. And with this power he would perform the Black Earth Ceremony, the ritual killing of the entire human race that would liberate Oraxus and his dark legion from their imprisonment. After the exposition, an exchange between the heroes and their adversary ensued. Of course, they would never come to an understanding. They would never be able to convince Titus of his wrongdoing. Towers allowed them further passage into his own psyche. He offered no resistance, as he was certain that what awaited the heroes further down his psychical structure would be more than they could handle.
They made their way down a case of stairs that appeared next to Titus. It took them down a spiraling path into the moon’s core, where they entered a dark area blanketed with a thick mist. Here they were powerless and had no choice but to move forward and hope they could make it through. They walked through the darkness, hand in hand, and their trial began. The imprints of sensory stimuli that rested within Towers’ memory flooded through them. The transference of information was no challenge, but the information itself was near overwhelming. There were very few moments of genuine happiness to give them relief in-between the barrages of memories filled with evil, hatred, sorrow and violence. They experienced all the evil acts that the madman could remember committing. The immense hatred and sorrow he held within himself might have broken a weaker man, but he channeled all that energy into his pursuit of eradicating his enemies and stationing himself atop a throne that presided over all humanity. And such strong psychical energies may have overcome and corrupted most others, but the two heroes guided one another through the darkness. They left the mist and found themselves standing on an edge. One more step forward and they would tumble into the seemingly bottomless pit that stretched on before them. And that’s what they did.
The fall was different from what they expected. They didn’t hear the wind whistling in their ears as they gained momentum or fearful anticipation of hitting the bottom. It was completely dark and they did not know if they neared the end or if there even was such a thing in this void. Perhaps they would fall forever. But their speculations were put to rest when they fell through water and began drowning. They forced themselves up to the surface and saw a light illuminating their path. At its end was a tall, narrow set of double doors. As they made their way towards it, they could feel their powers returning, welling up within them and intensifying. They sensed the powerful, dark presence that festered behind the doors. Once they had steeled themselves for the coming battle, the heroes pushed through and entered the chamber. They were met by a massive, shapeless creature that was like darkness given substance. It had many limbs that jutted out of its oil-spill-of-a-body and a single, massive eye that fixed its gaze upon them. It shined a brilliant red but there was something off about the black pupil. It appeared to be a sphere.
When its limbs snapped at them, Zenith immediately formed her starsaber and went to work on slicing them apart. Astron wrestled with the creature, thrashing it around the cave which it had carved into Messiah’s mind. It appeared that this fragment of Oraxus would be easily defeated by their combined powers. But that’s when it got mad. The entity began to expand, filling the cave up with itself until the doors were forced open and it spilled out. The whole psychical structure began to fill up with the creature, like a deluge of darkness. The creature’s rapid growth shook the entire psychical structure. Towers’ mind began to collapse into itself while Astron and Zenith drowned in the flood. It began to overflow and rise to the surface of the false moon, where Zenith managed to get to high ground before collapsing. She expelled the black liquid and trembled as she felt the poisonous substance eating away at her from the inside. The tide was rising, anymore and it would most likely transcend the psychical realm and enter reality. She looked around for Nolan but could not find him. He was still inside of the beast.
It felt like death. Everything that surrounded Astron was dark and silent and he could feel the sheer pressure of the creature crushing him. He felt the corruption taking a hold of him from within, eating away at his mental barriers and draining his energy away. But he willed himself to continue downward into the abyss. He knew what he had to do. The pupil of the creature’s eye was also its heart. The core that was the life source of all Atrumites and Orithians. When he got deep enough, Astron saw the eye. As he continued his descent, he stared into it. And it stared back. It was fighting him, trying to force him back. He could feel the pressures rise as he got closer to his target. And he heard a voice speak to him. A loud, commanding voice that ordered him to halt and give up. The voice rang through his head like it was his own. It was almost too much. But Nolan remembered his mission and all the people who he was fighting for. He forced the voice out of his head and with one last burst of strength, Astron took hold of the sphere and ripped it out of the entity’s eye. It let out a deafening, inhuman scream as the hero crushed the core between his hands. The darkness was slain by a burst of light that erupted from the shattered sphere. And then silence.
Nolan found himself among the ruins of the Altruist headquarters. Sister Psi, blood trailing down both nostrils, had collapsed once Astron and Zenith’s minds returned to their respective bodies. Emma looked at Nolan with teary eyes before rushing into him for an embrace. He remembered now. Her friends were dead. And they had just experienced for themselves the atrocities that Titus Towers had committed throughout his life. Redemption was not something within his reach. And neither of them had ever faced something like the creature that had been implanted within Towers’ mind. It was all too much to take in, especially for one night. As tears flowed, Dr. Messiah landed next to Sister Psi, checked her vital signs and attempted to resuscitate her. Nearby, Titus Towers lay on the floor, gazing up at the night sky through the broken roof. His eyes were empty, reflecting the hollowness of his soul. He might as well have been dead.
From the outside it would appear as though a bomb had gone off in the building, its radius precisely covering a perfect circle. The destruction did not reach even an inch further. The city of Chicago had been spared the devastation that Messiah brought about, thanks to Dr. Messiah. However, a few hundred miles away, the ruins of the city of Detroit continued to burn. On that day, two villains were halted from completing their ultimate goals. But each had managed to leave traumatic wounds behind. Wounds that would never fully heal, but, over time, they would soften and fade into scars. Never forgotten. And never forgiven.
Starfall Rising
After the showdown with Messiah, what was left of the New Altruists disbanded. The surviving members went their separate ways. Emma became distant. She spent less and less time with Nolan. Part of him understood, but the other part was frustrated. Her teammates--and friends--were gone, but he wasn't. He thought she would want to be closer to him, so that he could comfort her. Instead she just wanted to be alone. But he understood that the tragedy had taken a heavier toll on her, so Nolan had to be there for her and bear through this period of mourning. He hoped this would not negatively impact her performance on the field. But, as it turned out, she was as efficient as ever. Perhaps even more so. Nolan guessed that she needed to focus on a particular task to keep from thinking about what had happened. It would serve as a distraction.
Messiah was held in Stronghold, although there was no need for such high security. The powers Oraxus had temporarily gifted him with were now gone. Harbingering the apocalypse was definitely not a job suited to someone whose mind had essentially been shattered to pieces. The telepaths and mystics all gave different answers as to what had happened and what could be done about it. But it seemed that there really was no way of fixing him. When Astron came to visit the once-genocidal-maniac, he rarely heard him utter a word. He always seemed to be a thousand miles away, lost in thought. Or nothing, if he had lost the ability to think properly. Nolan observed the man who had tormented him for the last three years. He was looking for something. A sign, an irregularity, a part of his body that was different from a normal man's. He scanned his entire being and saw him at every wavelength he could, searching for traces of Orith. He wanted to find the root of his corruption. Perhaps the influence had taken effect even before Titus Towers had started to call himself Messiah. Was he just an innately evil person, or was it something beyond anyone's control that made him this way? Nolan couldn't find the answer. But he believed that something must have made him this way. If not the Orithians, then something else. He just knew there was good in him. And he knew that even Titus Towers had the potential for change. He just didn't know how to make the man realize this for himself.
Outside of trying to help Emma through her grief and visiting the would-be Messiah in prison, Nolan also regularly butted heads with a group of supervillains that held grudges against him. They were a ragtag team of miscreants that all held a deep hatred for Astron. Each of them had been foiled by the hero on numerous occasions over the past two years. Some were members of the now-defunct CPAM and wanted revenge. Others were simply supervillains who felt that Astron had interfered with their plans, and beat them up, one too many times. They had gathered from across the United States in order to attain their common goal of getting rid of the pesky hero. Lead by the villainess Meteora, the Starfall Syndicate was formed. And they would stop at nothing to take down Astron.
