The Hunt Begins

The Hunt Begins...

<<< WARNING: May be a little harsh or disturbing to readers. >>>

Humans First, the name pretty much says it all... Human mortals who's fear and ignorance of the strange or unknown has lead them to hate those born different than themselves. Such intolerance has always existed in one shape or another throughout human history, only this time, it's aimed at those seen as 'superior' rather than those viewed as 'inferior'. But prejudice is still prejudice, no matter who its target is, and the Humans First Movement has become a power-house in this regard.

Most of what they do is seen as activism by the public at large, protesting various groups of super-powered Heroes who they feel have aquired too much power, or lobbying for stricter regulations for Meta-Humans within their respective governments. What is not seen is the true lengths their leaders will go too, to ensure their agenda is carried out, and its ugly and brutal nature.

One case in point, is the Meta-Human murderer known simply as 'Dredge'. A zealotous human assassin who's loyalty to Humans First trumps anything else, Dredge has killed at least a dozen Meta-Humans, believing himself to be a 'purifier of the Meta-Plague'. His skill with a blade is impressive for a non super powered individual, but even more so are the lengths he'll go too to ensure Humanity remains the dominant life-form on the planet.

While out on patrol one night, Rebel cruises over Westside in his jet 'Freebird', scanning the area for signs of trouble, and monitoring the MCPD's radio dispatch. The night had proven uneventful thus-far, but that was about to change, and not for the better.

When over the radio comes a call for MCPD Officers to respond to a possible 187 in the Little Italy neighborhood, at 645 South Stafford Avenue, apartment 58. With nothing else demanding his attention at the moment, Rebel decides to head that way and see if he can help. He puts Freebird in hover-mode and walks to the back, dropping from the bomb-bay doors and igniting his jetpack. Zipping down to the ledge on the fifth floor, he spots several MCPD Officers inside one of the apartments, taking pictures and performing the usual forensic gathering duties associated with a murder case. He waits until they are finished, not wanting to interfere with their efforts, then opens the window and steps inside the now empty room.

A chalk outline is visable on the floor, too small for an adult, his stomach turns at the realization of this, combined with the size of the blood stain surrounding it. He notices more blood on the wall, but this stain is not from spatter, rather put there intentionally. It forms a circle with a slash through it, over the letter 'M' which has been carved into the wall by a blade. He continues looking around the room for more clues, his desire to persue this killer growing stronger, when he notices the bed in the corner. Quite obviously a child's room judging by the decor and colorful sheets on the bed donning cartoon characters, he spots the plaque above the bed reading 'Samantha'.

His eyes narrowing at the idea of someone so cruel as to do this to a little girl, he fails to notice the man enter the room from behind him, armed with a shotgun. Then he hears the floorboards creak, and the unmistakable "Cha-Chuck" of a shotgun being readied to fire. Spinning around in an instant, Rebel knocks the shotgun out of the man's hands, and brings his own blaster to bear.

"What do you want you son-of-a-bitch?" The man says angrily. "You come back to finish us off? My daughter's life wasn't enough?"

With his blaster pressed to the man's forhead, Rebel glances him over. Realizing who he is, he holsters his weapon in an attempt to ease the man's tension.

"Take it easy, fellah..." Says Rebel. "I ain't da one who done dis... I'm just here to find out what happened."

"What happened?" The man replies, on the verge of tears. "I'll tell you what happened, some sick bastard murdered my little girl, my sweet Samantha."

"I'm truly sorry to hear dat..." Rebel responds. "Who would do dis, and why?"

"I don't know, but I thought for sure you were here to kill my wife and I too..." The man answers, trembling in a mix of fear and rage.

"I ain't, I'm here to try an help... If ya'll let me." Says Rebel.

"Help?" Blubbers the man. "Help find the person that did this? You a Super Hero?"

"I do what I can, mon ami... Name's Rebel, I'm a member of the Global Defense Force." He says. "But yes, I wanna find da person respoinsible for dis tragedy. What can ya tell me?"

"Not much..." Answers the man. "I got home from work to find my wife crying over the body of our daughter Samantha in here, and called the Police. She said Sam was in here playing before bed-time, and when she came in to check on her, she found... "

The man breaks into tears at the memory of what he saw only hours ago, regaining what he can of his composure to continue.

"Why would someone do this?" He asks.

"I don't know... yet." Answers Rebel. "Can you tink of anyone wit a reason to come after you and your family?"

"No... I'm just a cab driver." the man answers. "I don't know why anyone would want to hurt Sam... She was a sweet girl, only seven years old. She never hurt anybody."

"What about dis mark on da wall?" Rebel inquires, pointing to the blood-smeared circle and slash over the 'M' he found. "Dis mean anytin ta you?"

"No, I have no idea what that means..." The man replies. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Says Rebel.

