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Description
The tall stone walls that had once encompassed Perez Park and been so futile in containing the horrors within had long ago been demolished. This gave Adam and the crowd a perfect view of the armoured personnel vehicles that now poured out of every nearby side-street and quickly moved to form a rough perimeter around the park.

Adam seized Laura's wrist and began to roughly shove his way through the crowd, hoping desperately that they could make it out of the park before the Crossbow officers had them completely surrounded.

The Crossbow vehicles rumbled to a stop and began to disgorge their cargo of riot-troopers. Their distinctive red and grey uniforms were heavily padded and they wore helmets with clear Perspex face guards. Each trooper carried a large riot-baton and shield.

As the troops began to form up in front of the vehicles with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, a message boomed out from the loudspeakers of every assembled APV.

"Attention citizens! This is Crossbow Commander Marcus Knight. Under section 146B of the Public Order Act I am declaring this gathering an illegal assembly. You are ordered to disperse. Exit the park in an orderly manner and return to your homes."

A ripple of fear and uncertainty travelled through the crowd. Some people began easing themselves away from the main mob and moving toward the narrow corridors that the Crossbow troopers had left for those wishing to leave.  Adam prayed that the protestors would see reason. There was nothing more that could be achieved here. Nothing more than a whole bunch of people getting hurt. Suddenly, from somewhere in the crowd came a shout.

"Fascist bastards!!"

The shout, which to Adam sounded suspiciously like Dirk, was accompanied by a bottle being hurled at the Crossbow officers. It shattered harmlessly against one of their shields however it also had the effect of shattering the dread gripping the protestors. Their chants doubled in volume and more objects were hurled at the riot officers.

"Morons!", thought Adam as he continued to fight his way through the heaving mass of people, dragging Laura behind him. "Stupid, short-sighted, brain-dead, retarded MORONS!"

The loudspeakers boomed into life once more.

"Attention citizens! I repeat, you are ordered to disperse. If you fail to do so then I am authorised to use whatever action is necessary to enforce this direction. You have two minutes to commence vacating the area. You will receive no further warnings."

Adam could see Crossbow officers clamber into the turrets of several large tanker vehicles to man their water-cannons. He and Laura were still way too far from the perimeter of the Park. Their progress was not helped by the fact that Laura was fighting him. Although her resistance seemed to be rapidly fading. Through his tight grip on her wrist he could feel her trembling.

Bottles, sticks, cans and stones now rained down upon the riot-officers who were as still as statues in ranks two deep. Like an ancient Roman phalanx, the first rank knelt and held their shields in front of them while their comrades behind held their shields up and at a slight upward angle giving all of them complete protection from the hail of missiles. The chanting of the protestors had now reached a fever-pitch.

"NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!!

A harsh siren from the lead Crossbow vehicle declared that the time for waiting was over.

The water-cannons immediately opened up on the crowd, sending powerful streams of liquid into the front ranks of protestors. Scores of people were knocked off their feet and the anti-MGA chants were joined by howls of outrage. At the same time, the riot-troops formed a solid wall of shields and began a slow and inexorable march forward. As they advanced, they clashed their batons on the front of their riot-shields in perfect unison creating a frightening, rhythmic clamour. They moved in from all sides of the park creating a slowly shrinking noose that trapped all within.

The crowd began to lose some of its cohesion although the chanting remained and objects continued to be thrown at the Crossbow officers. Adam and Laura started to make more headway toward the edge of the park. Through the crush of people, Adam saw Dirk furiously working his way through the mob….heading away from the advancing troops. Adam could taste disgust like bile in his mouth.

Moments later, a second siren-blast split the air.

The riot-officers picked up their pace. Moving from a shuffling march to a brisk jog. Within seconds their wall of shields crashed into the front ranks of protestors. Batons were thrust out to strike at limbs as protest placards now became impromptu clubs. The crowd tried to use their numbers to push back against the Crossbow troops but it was no use. There were too many of them and they were impeccably trained.

The mob quickly began to fracture. Adam saw two of the red beret protestors break from the crowd and make a run for the trees, obviously hoping to avoid capture by losing themselves in the depths of the woods.  They had almost reached the tree-line when both of them were knocked off their feet by an unseen force. A female figure shimmered into focus briefly standing between the two fallen agitators. She was clad in a sleek, tightly fitting black
power-suit. A full face-mask, scarlet tinted goggles and some type of breathing apparatus totally obscured her face giving her a decidedly sinister look. The figure tapped at a series of controls on her wristband and she quickly faded from view.