Over the span of a month, Nolan was confronted by each of the Syndicate's most powerful members on separate occasions. The fire-breathing powerhouse Hell-Dragon rivaled Astron's strength, but he lacked the speed to keep up with the hero and was easily defeated. X-Static, an electrokinetic who could move as fast as lightning, was easily knocked out by Astron when the chance to strike came. The telekinetic Kontact could create force fields to keep her safe from Astron as she manipulated their surroundings to attack him. But she could never dish out enough damage in the time it took for him to break through her defenses. Meteora came closest to defeating the hero. She had an unbreakable body, super strength and speed that surpassed Astron's. She used this to her advantage, going with a strategy where she would move at high speeds and repeatedly collide with her opponent. Her fists hit him hard and she was too fast to dodge. But Astron had a trick up his sleeve, as always. He was one step ahead of her during each of their confrontations. This frustrated Meteora, but also made her even more determined to defeat him. And this time he wouldn't be ready for the small army of supervillains and thugs that were out to get him.
Nolan responded to a distress signal that was being transmitted directly to the receiver in his apartment. It was the voice of Emma weakly asking for help, as if she was seriously injured. He rushed over to the location the signal came from. When he arrived at an inexplicable warehouse in the middle of the Nevada desert, Astron approached the area where he heard the pleas for help, without even thinking to use his supervision to check for any traps. Nolan was met by a man who stepped out of the shadows. He grinned sinisterly and spoke to him in Emma's voice. "Gotcha." Immediately the villains that had masked their presence with stealth technology sprung forth in attack. A dozen or so enemies, lead by Hell-Dragon, charged at him, taking Astron by surprise. They forced him to the floor and hit him with a blurry of attacks, but he blew them away with a burst of strength. Enemies with projectile attacks and ranged weaponry blasted at him from the platforms above. He dodged as many as he could, but was hit several times. X-Static's bolts of electricity had a particularly nasty sting to them. His costume already in shambles, Astron fled the building by breaking through one of the walls. He attempted to gain some distance from the building to fully survey his situation before taking any further action. But he was struck by numerous boulders that flew straight at him with great speed. Kontact's barrage knocked him down to the cold desert sand.
Disoriented and in pain, Astron got back up on his feet. He found himself surrounded by over twenty villains eager to go at him. Without hesitation, he went on the offensive. He was able to knock several of his opponents out of action before a round of projectiles managed to momentarily stun him. When those who preferred to fight in close quarters charged at him, he countered their strikes and sent them flying with his fists. Clapping his hands together as hard as he could knocked many of them away, and even incapacitated some. The only ones left standing were Hell-Dragon, Kontact and X-Static. Greatly weakened from the fight, Astron was brought to his knees by X-Static's seemingly endless arc of electricity. As the villains taunted him, Astron felt the pain fueling his anger. In a burst of power, Astron rose to his knees and fixed his eyes upon the electrokinetic. Beams of powerful concussive force blasted from his eyes and bombard into X-Static, taking him out of the fight. Astron turned to Kontact and let the beams loose upon her. The force field held for just a few seconds before being shattered by the onslaught that shot out of Astron's eyes. Hell-Dragon took him into a crushing bear hug, but this only allowed for Astron to blast him away from point blank range. As the last of his opponents fell, Nolan dropped to his hands and knees, breathing heavily with his costume torn up and his body covered all over in injuries. But the battle was not over.
Meteora walked over to Astron and smirked at the sight of her nemesis in shambles. The hero that had gotten the best of her so many times was now right in front of her, probably as close to death as he'd ever been. She delighted at the thought of finally emerging victorious over Astron... But, somehow, this did not feel right. This was not her victory. She hadn't even laid a finger on him. It was the outcome of a group of pissed-off supers and thugs ganging up on one hero. It hadn't been a fair fight from the beginning, yet Astron still managed to singlehandedly take them all down. It was quite an impressive feat. Meteora realized she wanted to beat Astron with her own two hands. That was the only way she could achieve a meaningful victory. Otherwise it would leave her feeling hollow. She would give him a fair fight, when he was ready. In admiration of his determination and strength of will, Meteora now saw Astron as one of the few opponents who earned this from her. He wasn't just a sneaky fighter after all.
Meteora walked over to Astron and smirked at the sight of her nemesis in shambles. The hero that had gotten the best of her so many times was now right in front of her, probably as close to death as he'd ever been. She delighted at the thought of finally emerging victorious over Astron. It seemed that she was ready to deliver the killing blow. She was the hunter finishing off the wild thing her dogs had bitten into submission. And yet... this didn't feel right. Meteora was unsure of whether or not this was truly the way she wanted things to end. This was not her victory. She hadn't even laid a finger on him. It was the outcome of a group of pissed-off supers and thugs ganging up on one hero. It hadn't even been a fair fight, yet Astron still managed to singlehandedly take them all down. And here she was, untouched yet ready and eager to claim herself triumphant. This would be a hollow victory. Meteora made up her mind once Astron looked at her with battle-weary eyes. He was practically knocking on Heaven's door, yet determined to fight on. He said something stupid and sincere to her like "This isn't you" and "I know you're better than this." Fortunately for Nolan, she also knew this to be true. Not that she needed him to remind her.
As Astron struggled to get up and stand against who he was beginning to think would be his last enemy, Meteora stepped forward. She took his head in her hands and, without a moment's hesitation, kissed him. Utterly baffled by what was happening, Nolan broke away from her and stumbled backward, falling back down to the cold desert ground. He looked up to Meteora and saw that she was smirking. She said something about him being "alright," and "giving him a fair fight next time," or something like that. Nolan wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying and could only look on with a stupefied expression stuck on his face. She flew off into the dawn and Astron could only wonder what the hell had just happened to him. How could a night that started with him getting ambushed and nearly killed end like that? He placed his hands on his head before shaking it and willing himself back on his feet. With a slight limp, he walked forward before gently lifting off the ground. He could hear emergency sirens nearing. He would come back and give the authorities the full story after he got some rest. Gripping his seemingly broken arm, Astron slowly and dazedly made the flight back to his home across the country. His wounds had already started to heal, but the pain and confusion lingered. Nolan was just happy to have gotten out of there alive. And he had quite the story to tell Emma, even if she might not like the ending.
Deceptor Strikes
Nolan's family had always been supportive of his activity as a superhero. They claim to have figured it out the moment they saw him on TV in New York. His parents, Wallace and June, were not worried about their own safety and were proud of their superhero son. There was the constant threat of a villain discovering Astron's secret identity and using that information to identify and harm his loved ones, but his parents and sister insisted that he continue to use his powers for the greater good, even if they may be put at risk. To ensure that his identity was kept a well-guarded secret, Nolan only ever revealed his identity to the people closest to him. His costume was designed to negate x-rays and his mask received greater fortification than the rest of his costume. He even went as far as modifying his posture, facial expressions, general mannerisms and voice when in-costume. Nolan was confident in his ability to keep it a secret. But, even with all these precautionary measures, it was only a matter of time until someone discovered his identity without him wanting them to.
((More to be added.))