"Well... " The man sniffles. "We've been getting these letters in the mail the last couple of months, from some group called 'Humans First'. They started out harmless enough, asking me to register myself as a Meta-Human, then they began demanding it, saying if I didn't, consequences would occur."

"You're a Meta-Human?" Rebel asks. "And your wife and daughter too?

"I am, yes... My wife's not, and we were hoping Samantha would be like her, you know, normal..." Answers the man. "It's not like I'm a Super Hero or anything, all I can do is find my way around. I never get lost, like I have a GPS in my head, you know? It's not like I'm dangerous."

"I'm familiar wit dis Humans First group." Rebel says. "And if dey be behind dis, I -will- find out."

"Really? Oh thank you, thank you!" The man declares, hugging Rebel in the process. "Find the monsters that did this to my little Samantha, please!"

Awkwardly patting the man's back, Rebel nods.

"I will, Mister...?"

"Rodgers, Bill Rodgers.." Says Bill. "My wife Mary and I will be forever in your debt, Sir... Thank you!"

"No tanks needed, Bill." Rebel says. "Just take care of your wife, and keep dis shotgun handy in case dey come back."

Nodding, the man picks up his shotgun and wipes his eyes as Rebel leaves through the window and zips back up to Freebird, still hovering above.

PART II

The images of the crime-scene still fresh in his mind, Rebel sat at the controls of Freebird, the police band scanner still listening in on the MCPD's frequency. He began searching online for more info on Humans First, including any accusations of murder or serious threats to Meta's being reported, but was coming up empty. His mind went back to memories of home, Multifaria, when he was hunted for being a Meta-Human as well, even as a child. This latest case hit him where he lived, such tyranical absolutism and cruelty was perhaps the one thing that penetrated his usual calm demeneor.

His search continued for any possible leads as to the culprit, reviewing news articles, police reports, media coverage, anything he could find connected to Humans First. The hours went by faster than he had realized, and the morning sun began to creep over the rooftops of Westside, hurting his eyes as they focused on the computer screens. He was getting nowhere fast, and if he didn't make some progress soon, another innocent victim could pay the price.

Then he remembered what Bill had said, about the letters they received in the mail, and their increasingly hostile tone. Perhaps he could track them back to where they came from, or find others sent to similar families. It was a long-shot, but with nothing better to go off of, Rebel began hacking into the USPS website, accessing their postage mainframe. He'd just keep this little intrusion a secret, as others in the GDF might not care for the illegal hacking of a government system. Some time later he found the Humans First postage account info, and entered their secure server. Searching line after line of code, he eventually found the name and address of Bill Rodgers, and the records of the letters they had sent to he and his family. They went out as part of a batch, along with 3 other names and addresses. Rebel quickly entered these locations into Freebird's computer, bringing them up on the map, and plotting a course to take him to each one.

The closest was the Stevens family, who lived just a few blocks away from the Rodgers. Rebel kept his jet high in the air as to avoid detection if in fact the murderer was nearby, and did a thermal scan of the building. The scan showed three people sitting at the kitchen table, most likely having breakfast as it was around that time, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then, deploying a surveilance drone to keep watch, made his way to the next location, across town, the Perseo's home in the suburbs.

As Rebel arrived, he could see a young girl leaving the house obviousy bound for school with her backpack slung over her shoulder. Her mother waving to her from the door watched as her daughter skipped off towards the bus stop, as innocent a scene as could be imagined. As the girl rounded the corner, Rebel spotted a motorcycle ahead, speeding down the street in her direction, and quickly began a scan of the approaching chopper. Once his cameras zoomed in on it, he could see the mask the rider was wearing clearly, donning a white skull over it, and then he noticed the katana strapped to his back.Even if this wasn't his intended target, something didn't feel right, and he needed to act fast.

Quickly putting the jet in hover-mode, he raced to the back of the cargo bay and leapt from the bomb bay doors, flying towards the girl's location as she remained oblivious to the impending danger. The jets on his pack burning at top-speed carried him as fast as he could, but the threatening motorcycle headed straight for her was still going to reach her first if he didn't do something, and quick.

Drawing his blasters, Rebel fired several taze blasts in the path of the speeding hog, forcing the driver to swerve to avoid them and slowing him down long enough for Rebel to make it to the young girl before it did. Cutting the thrust on his jetpack, he hit the ground running, and shielded the girl with his body, activating his protective field around them both just as the cycle arrived. The driver drew the katana sheathed on his back and took a swing as he passed, but the blade bounced off the force field around the pair, causing him to swerve again before speeding away.

The Perseo girl screamed in fear, having no idea what was happening, shrinking in size by seventy percent as she did. With the threat now gone, Rebel stood up and disengaged the shield around them, trying to calm the frightened girl.

"It's okay petit, he's gone now..." Said Rebel.

"Who... are you?" Asked the girl, slowly returning to her normal size.

"Dat ain't important, but you need to get home, tell your parents what happened... Can you do dat?" Spoke Rebel.