Adam's mind reeled as he realised that he was quite possibly one of the few people alive to have ever caught a glimpse of a Crossbow 'Wraith'. The elite operatives were said to be at the forefront of the Master's covert operations and intelligence gathering programs. Taking into account what he had just seen, Adam concluded that the rumours of Wraiths being equipped with light-bending stealth technology were true.

A lage section of the mob surged toward the riot-troops close to Adam and Laura's position and the sheer weight of numbers forced a small breach in the Crossbow line.

Adam dashed toward the opening with Laura in tow. They burst through the line along with perhaps thirty others who began to scatter. Beyond the cordon of riot-troops was a perimeter formed by the APCs and a small contingent of normal Crossbow officers. To Adam's surprise, the Crossbow personnel seemed to be allowing most of those fleeing to pass. However anyone wearing a red beret or an anti-MGA t-shirt was quickly run down and arrested.

"No!", yelled Laura as she wrenched herself free from Adam's grasp.

He turned to see her running toward a small squad of Crossbow officers who were leading two of her red-capped comrades away in handcuffs.

"Laura, stop!!", shouted Adam sprinting after her.

The young woman paused just long enough to scoop up a fallen protest-sign before she continued her charge toward the troopers.

"Fascist tool!!", she screamed, swinging the sign at the head of one of the officers.

The Crossbow officer caught the wooden shaft of the sign and wrenched it from Laura's grasp. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he spun Laura around and twisted her arm up behind her back. The young woman yelled in pain and outrage.

"No! Leave her alone!", cried Adam as he moved toward the Crossbow officers. One of them stepped forward and roughly shoved Adam backward.

"Back off, citizen!", he said in a grim voice. "This woman is under arrest for the assault of Crossbow personnel. Do not interfere. Leave the area, now!"

A third Crossbow trooper had grabbed the furiously struggling Laura's other arm and the two operatives began to march her away. Adam walked toward the trooper who had shoved him. He moved slowly and held his hands up at chest level with his palms facing out in a gesture of placation.

"Look. Please just let her go. I promise we'll both leave and neither of us will be causing any more trouble."

As he approached to within arm's length, the trooper rammed the butt of his nightstick into the pit of Adam's stomach. The young man doubled over and fell to his knees. His lungs felt paralysed and dry retching noises issued from his mouth. The trooper's stern but calm visage had not wavered one inch.

"You obviously just don't listen very well, citizen. Now stay down. Any further outbursts from you and I'll be forced to lay charges of obstructing a Crossbow officer in the course of their lawful duty."

Adam wheezed as he sucked air back into his lungs and then slowly raised his head.

His eyes were burning with a bright, harsh light and his face was twisted in anger. The trooper's jaw dropped and he took a step back.

"I said LEAVE HER ALONE!!", Adam roared.

There was a violent burst of white light and the sharp smell of ozone filled the air as Adam's body was suddenly enveloped in electrical energy. His eyes bled white fire and tendrils of electricity writhed up and down his limbs.

Adam surged to his feet and struck the officer in the chest with a blow that sent him flying through the air with an explosive electrical blast.

The two troopers who had been dragging Laura away now released her. One of them was yelling into her headset com-link.

"All units. Code Crimson! We have a 326 in progress on the east side of the park!"

With practiced fluidity both of the troopers drew their tasers and fired. Adam's chest stung where the sharp darts penetrated his skin. However the combined 100,000 volts that surged down the metallic lines from the weapons did not even tickle. To his own surprise he actually laughed.

The troopers looked grim as they dropped their tasers and reached for their pistols. Adam's heart raced as he realised that excessive force was about to become deadly force.  He scowled and threw his arms forward. White hot lightning leapt from his fingertips to envelop the two Crossbow officers in crackling energy. They screamed and went rigid as every muscle in their bodies went into spasm.

Adam cut the current and the officers fell to the pavement. Still breathing but completely unconscious.

The young man looked at the fallen troopers and then down at his own hands with an expression of horror and despair.

No.

He had never wanted this.

He had tried so hard to be normal. He had abided by all their damned rules.

But none of that would matter. Not anymore. The Masters did not forgive. As of ten seconds ago he was at the top of the most-wanted list. A rogue meta-human.

He raised his head and looked at Laura. She was staring at him with an expression of shock and fear. He had told her what he was. But she obviously had no idea what he was really capable of. His condition had simply been something for her and her friends to exploit.

He turned and ran.