Resurrection of the Reanimator
"To live is to die! To die is to serve Naedrak, master of death and nightmare to all that is living! May Naedrak's plagues fall over all lands! May death cleanse the universe of the cancer that is life! Rise, my minions, rise from your graves and bring about holocaust in my name!" - Naedrak the Undying
"At this very moment, rage fuels every atom of my being! What I do now is not for Atrum or the humans or any greater good! No, not even for my own sake. This is to quench the fathomless thirst for blood, death and destruction that burns at my very core! I can feel it, burning--exploding--within! Like hot storms, like supernova! Come, Evex, my heart's purest desire is to battle you until there is nothing left of either of us!" - Ulkules the Unstoppable
After graduating from college, Nolan revealed his identity to the public. He had been thinking about doing this since the Battle of Detroit. But at this point, it was a matter of whether he came forward himself or his identity was revealed by Deceptor. They assumed that he planned on sharing the information at some point, either to the public or just other villains that would benefit from knowing Astron's identity. He worried for his family, but they assured him that they supported him, in spite of the danger they were in. It was arranged for them to be taken into a protection program. His family would be well taken care of. In the wake of this public revelation, it was easy to find a publisher for his debut novel Sons of Atlas. Since then, he has continued to author many works and has become a bestselling, critically acclaimed writer. Emma had chosen to pursue a graduate education at the University of Chicago. But distance was never a problem for them. At least not after they both got so fast that they could make the trip across the pond in a matter of minutes. What forced them to spend less time together was their commitment to fulfilling their respective goals as members of society and as heroes who put their mission ahead of their personal and professional lives. It was at this time that Ulkules of the Atrumites came to the Earth once again. He brought news of the looming threat of Oraxus, whose connection to the physical realm had strengthened. With the weakening of their planar prison, a few Atrumites and Orithians were able to break free and materialize themselves. Ulkules was accompanied by three others of his kind and they were alerted to the presence of several Orithians. Most of them were lesser minions, but their chief was Evex the Endless, right-hand man, and son, of the dark despot himself. Even worse was the revelation that Naedrak, vampire-god and the other son of Oraxus, had not been imprisoned with his brethren. His soul was trapped within his corpse, which was rendered inert by Ulkules's spear being impaled through his heart. As long as the spear remained impaled through his body, Naerak would be unable to resurrect himself. He waited for his sinister comrades to come and free him of this prison between life and death. The Atrumites requested that Astron join them, for the coming battle would be hard fought and the outcome was unpredictable.
On the broken world of Ethodonia, Astron and his allies found no trace of life. When Ulkules's spear ran through his heart, Naedrak had desperately gripped the weapon in a futile attempt to draw it out. The fallen Orithian was frozen in this position, like the stone sculpture of a slain vampire. His form was gangly and corpse-like, long bones clearly visible under a repugnantly thin, rotting hide. His eyes were hollowed out, only dark, empty holes in their stead. During the Atrumites' preparations for a ritual to forcefully extract Naedrak's soul, the Orithians descended upon them. Evex, whom they called the Endless, could have been mistaken for an Atrumite. He was majestic in form, vibrantly colored and symmetrically figured, and the bright aura about him inspired an inviting, almost comforting sensation. The lower Orithians engaged the Atrumites as Astron and Ulkules faced their commander.
Ulkules himself was more akin to one of Orith. His appearance was one that exhibited strength and ferocity, with thick limbs, a broad frame and a face that only expressed fury. Mammoth fists crashing down on his opponent, Ulkules came at Evex with the intent to kill. Nothing but the death of his enemy mattered to him anymore. In his berserker state, Ulkules withdrew his golden spear from the carcass of Naedrak. As the two equally matched fighters continued their battle, Naedrak's anatomy restructured and the fiend was reanimated. The Undying One returned to terrorize the living.
As he witnessed the two titans clash, Astron knew he would only be a minor inconvenience by trying to join in. When he flew back to aid the others, Astron was greeted by a wasteland. Any plants that had been growing in the area were now withered away. An eerie silence and stillness fell over the land. Out of the ground hands suddenly emerged and reached out to claw at Astron's legs. When they took hold of him, he flew straight up, only to be knocked down by Naedrak. In addition to the dead terrestrials that were lain to rest underneath the Ethodonian surface, Naedrak had enslaved both the Atrumites and Orithians, infecting them with his essence and hijacking their minds. Unable to will themselves to regain control over their bodies, the horde of vampiric thralls and undead Ethodonians attacked their lone opponent.
Meanwhile, Evex and Ulkules's battle came to an end. In his enraged state, Ulkules's outer facade was shed, revealing his true appearance. Evex was shocked by the sight. It was the image of an angry war god, flesh like stone, the cracks from which molten matter poured out like blood. What shocked Evex the most was Ulkules's face. It was the face of one who was born on Orith. It was with this revelation, that Ulkules the Atrumite was truly an Orithian, that Evex realized the truth. It was so obvious. Evex himself was the true Prince of Atrum. Ulkules took his opponent's moment of surprise as an opportunity to strike, running his golden spear through Evex's abdomen. Coming to his senses, Evex stunned Ulkules with a flash of extremely intense light. When the beast, now calmed back into his false form, regained his equilibrium, the enemy had vanished. But he too knew the truth. He was a one of Orith, even worse a son of Oraxus, fooled into believing he was an Atrumite.
Ulkules returned to find Astron struggling with Naedrak and his minions. The weary, detached warrior ignited the undead into flames. The uncontrollable rage and feral ferocity that were so familiar an image of Ulkules in battle was not seen. He was a focused warrior, who had come upon a frightful revelation. He subdued his mentally manipulated comrades with precise non-lethal strikes and destroyed the lesser Orithians with ease. Naedrak, purported master of life and death, attacked and dug his long, sharp fingers into Ulkules. He attempted to drain the life out of him, but the silent juggernaut grabbed hold of his arms and pulled with great strength. His arms were torn away and the green flames within him burned out from the wounds. Ulkules then took Naedrak by the neck. The cosmic leech cowered at the might of the beast before him, looking into his intense, fiery eyes, he saw the image of his own Father, Oraxus. It was then that Naedrak the Undying also learned the truth of Ulkules and, by extension, Evex. Terrified, Naedrak grasped at the face of his brother, feeling something he had never known the touch of. The face of his--of their--Father.
Throwing aside his spear, Ulkules drove his free hand into Naedrak's chest. He clutched the orb within and forced it out. The frail-looking body of Naedrak went limp as beams of green light blasted out his eyes and his body let out the last death rattles of a sinful creature. The victorious one crushed the fiend's soul in his hand, watching the dark red orb shatter and immediately erupt into blood, spilling down from his palm to the cold ground below. The Atrumites regained possession of their bodies. They too learned the truth of Ulkules' origins. And yet they still called him friend, ally and Champion of Atrum.
Dance with the Demoness
After Naedrak was vanquished, Ulkules and the other Atrumites took to the stars in search of their fallen empire's allies. They were also on the hunt for Evex. Ulkules vowed to not let his vile origins hinder or define him, though it was clear that the warrior's pride and psyche had suffered greatly from the revelation. Nolan wished them well and returned to Earth. In his absence, Emma had mysteriously disappeared. No one knew why or where to. After practically scanning the entire planet for her, Nolan had no choice but to wait and hope for something to happen and if nothing happened, he would search the entire universe. When he returned to his apartment in Manhattan, Nolan was surprised to discover Emma right there taking a shower. Relieved and glad to see his partner again, Nolan moved forward to embrace Emma. But she was somehow different from before. Standing nude and wet in front of him, she did not attempt to cover herself and was bold in her suggestive posture. Nolan would have taken it as an invitation, had it not been for her eyes. Uncharacteristically intense and sinister, the golden eyes Nolan had been lost in so many times before were now a stark white. Entranced by the eyes of this stranger, Nolan stood frozen in place.