"y...yes, I think so..." Replied the girl, before running off back home. "Thank you sir!"

Rebel now had a pattern to follow, all be it a disturbing one, he was pretty sure he knew where the assailant was headed next. Zipping back up to Freebird, he checked the drone's camera at the Stevens house and saw it was all clear, so proceeded to the last waypoint he had marked from his research, the home of Eric and Gabrielle Johnson, and their daughter Michelle.

PART III

Arriving at the Johnson's home, the area looked clear as Freebird hovered high above it. Rebel saw no sign of the murderer or his motorcycle, and proceeded to scan the area in case he was hidden. Again unable to find any sign of his quarry's presence, he checked the surveillance drone back at the Steven's house, again noting no change in the situation there. Perhaps there were more on the assassin's list that Rebel did not know about? If that was so, there was nothing he could do now but protect the other two children he -did- know were being targeted.

Staying put for the moment, he checked over his gear and weapons, making sure he was ready in the event the psychopath did show up. He no doubt would now be aware that someone was on to him and attempting to stop his plans, and would likely change up his strategy and be more cautious in his next attempt. The idea of the killer abandoning his plans never occurred to Rebel, as he knew that only a true zealot of the Humans First Movement could be so brutal as to perform these heinous crimes, and such single-minded men never quit, no matter the odds against them.

Hours passed, and Rebel continued to monitor the homes of both the Stevens and Johnson families, hoping the sick bastard would show up soon. As luck would have it, Michelle Johnson was home sick from school that day, allowing Rebel to keep a close eye on her and her mother inside the house. As the late afternoon arrived, a car pulled into the driveway and a man dressed in a suit got out and walked to the front door, entering the house. Assuming this to be Mister Johnson, Rebel scanned the house again as he had been doing routinely all day, but when the infra-red scanner showed the man strike the woman inside knocking her out, he knew something was wrong.

Dropping from the bomb bay doors of Freebird, Rebel flew to the girl's bedroom where she was resting and hovered outside the window, opening it and slipping inside quietly. He crept over behind the door leading to the hall as it slowly opened and the man stepped inside, still wearing the suit, but now also donning the same skull-emblazoned mask he had seen before. As the assassin approached the bed, Rebel charged him and tackling him, flung the two through the window, shattering it, and tumbled into the backyard.

Rising quickly, Rebel pulled his blasters, bringing them to bear on the assassin, who tore the now ripped suit from himself, exposing his blue and black armor underneath, and unsheathed his katana.

"Nice try..." Taunted Rebel. "But ya gonna pay for da sick tings you done."

"Meta-Filth!" Hissed the killer. "My assignment was to kill four young freaks, but you... you will be a bonus."

"Ya kill kids?" Retorted Rebel. "I knew ya Humans First bastards were twisted, but callin yerself 'Human' wit da tings you done, now dat be a new level a hypocrassy."

"Little freaks grow up into big freaks... And it is my duty as well as my pleasure to wipe the Meta-Plague from this Earth. "Answered the assassin. "For I am Dredge, the cure to the sickness that is Meta-Humanity."

Hearing enough, Rebel opened fire on his opponent with a burst of taze blasts, very briefly considering to forgo the non-lethal measure just this once, and put this maniac down for good. Much to his surprise, Dredge deflected the majority of his shots with his blade, and the few that did strike seemingly had little effect as he remained standing.

"For a pure human, you sure fight like a Meta..." Rebel stated.

"Because my cause is just, despite how unseemly it may seem to you, freak.." Retorted Dredge. "You will realize this with your last breath."

Darting forward, Dredge swung his katana in a series of strikes, all narrowly missing Rebel as he nimbly evaded each slash in turn. Then ignited his jetpack to gain distance on the close-quarter attacks, and again fired a series of taze blasts at his target. This time, they seemed to have more of an effect against his opponent, slowing him down but not incapacitating him.

"Surrender!" Demanded Rebel. "You ain't got a chance a beatin me, not when I got da advantage of range on ya..."

"Humanity will never surrender to your kind, freak..." Dredge answered defiantly. "And neither will I!!"

Realizing his mission was a failure, Dredge activated a stealth field around himself and vanished instantly before Rebel's eyes. Still hovering above, Rebel typed on his forearm console and had Freebird do a full spectrum scan of the area, but could not find any sign of Dredge. His eyes narrowing, he holstered his weapons and landed back on the ground in the Johnson's back yard.

As Police arrived, he explained the situation to them and requested they keep a close watch on the families Dredge had targeted, but without more evidence, could not directly link Humans First to this killer. The MCPD agreed to place the three families in protective custody, provided they register with the ASPRA as Meta-Human.

Rebel knew this sick bastard would strike again, and likely soon, and as such put him on his list of top priority targets to hunt down. He also sent a full report on the investigation and incidents to the GDF's Global Captains handling the Humans First situation, as they would no doubt want to be made aware of the murderer known as "Dredge", and his agenda.

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