Description
The tall stone walls that had once encompassed Perez Park and been so futile in containing the horrors within had long ago been demolished. This gave Adam and the crowd a perfect view of the armoured personnel vehicles that now poured out of every nearby side-street and quickly moved to form a rough perimeter around the park.

Adam seized Laura's wrist and began to roughly shove his way through the crowd, hoping desperately that they could make it out of the park before the Crossbow officers had them completely surrounded.

The Crossbow vehicles rumbled to a stop and began to disgorge their cargo of riot-troopers. Their distinctive red and grey uniforms were heavily padded and they wore helmets with clear Perspex face guards. Each trooper carried a large riot-baton and shield.

As the troops began to form up in front of the vehicles with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, a message boomed out from the loudspeakers of every assembled APV.

"Attention citizens! This is Crossbow Commander Marcus Knight. Under section 146B of the Public Order Act I am declaring this gathering an illegal assembly. You are ordered to disperse. Exit the park in an orderly manner and return to your homes."

A ripple of fear and uncertainty travelled through the crowd. Some people began easing themselves away from the main mob and moving toward the narrow corridors that the Crossbow troopers had left for those wishing to leave.  Adam prayed that the protestors would see reason. There was nothing more that could be achieved here. Nothing more than a whole bunch of people getting hurt. Suddenly, from somewhere in the crowd came a shout.

"Fascist bastards!!"

The shout, which to Adam sounded suspiciously like Dirk, was accompanied by a bottle being hurled at the Crossbow officers. It shattered harmlessly against one of their shields however it also had the effect of shattering the dread gripping the protestors. Their chants doubled in volume and more objects were hurled at the riot officers.

"Morons!", thought Adam as he continued to fight his way through the heaving mass of people, dragging Laura behind him. "Stupid, short-sighted, brain-dead, retarded MORONS!"

The loudspeakers boomed into life once more.

"Attention citizens! I repeat, you are ordered to disperse. If you fail to do so then I am authorised to use whatever action is necessary to enforce this direction. You have two minutes to commence vacating the area. You will receive no further warnings."

Adam could see Crossbow officers clamber into the turrets of several large tanker vehicles to man their water-cannons. He and Laura were still way too far from the perimeter of the Park. Their progress was not helped by the fact that Laura was fighting him. Although her resistance seemed to be rapidly fading. Through his tight grip on her wrist he could feel her trembling.

Bottles, sticks, cans and stones now rained down upon the riot-officers who were as still as statues in ranks two deep. Like an ancient Roman phalanx, the first rank knelt and held their shields in front of them while their comrades behind held their shields up and at a slight upward angle giving all of them complete protection from the hail of missiles. The chanting of the protestors had now reached a fever-pitch.

"NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!! NO WAY MGA!!

A harsh siren from the lead Crossbow vehicle declared that the time for waiting was over.

The water-cannons immediately opened up on the crowd, sending powerful streams of liquid into the front ranks of protestors. Scores of people were knocked off their feet and the anti-MGA chants were joined by howls of outrage. At the same time, the riot-troops formed a solid wall of shields and began a slow and inexorable march forward. As they advanced, they clashed their batons on the front of their riot-shields in perfect unison creating a frightening, rhythmic clamour. They moved in from all sides of the park creating a slowly shrinking noose that trapped all within.

The crowd began to lose some of its cohesion although the chanting remained and objects continued to be thrown at the Crossbow officers. Adam and Laura started to make more headway toward the edge of the park. Through the crush of people, Adam saw Dirk furiously working his way through the mob….heading away from the advancing troops. Adam could taste disgust like bile in his mouth.

Moments later, a second siren-blast split the air.

The riot-officers picked up their pace. Moving from a shuffling march to a brisk jog. Within seconds their wall of shields crashed into the front ranks of protestors. Batons were thrust out to strike at limbs as protest placards now became impromptu clubs. The crowd tried to use their numbers to push back against the Crossbow troops but it was no use. There were too many of them and they were impeccably trained.

The mob quickly began to fracture. Adam saw two of the red beret protestors break from the crowd and make a run for the trees, obviously hoping to avoid capture by losing themselves in the depths of the woods.  They had almost reached the tree-line when both of them were knocked off their feet by an unseen force. A female figure shimmered into focus briefly standing between the two fallen agitators. She was clad in a sleek, tightly fitting black
power-suit. A full face-mask, scarlet tinted goggles and some type of breathing apparatus totally obscured her face giving her a decidedly sinister look. The figure tapped at a series of controls on her wristband and she quickly faded from view.