The thing that was not Emma lurched closer and leaned in close to sniff him. Excited by what she smelled, the thing held Nolan's mouth open while she covered it with her own. He felt strength fading and energy vanishing slowly from within him. As he fell limp to the floor, Nolan could only fix his eyes to those of the impostor about to kill him. It seemed his energy had transferred to it. The attacker grew black wings like those of a bat. A substance like petroleum formed around her body, partially covering her while leaving enough to the imagination. Her fingernails grew long and sharp, as did her teeth. The eyes grew pitch black save for the bright white pupils. Someone dared to create this twisted perversion of the woman he loved, but Nolan could not do anything. As it prepared to deliver the killing blow, their eyes locked onto each other. When their eyes met, an expression of surprise grew on her face, as if she had just realized who she was looking at. When she spoke the confused voice of Emma uttered his name and her eyes returned to the warm gold they were meant to be. It was really her. Something was trying to hijack her body. She staggered back, crying in pain as she vied for control over herself. Nolan managed to crawl towards her, grasping her hand briefly before she let out a demonic screech and fiercely spread her wings, smashing through the wall to escape into the night. Nolan lost consciousness as the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles grew louder.
After examinations by Dr. Twilight and UNTIL, it was concluded that the only possible method of recovery was to allow Astron's body to naturally replenish itself. Dr. Twilight was able to help in speeding up the process, but ultimately it was up to Nolan's strength of will and endurance. He woke up three weeks after the incident. Once he was ready, Nolan immediately set after Emma. No one had seen her since she fled that night, but there were rumors that spoke of a howling she-beast terrorizing the Canadian wilderness. The vague descriptions seemed to match what Nolan had seen. It seemed that the creature extracted the life force of living things, focusing on small animals but sometimes targeting bears, moose and other large beasts. Humans only lived to speak of what they saw because she seemed to consciously avoid them, however reluctantly. As he neared the area of most frequent sightings, Astron could clearly hear her whimpers with his enhanced hearing. Emma was struggling to suppress the evil that was taking control over her. She had no choice but to drain the animals of life in order to quench the monster's hunger. Inside the cave, there were rotting animals carcasses and scratch marks along the walls. At the end of the cave was Emma, now even further along with the forceful transformation from woman to demoness.
At the sight of Astron, she eagerly smelled the air and was overcome with hunger. It raced forward in attack, violently clawing and biting at her prey. As the struggle continued out into the night's blizzard, Nolan urged Emma to resist and reject the entity possessing her. She writhed in pain on the cold snow, struggling to push back the malevolent entity within her. Nolan hesitated, seeing Emma in pain. In that moment, the creature's black arm extended forth and drove through his chest. Fallen to the ground with deep puncture wounds, instead of blood the pure, luminescent energy within Astron could be seen seeping out. The air must have been pungent with the scent, as the beast grew excited and even more feral, jumping onto Nolan and digging her fingernails deep into his chest. She tore the hero open, revealing the intense, blinding light within him and the spherical core, the heart, of all Atrumites and Orithians that contained their souls. With both hands gripping his heart, Emma prepared to tear out and devour it to complete the process of her transformation. Barely alive and about to die at his loved one's hands, Nolan could only muster the strength to raise his hand in gentle caress of her face. His palm rested on her cheek for a moment, as everything became still and silent. Snowflakes gently fell to his face. Nolan thought he caught a glimpse of her as she was meant to be, causing him to smile weakly until he could no longer keep his eyes open.
It took another three weeks for him to wake up. A lone aboriginal Canadian shaman, Weeping Wolf, had taken Nolan into his care. Nolan's heart was in tact, so the shaman was able to speed up the mending of his body. He informed Nolan that a woman, bearing black wings but draped in a dress made of golden stars with eyes to match, had brought him there. She had spoken of sensing the coming of the one who could end her misery. A terrible feeling overcame Nolan when he too realized the approaching presence of Ulkules. He had had his suspicions, but this confirmed it. The entity possessing Emma was an Orithian.
Flying to Earth from a far off galaxy where the other Atrumites remained, Ulkules had chosen to confront the threat alone. He found his target waiting for him on the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Initially she seemed to offer no resistance, remaining calm and silent with a somber face as Ulkules approached, spear at the ready, with killing intent. He took it as willful submission to her own execution. As he gained closer, however, the woman could no longer contain herself. As the distance closed between them she was overwhelmed with hunger, revealing the fiend hidden beneath her skin and pouncing like a starved predator. Ulkules knew Qrotha, spawn of Oraxus and his own "sister", would be a challenge to defeat even in her incomplete state. The human woman's will power was the only thing keeping her from unleashing herself upon reality.
Astron arrived at the scene to find the battle raging on. Qrotha hesitated when she sensed the presence of more feed, allowing Ulkules an opportunity to land a finishing strike. Astron dashed at him and tackled Ulkules the Unstoppable with all his might. They crashed into an asteroid, which caused debris to drift off in all directions. The two established a telepathic link and they communicated while hidden from Qrotha and the situation was understood by both. The princess of Orith, Qrotha, was seeping out from her extra-dimensional prison and into their reality using Emma as a conduit. Absorbing the life of living things gave her the power to manifest more of herself into this dimension. Only through Emma's resistance was most of the abomination being locked out. But Ulkules would not take the risk of letting Qrotha live, even if it meant killing his friend's loved one. Astron could not convince the obstinate warrior prince. Qrotha appeared before them, extending her utter dark limbs to great proportions and firing black energy beams from her eyes. She hissed at them words of encouragement to kill her or feed her their souls. Ulkules entered his berserker state and attacked with all his wrath. When Astron got in the way, Ulkules attacked him as well.
Astron was no match for the might of Ulkules. His true form, the Orithian beneath the guise of an Atrumite, revealed itself and did not hold back against his opponents. Astron's incessant attempts at holding him back angered the warrior into striking with full force. When Qrotha--Emma--witnessed Nolan beaten to the brink of death, something within her erupted forth. It was another spirit within her, the source of her powers that had awakened all those years ago during their first confrontation with Messiah. So powerful was the presence that it restrained Qrotha and illuminated Emma into a being of blinding light. Ulkules stopped in his tracks, gazing into the familiar light, which he had not felt for many years. He recognized the light emanating from Emma as those of his sister, Sydozora, princess of Atrum. Years ago she had used Emma as a conduit, though chose not to manifest completely. Doing so would override the mind of her host, practically erasing Emma from existence. Even with this amazing display of power, she was still not yet fully formed but spoke through Emma to her brother. Though they were of different lineages, they would remain siblings and fight for the sake of Atrum. Sydozora would continue to suppress Qrotha, allowing Emma to use both of their powers at will. As the goddess withdrew her presence, Emma was returned to the way she was meant to be and floated down to Nolan. The two embraced, finally reunited.
Altruists Re-assembled: A Last Crusade
Zenith returned to fighting crime on Earth in what the public called a "reboot," as some superheroes (in the realm of fiction and reality) were known to do. As a side-effect of the dichotomous extra-dimensional beings Sydozora and Qrotha channeling their energies through her, Emma's hair and eye colors changed to pure white. It was as though the sun had set only to be replaced by the moon and distant stars. And just like the night, she became quiet and mysterious. Her ability to lead, however, was never in question. Aside from the obvious power boost, she was more focused and efficient in her performance as a team leader, rescue coordinator and combatant. She once again brought together a team, this time opting for just "The Altruists" without the redundant "New".
Dr. Twilight was the first to join. He was reunited with his former leader and teammate. A friend of his, a veteran superhero who went by the name of Neptune, followed the heroic sorcerer after long shying away from team-ups. Zantos, the former princess of an alien empire whom Nolan and Emma had met a few years earlier, was recruited for her powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Metasonic, Zenith's self-proclaimed biggest fan, was persisted on joining the team. She was dismissed as a novice with no real experience on the field, but Metasonic proved otherwise when she demonstrated her super speed and efficiency by rescuing three dozen civilians in a matter of seconds. The last to join was Nocturne. He was reluctant, but eventually joined when Astron promised it would not come with any distractions he did not want. Nocturne would only come to meetings if he had nothing better to do and only participated in missions where he thought his particular skill set was required. And so, with Astron and Zenith, the Altrusits came to a total of seven.
Their first challenge as a team came in the form of CPAM (Crusaders for the Preservation of All Mankind) attempting a prison break. When Messiah was captured and imprisoned, his right-hand man, Sanctus, took his place and carried on their mission to "save humanity" by exterminating all superhumans on Earth. Sanctus wasn't half the leader that Messiah was. He was disorganized and lacked the gravitas and charisma of his predecessor. Many of their ranks abandoned the organization. Only the "hardcore believers" remained. Unable to handle the pressure, Sanctus began to recruit superhuman mercenaries, something that goes against all that CPAM stands for. He disguised them in special suits of armor and equipment that made it seem as though their powers were made capable through technology, rather than inhuman abilities. The inner circle of leaders within the organization was then composed of Sanctus, Optimuman, Genocide Girl and the newly appointed second-in-command, Ironheart.
Optimuman was an ordinary human that had attained peak human physical condition and masterful combat abilities through years of medical treatments and grueling training. When he was a child, his parents were murdered in front of him by someone who could move things without touching them. Titus Towers found the traumatized boy and promised to give him vengeance, if he was willing to dedicate his life to Messiah and his cause. After witnessing the cold-blooded, brutal murder of his parents at the hands of a superhuman, vengeance was the only thing on the boy's mind. Genocide Girl was a mute, psychopathic killing machine. Messiah had found her during one of his trips to East Asia, where she showed tremendous talent and skill in martial arts at the remote mountain temple she resided. One day, she was sent out on errands. When she returned, the temple was in ruins, with the monks all slaughtered and flames spreading across the area. In the midst of the area were the group of fire-manipulators who had committed the atrocities. The young girl attacked in a rage, but was cornered. Towers burst in with his troops and gunned down the evil superhumans. He took her away from the destruction and slaughter, to raise the young girl as another one of his child soldiers. He found that the young ones were more impressionable. Of course, both the murder of Optimuman's parents and the annihilation of Genocide Girl's temple home were orchestrated by Towers himself. Sanctus was an old friend of Messiah, whom he simply called Titus, that joined the cause for unknown reasons. He invited the obscure arms inventor and dealer, Ironheart, to join CPAM in order to gain the necessary firepower to bust his savior out of Stronghold.
The entirety of the CPAM organization readied for the breakout operation as their flying citadel approached Stronghold. When the devices that concealed the CPAM Citadel were deactivated, the extremists rained down onto the prison for a full-frontal assault. Ironheart had equipped their flying headquarters with missile launchers and various other weapons that would serve to takedown any superhero threats and penetrate the prison's exterior defenses. But the Altruists had somehow caught wind of the plan and immediately launched a counter-offensive. Dr. Twilight erected a magic barrier around Stronghold to prevent any of the enemies from moving in and to hold off the explosive blasts fired from the CPAM Citadel. On the battlefield, the CPAM adherents and mercenaries followed Genocide Girl as she dropped down in a mecha designed by Ironheart. They fought against Neptune, Metasonic and Zantos. Astron was pre-occupied with Ironheart himself, whose advanced suit of power armor proved to be more of a challenge than expected. Nocturne infiltrated the Citadel in order to bring it down from the inside. He was confronted by Optimuman, who gave Nocturne a good fight despite not being a superhuman. Meanwhile, Zenith floated above the tiny war below, gazing into the distance as if there were something a million miles away that caught her attention. There was something whispering to her at the back of her head. When she shut her eyes, she saw someone staring back.
As if she suddenly realized a startling truth, Zenith jumped into the fray and formed her starsaber. Zooming towards Ironheart, she impaled the villain from behind. Nolan was stunned, until he realized that the heart that popped out of his chest was mechanical. Emma severed the head from the body, deactivating the robot's functions and rendering it useless. The important part was in her hands. Behind the metal mask of Ironheart was a tiny humanoid creature. An alien. She left the little culprit in Stronghold as she and Astron advanced toward the Citadel above. Inside the flying headquarters of CPAM, Nocturne overpowered Optimuman, knocking him out cold. Sanctus was confronted in the command room by Nocturne, Astron and Zenith. Applauding their handiwork and efficiency, Sanctus removed his own face, allowing the tiny little creature within to speak with his adversaries face-to-face. He explained that he was in truth an agent of the Orithians, commanded by the voice of Oraxus that boomed in his head. This little alien's planet had been under the control of the Orithians for hundreds of years. He and his partner, the "pilot" of Ironheart, were the last living members of their race. They had been chosen by Oraxus to be the two that would board the small spaceship that escaped their doomed planet. They came to Earth and disguised themselves as humans. Their servitude to Oraxus lead them to Titus Towers III. They worked alongside him for years, to the point where one of them became his second-in-command. Now they were attempting to free Messiah so that he could proceed on his mission to bring about the apocalypse, to murder the Earth in order to release the Orithians. But they had failed. And so they could no longer hear the voice of the cosmic tyrant in their minds. He no longer had any use for them.
The Altruists' unwilling enemy, the diminutive Lelac, commended their efforts and informed them of their impending demise. Expressing regret at all the atrocities he had committed while under the control of Oraxus, Lelac chose to destroy the Citadel. He activated the self-destruct sequence. Astron took him in his hand and tried to convince him to redeem himself by doing good with his life. But it was too late and the guilt was too much, too heavy. Lelac apologized again, whispered a farewell to his partner, Zorayah, and bit the poison capsule implanted in his tooth. He keeled over and the life disappeared from him, the body already growing cold and dry in Nolan's hand, a look of peace washed away the wrinkles and contours of sadness and guilt from his face. As Nocturne and Zenith took the people remaining in the Citadel and returned to the ground below, Astron raced the flying fortress to a safe distance outside the planet's atmosphere. He kept Lelac safe from the explosion and took the poor creature to the only one who had suffered with him. Zorayah took the deceased Lelac in her arms and wept, but would take a different path and continue to live. Even if she could never redeem herself or Lelac, maybe she could find happiness in her newfound freedom, and live enough for the both of them, doing whatever good she could with what time she had left.
Astron wondered what kind of people Optimuman and Genocide Girl would have turned out to be if Messiah had not forced them into the lives of his choosing. Astron would visit his old nemesis from time to time. He was now a broken old man, only sometimes acknowledging Astron's presence and even more rarely talking to him. On one such occasion, he revealed what he did to the two when they were children. What would happen, Astron thought, if they found out the truth? He could only hope that their reactions would be more like Zorayah's, rather than Lelac's. The Crusaders for the Preservation of All Mankind were gone, with many of its members being imprisoned or institutionalized. Optimuman, later identified as Tobias Brewer, and Genocide Girl, never unidentified, would surely be sentenced to several lifetimes of imprisonment. Before being carried off, they shared a kiss. Perhaps, one day, they would meet again. And if they learned the truth, Astron thought that maybe they would be able to accept all that happened and put the past behind them. He could only hope that they would be able learn the error of their ways and move forward, together.