Adam's mind reeled as he realised that he was quite possibly one of the few people alive to have ever caught a glimpse of a Crossbow 'Wraith'. The elite operatives were said to be at the forefront of the Master's covert operations and intelligence gathering programs. Taking into account what he had just seen, Adam concluded that the rumours of Wraiths being equipped with light-bending stealth technology were true.

A lage section of the mob surged toward the riot-troops close to Adam and Laura's position and the sheer weight of numbers forced a small breach in the Crossbow line.

Adam dashed toward the opening with Laura in tow. They burst through the line along with perhaps thirty others who began to scatter. Beyond the cordon of riot-troops was a perimeter formed by the APCs and a small contingent of normal Crossbow officers. To Adam's surprise, the Crossbow personnel seemed to be allowing most of those fleeing to pass. However anyone wearing a red beret or an anti-MGA t-shirt was quickly run down and arrested.

"No!", yelled Laura as she wrenched herself free from Adam's grasp.

He turned to see her running toward a small squad of Crossbow officers who were leading two of her red-capped comrades away in handcuffs.

"Laura, stop!!", shouted Adam sprinting after her.

The young woman paused just long enough to scoop up a fallen protest-sign before she continued her charge toward the troopers.

"Fascist tool!!", she screamed, swinging the sign at the head of one of the officers.

The Crossbow officer caught the wooden shaft of the sign and wrenched it from Laura's grasp. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he spun Laura around and twisted her arm up behind her back. The young woman yelled in pain and outrage.

"No! Leave her alone!", cried Adam as he moved toward the Crossbow officers. One of them stepped forward and roughly shoved Adam backward.

"Back off, citizen!", he said in a grim voice. "This woman is under arrest for the assault of Crossbow personnel. Do not interfere. Leave the area, now!"

A third Crossbow trooper had grabbed the furiously struggling Laura's other arm and the two operatives began to march her away. Adam walked toward the trooper who had shoved him. He moved slowly and held his hands up at chest level with his palms facing out in a gesture of placation.

"Look. Please just let her go. I promise we'll both leave and neither of us will be causing any more trouble."

As he approached to within arm's length, the trooper rammed the butt of his nightstick into the pit of Adam's stomach. The young man doubled over and fell to his knees. His lungs felt paralysed and dry retching noises issued from his mouth. The trooper's stern but calm visage had not wavered one inch.

"You obviously just don't listen very well, citizen. Now stay down. Any further outbursts from you and I'll be forced to lay charges of obstructing a Crossbow officer in the course of their lawful duty."

Adam wheezed as he sucked air back into his lungs and then slowly raised his head.

His eyes were burning with a bright, harsh light and his face was twisted in anger. The trooper's jaw dropped and he took a step back.

"I said LEAVE HER ALONE!!", Adam roared.

There was a violent burst of white light and the sharp smell of ozone filled the air as Adam's body was suddenly enveloped in electrical energy. His eyes bled white fire and tendrils of electricity writhed up and down his limbs.

Adam surged to his feet and struck the officer in the chest with a blow that sent him flying through the air with an explosive electrical blast.

The two troopers who had been dragging Laura away now released her. One of them was yelling into her headset com-link.

"All units. Code Crimson! We have a 326 in progress on the east side of the park!"

With practiced fluidity both of the troopers drew their tasers and fired. Adam's chest stung where the sharp darts penetrated his skin. However the combined 100,000 volts that surged down the metallic lines from the weapons did not even tickle. To his own surprise he actually laughed.

The troopers looked grim as they dropped their tasers and reached for their pistols. Adam's heart raced as he realised that excessive force was about to become deadly force.  He scowled and threw his arms forward. White hot lightning leapt from his fingertips to envelop the two Crossbow officers in crackling energy. They screamed and went rigid as every muscle in their bodies went into spasm.

Adam cut the current and the officers fell to the pavement. Still breathing but completely unconscious.

The young man looked at the fallen troopers and then down at his own hands with an expression of horror and despair.

No.

He had never wanted this.

He had tried so hard to be normal. He had abided by all their damned rules.

But none of that would matter. Not anymore. The Masters did not forgive. As of ten seconds ago he was at the top of the most-wanted list. A rogue meta-human.

He raised his head and looked at Laura. She was staring at him with an expression of shock and fear. He had told her what he was. But she obviously had no idea what he was really capable of. His condition had simply been something for her and her friends to exploit.

He turned and ran.