Inferno
For quite some time the Atrumites, lead by Ulkules, had been wandering the cosmos in search of the civilizations that had once stood alongside them against the Orithian empire. Some destroyed each other with war, others were wiped out by natural disasters or succumbed to some other possible sources of extinction. Many were completely empty of life and a few of those bore relics that would indicate a prior occupant until they were corroded by the passage of time. On a few worlds life had already begun to blossom once more. There were planets inhabited by unicellular organisms, brimming with potential. Others were home to primitive sentient creatures. And when the Atrumites came to visit these worlds they were worshipped as gods. Occasionally the gods would bestow upon them gifts such as Knowledge and Fire. The rare few that had survived the eons had advanced greatly and did not want to involve themselves with gods, for they were weary of such beings. However, they would stand with them if the Orithians ever did return. Until then, they did not welcome their divine intervention. On one planet, Qrall Jedaria, the highest order of intelligent lifeforms had fused all of their consciousnesses into one, creating a planet that carried the collective will of all its inhabitants as a singular entity. Its selected purpose was to wander the cosmos in search of more knowledge. While they discovered the fates of their former allies, the Atrumites also searched for Evex. The Atrumite Meliosha possessed the power to visualize the location of anything she wished to find, but her attempts at pinpointing Evex were fruitless. It was as though he had disappeared from this plane of existence altogether.
Back on Earth, the Altruists grew in number to nine. The reality-hopping super scientist Dimensionaut joined the squad. He had arrived in our universe just in time to help the Altruists against the mad scientist Monstermaker and his legion of gigantic crimes against nature. Dimensionaut made a fine addition to the team, adding some much needed technological savvy. His space/time traveling vessel, the Continuum Flux, would especially come in handy. It could transport the team to any point in space or time, given sufficient energy input. Previously, Dimensionaut relied on his pet mutant thunder-cat Everett to charge up enough power to activate the warp function. This usually took quite some time, but with powerhouses like Astron and Zenith on the team, the waiting period decreased significantly.
When he wasn't out fighting the good fight, Nolan was busy trying to come up with another story to follow up his first few mild successes. Despite being able to type many times faster than any normal human being, Nolan was not immune to writer's block. The career-threatening condition dealt a debilitating blow to his creativity. He could churn out a novel in no time but he would not be satisfied with the outcome. When Nolan, as a writer, knows he can do better, it's best for his conscience to scrap what he has and start all over again. It would be quite some time until he was hit with the necessary inspiration to fuel him to write something he was happy with. That particular novel would come later, but at present he was needed at the Altruist HQ.
Meliosha came to Earth in distress, severely injured and seeking out help from Astron and Zenith. She informed them of Ulkules' sudden betrayal. He had gone mad and murdered his fellow Atrumites, ripping them apart and devouring their soul orbs. The fiery, noble warrior they knew had turned into a mad, wrathful god hellbent on destruction. Using her powers, Meliosha located Ulkules on the planet of Qrall Jedaria--the same planet that was infused with the gestalt consciousness of the very beings that had bloomed from her. He had scorched the face of Qrall Jedaria into a burning wasteland. Clad in gold armor refashioned from his Atrumite battle wear, Ulkules had taken control of the world and propelled it with his own cosmic might towards his next target. The Altruists available to confront Ulkules boarded the Continuum Flux. Astron, Zenith, Zantos, Neptune, Metasonic and Dimensionaut prepared for a tough fight.
The Altruists' vessel instantly appeared on the scorched planet of Qrall Jedaria. What they saw was not the vibrant and harmonious beauty the planet-being had held in its former state. It was now a fiery wasteland with no signs of life. Only lava and ashes. Qrall Jedaria's world-mind was hijacked by the mad god who sought to burn the universe. The telepathic Zantos heard the planet screaming in agony. Ulkules had built his throne atop a volcano. He was clad in armor that seemed to indicate royalty, unfitting of the warrior Astron knew. His spear was stuck into the ground near him, emitting rays of light. He channeled his will through his weapon and into the world. Astron flew up to him first, hoping that he could make sense of this betrayal and put an end to the madness without having to resort to violence. Ulkules boisterously laughed at the little fly and swatted him away. He rose from his throne and approached the Altruists. His footsteps seemed to shake the planet beneath him. His presence was overwhelming, as if he was a force of nature manifest.
Neptune was already weakened from the intense heat and lack of water. Even his specialized survival suit was of no use in such inhospitable conditions. The temperature seemed to increase with each step Ulkules took. When their giant adversary let out a deafening roar, Neptune's skin boiled and he collapsed into the hot dirt. The sonic wave that Ulkules' roar created knocked Metasonic off her feet and sent her flying. She crashed into the side of a cliff and her survival suit was severely damaged. She took a deep breath to take in the suit's last gasp of oxygen and ran. Taking the unconscious Neptune into her arms, she fled back to the Continuum Flux and fell to her knees. She was terrified. Dimensionaut's force field protected him from the attack. But he was effectively useless in the face of this enemy. His advanced weapons were like pebbles being thrown at a mountain. Zantos' attempts at telepathically linking with Ulkules were futile and caused her great pain. They had no choice but to return to the Continuum Flux while Astron and Zenith fought the seemingly unstoppable beast.
Absorbing the souls of his comrades had greatly empowered Ulkules. He had also used the soul of one Atrumite to enlarge his spear to accommodate his new form. He was much bigger than before. Big enough to take Zenith and crush her in his fist. An energy blast from Astron's eyes knocked him down and Zenith escaped. She materialized her starsabers and dug them deep into his chest, removed them and went for his eyes. Astron's continuous beam of energy held him down, but the two were blown away when Ulkules roared once more. He got on his feet and spewed lava on them. Astron fell to the ground and Ulkules brought his fist down. He took Zenith in his hand once more and exclaimed about how much joy it brought him to think of devouring his own sister (Qrotha), the princess of the Atrumites (Sydozora) and Zenith at the same time. Miles away, Dimensionaut prepared to activate the Null Cannon. It was the ultimate weapon of the Continuum Flux. Its target would be utterly destroyed, scattering its atoms throughout the universe. He was hesitant, for it would mean taking the lives of his teammates. And if the weapon, which he had never used before, malfunctioned, it would mean the erasure of the planet and everyone on it. But it would be worth preventing Ulkules from continuing on his path of conquest and destruction. He took aim and closed in on his target as Metasonic provided the energy input. But before the cannon could finish charging the battle came to an abrupt end.
A long red spear raced down from the heavens and pierced Ulkules through the back of his neck. His rocky, molten form crumbled into a pile and his spirit core arose from it. The object floated up into the hand of the one who had launched the spear. Evex the Endless appeared before the two heroes. He no longer sported his majestic armor and instead wore humble clothing suited to a monk. He landed before his spear and withdrew it from the rock it was lodged in. He spoke to the two exhausted heroes of his meditations in a pocket dimension. In his icy domain, closed off from outside influence, he reflected on his life and came to the conclusion that he had never given thought to why he did what he did. He was a fool, blindly following Oraxus and disregarding all else. But he realized that deep down he wanted to be free of his servitude to Orith and join the Atrumites on their mission. But the influence and power of Oraxus were great. It was as though he was constantly whispering into his mind. But now he resolved to follow his own path and do what he believed was right. The guilt of his past actions weighed down on him and he decided that there was only one possible route that would redeem him. But first he took Ulkules' orb and reached into it. Evex withdrew a grotesque insect-like creature from within. He explained that this was an Orithian that had slipped his way out of the cosmic prison and injected itself into Ulkules' heart undetected. Sinosyte was a parasitic fiend that slowly took control of its host by feeding off of their pain and twisting them into mindless monsters for it to control. As it squirmed and squealed in his hand, Evex crushed the evil bug in his grip and watched as it turned to dust. Astron was relieved to know his friend had not been responsible for his actions, but was saddened over his death.
Evex gave the orb to Astron and reassured him that he would meet his friend again one day. With that, he took his spear into both hands and drove it through his own chest, avoiding the spirit sphere located in his throat. Even in his dying moments he was as calm and collected as ever. He got on one knee, looked up to the sky and whispered something Astron could not hear. He had no guess as to what words Evex would speak at the moment of his death. But as the majestic being's form faded away, becoming mere dust on the wind, Astron knew that they too would meet again. Nolan extracted Ulkules' spear from Qrall Jedaria and the planet regained control of itself. It immediately began to restore its former beauty. Flowers grew from the spot where the two gods had just passed. It would take a long time to heal, but Qrall Jedaria would eventually be restored. Spears and orbs in hand, the two heroes walked back to the vessel where their friends waited. When Nolan was born he had granted his parents' wish of having a child. Perhaps these two could do the same for him and Emma. They would have to discuss their future once they returned home.
Inescapable
A New Millennium (2000 - 2009)
31st Century Man
As Above, So Below
The Meaning of the Earth
Symphony of the Stars
Neverending (2010 - present)
Description
Appearance
Despite his unearthly origins, Nolan appears to be a relatively ordinary human male of European ancestry. This is because the body that Astron's soul inhabits was shaped by Wallace and June Ryan's desire for the child they could never have. The form of the infant that they found was shaped in their image, as if he were truly their genetic offspring. And Nolan Ryan turned out a tall, large-framed man with piercing blue eyes, fair skin and chiseled features. Currently, he is muscularly built and appears to be in the prime of his life, just as he has for over a decade. His chestnut brown hair is almost always neatly combed and parted to his right. To suit this neat look, he prefers to keep his face clean-shaven.
Nolan's physique seems to be somehow connected to the subconscious image he has of himself. As a timid and withdrawn child he was thin and frail-looking. He was the kind of lanky young boy who was handsome and intelligent but lacking in confidence. After discovering who he truly was, Nolan gained a boost in that regard and his body reflected this change. He filled out his large frame with the strong, sturdy physique of an athlete despite not engaging in intensive physical exercise or labor (people thought he was going to a gym after school when he was actually out on patrol). Over time, Nolan has gained more solid bulk to reflect the maturation he has experienced with age.
Personality
Nolan is an optimistic, amiable person who tries to treat others with kindness and respect. He looks for the good in people, even when they've done wrong. He believes that all humans possess the capacity for good, as well as the capacity for change. This includes the most hardened of criminals. His opinion on the criminal justice system is that its primary goal should be to reform convicts. Given a guiding hand and stable environment, Nolan is confident that any wrongdoer can realize the error of their ways and change them in accordance with society and its laws. When he has the time, Nolan gladly volunteers to help with this process.
Although he believes that violence is never the answer, or at least the best answer, Nolan understands it to be an inevitability, especially for superheroes. His first strategy in conflicts, if applicable, is to attempt to resolve them without the use of force. This usually works with criminals who possess no powers or threatening weapons, less so with others. In combat he tries to do the least amount of damage necessary and rarely finds himself having to go all out.
Nolan values all life to some extent and rejects the death penalty. But he acknowledges that there are instances in which taking a life is the only viable option, especially for those who do not possess superpowers. He will, however, thoroughly exhaust all other possibilities before resorting to such a course of action.
Nolan avoids involving himself in politics as a rule. He realizes that participating in politics might help him with making the world a better place, which is the goal shared by the superhero community. But he finds the political system to be relatively unproductive and more of a hindrance than a help to his own goals and dislikes the "us vs. them" mindset that it can foster. He considered working on the governmental level to some capacity in Connecticut but decided against it. Ultimately it came down to the fact that it would require too much of his time and for, in his opinion, a less substantial result than he would get from his usual activities.
As an introvert, Nolan generally keeps to himself. He prefers to spend his time fulfilling duties or performing productive tasks such as charitable actions, helping to improve communities, working on his writing projects, meditating or exercising, learning a new skill or craft, etc. From time to time, Nolan secludes himself either on Altruist Rock, the former headquarters of the Altruists, or in his small house situated on the coast of Connecticut. Some might misinterpret this tendency toward solitude for detachment or melancholy, but it is actually motivated by Nolan's desire to do the most he can and be the best he can be. This time and effort put towards improving himself or someone or something else doesn't give Nolan the chance to indulge in too much of anything. But he does enjoy the company of others and genuinely appreciates those that he can call friends.
Powers, Abilities and Equipment
Repressed Celestial Physiology
Far from a mortal man, but also not a god. Astron has not ascended to the state of true Atrumite, as his own identity prevents the completion of this process. Nolan would have to reject 'Nolan Ryan' in order to fully accept and become 'Astron.' He would essentially stop being who he is and become something new entirely. This human aspect of the entity that is Nolan Ryan/Astron prevents him from ascending to godhood. Nolan thinks there is nothing more true in all reality than the feelings within him. Thus, he embraces humanity and its subjectivity to emotion. And with this denial of the so-called "pure logic" of the Atrumites, Nolan becomes incapable of fulfilling his true potential.
Nolan's mind is capable of processing information at a much higher rate than the average human. This helps with maintaining awareness when traveling at high speeds or when using his advanced sensory perception. However, his memory is fallible and his intelligence is, while above average, not quite comparable to geniuses like Dr. Silverback and other such science heroes.
Astron's only known internal organ is the spherical object that lies within his chest. If it were to be destroyed, Nolan Ryan/Astron would cease to be. Removing the core will result in the "death" of the vessel (Nolan's body), but the soul is capable of assimilating a new vessel in order to resurrect itself. If the core is removed but not returned to Nolan's body before it converts into pure energy, then Nolan Ryan will be no more and Astron will be reborn a completely different person.
Physical
The power Astron possesses is usually more than enough to handle the situations he finds himself in. His physical and mental capacities are at extremely high levels, well beyond that of an average human. Astron also possesses superhuman sensory perception. The entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum is processed by his eyes. They can also emit the same radiation they absorb. This heightened awareness allows Astron to detect the presence of most supernatural phenomena. If he is wearing the astrogauntlets, Astron can generate and project energy as concussive blasts or protective force fields. He also has precise control over his movements, so he does not have to worry about crushing keyboards or his exhalation causing whirlwinds and other such potential catastrophes. Astron heals at a very fast rate and his physical vessel cannot be permanently damaged. If a part of his physical being is removed, it will fade into pure energy and the body will replace it. Causing Astron to feel physical pain is incredibly difficult. An attack would need to have sufficient enough power to cause some kind of duress on his spirit-core, which is contained beneath Astron's usually-impenetrable hide. Astron appears to be a normal human being, but underneath the skin he is anything but. No medical imaging technologies (MRIs, x-rays, etc) work on him, but wounds that are deep enough will reveal an extremely bright light underneath the surface, as if there were a star inside him.
Psychical
Access to Astron's psyche is incredibly difficult to obtain, so only the most proficient telepaths and mystics would be able to do so. Astron typically keeps his psychic guard up, but can be overwhelmed by a strong enough mental assault. Mystics trying to hijack his body or see within his soul are met with a defense in the form of an intense, blinding light that burns them while also trying to force them out of his psychic realm. However, a powerful ritual or spell (meaning when a lot of preparation is done and certain conditions are met) could potentially trump this defense mechanism. Someone trying to read his mind would only hear a seemingly random cacophony of sounds from across the multiverse. Even if Astron willingly allows another into his mind/soul, the complexity of the non-material aspect of his being would make navigation a difficult task for the visitor.
Astrosuit 3.0
Astrogauntlets
The astrogauntlets allow Nolan to channel energy from within himself and create force fields or concussive projectiles.
Weaknesses
Spirit Sphere
The spirit sphere or "soul orb" or "core" or "heart" of an Atrumite or Orithian is the only internal organ they possess. It is a perfect sphere in shape and its color and location varies with each individual. If it is destroyed, then the celestial to which the core belongs would perish with it. This also applies to Astron, though exposing the sphere would take tremendous effort, as it would require opening up his chest. Astron's core is located right where a human's heart would be.
Not Quite Invulnerable
While Astron is by no means absolutely immune to harm through conventional methods of damage, it is still extremely difficult to do so. A punch from a normal human would not harm him. His sense of touch would allow him to register the contact, but it would have virtually no other effect on him. But a punch from someone possessing strength comparable to his own will inflict pain and cause damage to his body. However, this would usually take repeated strikes to have a serious effect on him. Even beings with super strength must be at a certain level to inflict damage to Astron. This is not necessarily how much the damage dealer can lift per se, but the amount of destructive force they are able to exert with their attacks. A being of low strength can still harm Astron if they are able to exert enough destructive force (mystical augmentation, electro-gauntlets, atomic punches, etc.). Objects made of minerals that are less hard than questionite will break apart upon strong impact with Astron. Questionite will not pierce his skin, but also will not break. Questionite objects will, however, cause pain if applied with enough force. A certain substance can easily pierce his exterior.
Shards of the Primordial Goddess
The Atrumites and Orithians are both extremely vulnerable to objects that they call "shards of the primordial goddess." The celestial mother's death gave birth to the planets from which the Atrumites and Orithians arose. However, legend has it that parts of her being were not incorporated into these planets but split off from her completely and lost across the space/time continuum. These objects have been found by both the Atrumites and Orithians and are used to craft weapons held by their leaders and greatest warriors. For example, the respective spears of Ulkules and Evex are composed of this substance. It appears that if contact is made between a weapon made of the substance and the "heart" of either an Atrumite or Orithian, both objects would be utterly annihilated.
Description
Appearance
Personality
Powers, Abilities and Equipment
Celestial Physiology
Enemies
Threat Level Metric:
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Messiah
Real Name: Titus Tiberius Towers
Status: Presumed Deceased
Affiliations:
Powers/Abilities: Great intellect
Threat Level:
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The man who calls himself Messiah is
Born in 1928 to an affluent and influential European family, Titus Tiberius Towers was taught from childhood that he was superior to everyone else. On top of being naturally gifted with prodigious intelligence, Titus was groomed to become a charismatic and ambitious leader. His parents had their servants raise him with an intensive parenting style that pushed him to master anything he set his mind to. He easily excelled in his studies and training. From outcompeting elite athletes to outsmarting top scientists, it seemed that there was nothing Titus could not do. By the age of eighteen he had left behind his place among the wealthy families of Europe and laid the foundations for what would become his international corporate dynasty. He was not satisfied with the status and wealth that he would inherit and the life of an undeservingly privileged, manipulative socialite was petty, tedious and unfulfilling. Titus knew that he was destined for greater things. So he aimed to build an empire that would elevate him above the laws of men. Such pointlessly restrictive things as morality and anxieties about judgements from little men and women was beneath the great Titus Towers. Indeed, he met and then surpassed the high expectations of his mother and father. But Titus made it clear that he had nothing but contempt for them.
His parents were self-absorbed, greedy, amoral people who showed no sign of caring for Titus as anything more than an extension of themselves. He was meant to be the perfect, prodigious son that they could show off at dinner parties. Most of Titus' interactions with his parents consisted of abuse and punishment for failing to meet their standards, which they hypocritically did not hold to themselves. They scolded him for being a waste of time and money, as if he were a bad investment. In truth Titus was raised by a series of surrogate parental figures who parted ways with him as soon as they completed their pedagogical tasks and collected their money. It was a harsh and lonely life Titus lead. One where love could not be found and any spark of it was soon put out by the oppressive darkness and cold that pervaded his psyche. Perhaps he thought this weight would be lifted when he made the entire world bend to his will. And as the self-proclaimed epitome of his kind, Titus felt assured that he would accomplish this task. Nothing less would suffice.
By the mid-1950s the Towers Corporation was a major figure in international business. Titus came to be revered as a corporate conqueror as he claimed money, land and other resources across the globe. He had three major corporate buildings placed across the world: one in London, another in New York City and a third in Hong Kong. They were called the Ivory Towers and they stood as monuments to Titus and his success. It seemed that his rise to power was inexorable. But in 1962 he came under the scrutiny of the Agents of Freedom, a team of American superheroes who had fought against the Axis powers during World War II. Their investigations uncovered the illegal activities that went on behind the scenes. When the time of judgement came, Titus was able to convince the public that he was unaware of the illegal operations that his board members had orchestrated. This, however, came at the cost of his reputation and proved to be a major setback to his goals. The majority of the firms that were under his control were terminated and many of his so-called allies abandoned him. Having to relegate himself to the status of a naive figurehead to the public was an infuriating embarrassment for Titus. The public saw him as a spoiled, privileged brat who had attained his position through his parents' wealth and connections. He had been defeated by the Agents of Freedom and only the satisfaction of vengeance would heal his pride.
Clad in a suit of advanced power armor of his own design, Titus fought back against the Fighters as the relentless and mysterious Crusader.
((in-progress))
Dr. Deception
Real Name: Sebastian Callager
Status: Incarcerated
Affiliations: Currently None
Powers/Abilities: High-level psionics
Threat Level:
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Meteora
Real Name: Rhea Havelock
Status:
Affiliations: The Starfall Syndicate
Powers/Abilities: Empyrean Physiology
Threat Level:
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Rex Nihilo
Real Name: Nemo "Omen" Jones
Status: Incarcerated
Affiliations: None
Powers/Abilities:
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Anti-Solaris
Real Name:
Status: Active
Affiliations:
Powers/Abilities: Solar-powered physiology
Threat Level:
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Proud Patriot
Real Name: David Ironside
Status: Active
Affiliations:
Powers/Abilities: Serum-augmented physiology
Threat Level:
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Madame Midnight
Real Name: Heather McNamara
Status: Incarcerated
Affiliations: None
Powers/Abilities: High-level psionics
Threat Level:
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Bibliography
Nolan has written under his given name but also under the pseudonym of Percy Hart. Here is a list of his published works, in order of publication date:
as Percy Hart
- A Haven for Heroes (novella, 1994)
- Paradise Projects (novel, 1996)
- Worlds Within Words (short stories, 1998)
- Aeons (novel, 2000)
- Platinum Only (novel, 2002)
- American Capes (novel, 2004)
- Dr. Warlove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Grond (novella, 2005)
- Heroes & Villains (novel, 2007)
- Signifiers of the Sublime (poetry collection, 2009)
- Neutronium Rose (novel, 2010)
- Vanguards (novel, 2014)
- Monarchs of Millennium (novel, 2016)
as Nolan Ryan
- Astron (comic book serialization, 2004-present)
- Towers, Above All (nonfiction, 2009)
- Modern Mythologies #96-128 (comic book serialization, 2010-2012)
- Deicide: The Confessions of a Godkiller (nonfiction, 2013)
- Icons (graphic novel, 2014)
Trivia
- Astron, the superhero, is not to be confused with Astron, the Living Asteroid Belt.
- The character and story of Astron are heavily inspired by DC Comics (specifically Superman and Jack Kirby's Fourth World/New Gods) with trace amounts of influence from other popular media.
Comments and Opinions
A space for your characters' comments and opinions on Astron.
"Great fighter, better friend. I feel privileged to know him and honored to have worked with him. It's great to have a real heavyweight like him in your corner." - Thundrax
Gallery
The Blood Moon
Breaking free of a magnetic hold
Armor specially designed to protect Astron from the effects of being in the Qliphoth
