Utopia

for many years superhumans of all kinds have come under oppression, especially since the events of Warcry - in a world that has increasingly abandoned or lashed out at them few superhumans feel safe: prompting a small band of superhumans to venture to a superhuman sanctuary known as "Utopia".. yet can the rumors of a safehaven for superhumans be true or is the sanctuary a guise for something far more sinister?

Prologue
"Come on silly!" a young girl smiles, waving towards an older man as they climbed up a hillside, the grass blowing in the wind as the crystal blue skies above allowed the summer sun to shine down.

"..I'm coming, Amanda.. settle down.." the man says.

"I can't, daddy! I can't! we're going to be free!" the girl grins, doing a little dance.

"..don't get your hopes up, kid.. we aren't even there yet.." another man replies, revealing an entire band of people travelling up the hillside.

"quiet, Malcolm - let her dream.. she's only a child.." the other man says in turn.

"all the more reason not to let her get carried away with this "Utopia" nonsense.. even if it is real we have no means of knowing if they would let us enter.. let alone stay.." Malcolm frowns.

"..of course they will let us stay, Utopia is a sanctuary for superhumans.. are we not superhumans?" a woman states.

"..well excuse me if I find the idea of a sanctuary to be akin to a fairy tale.." Malcolm says.

"daddy! daddy! look!" Amanda yells out, pointing forward.

Malcolm's eyes grew wide as the group pauses for a moment, looking out at a large city encased in what looked like a glass dome - the city itself was beautiful to behold and a fusion of both advanced technology and stunning plantlife.

"..well, Malcolm.. I suggest you start believing in fairies after all.." the older man smiles, waving the group over as they head towards the city..

Chapter 1
A year went by and the group had grown accustomed to a carefree life within the confines of Utopia, the laws were such that everyone was able to do as he or she pleased without endangering others - the use of abilities normally shunned by society was commonplace and encouraged, so as to help young superhumans control their gifts.

Few conflicts arose and those that did were dealt with by Utopia's guards, who were powerful superhumans yet often showed great restraint and care even towards the most difficult of troublemakers - at the centre of everything was the presence of Theodore Kirk, who ruled over Utopia and was known as perhaps the most powerful superhuman native to Earth, having the ability of bio-mastery.

Yet on this sunny day few worried about Kirk's power, for today was another of Utopia's many festivals - namely the founding of the sanctuary, many superhumans gathered and prepared for the usual celebrations such a day would entail.

(ooc: join below if you wish with a superhuman character (preferably lower-tiered) )

Raven Redwood kneeled at the edge of a rooftop, looking down into the crowds below. He was just visiting Utopia, but he could definitely feel the difference between it and normal human cities- namely the fact that Utopia was populated with a number of powerful beings. Redwood could almost feel the collected power of it's people emanating from the streets below.

It unsettled him a little, yet he could sense nothing wrong with the place...

Atl sat in the coffee-house below where Raven stood. He was sitting at a table alone with his hands twitching slightly, a nervous habit he had developed over the years. A bell rung, annoucing his coffee was done. His eyes glowed softly and the cup rose over the crowd and to his table, while some loose change from his pocket took the reverse path and floated to the tip jar. He rose the drink to his lips and took a sip, calming his nerves.

Several children ran across the street, playing with one another - save for one child who couldn't keep up with the others: looking human save for her fish-like gills the other children taunted her as she fell on the ground, her expression sad as she watched the others run away.

"...poor kid." Redwood muttered. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself leaping off of the (thankfully short) building and onto the pavement below. He extended a hand to the girl.

"Hey kid, you okay?" he asked.

Atl had seen the man falling past the window and used his powers to lessen the blow of the fall. Not out of any real worry for the man, but out of habit. He didn't like to walk down stairs either and such a habit had proven useful.

The girl looks to Redwood but doesn't take the extended hand, even in Utopia children knew better than talking to strangers - she got to her feet by herself and rubbed her arm a little: looking up "..I'm okay.." she said, still reacting much like any rejected child would as her friends already vanished from the scene.

Redwood looks over the girl analytically. "Were those kids your friends?" he asked.

Atl took another sip of his coffee and frowned. Had he really drunk the whole cup already? Sighing, he stood up and put his hands in his pockets. The cup discarded itself in the trash-can and he exited the small building.

He chuckled slightly at the older figure when he passed Redwood and the girl.

"..maybe.. maybe not.. they all make fun of me anyway.. call me fish-girl.. because of these.." the girl replies, motioning to her gills.

"...that's nothing that anyone ought to make fun of, kiddo." Redwood said. "If you think about it, all of those other kids are just as weird as we are- we superhumans are pretty much a freak show, but we are special in our own ways. I'd wager a guess that those gills allow you to breathe underwater... I'll bet nobody else can do that, huh?"

"..I wouldn't say nobody.." a voice states from behind the two, a figure in a flowing white robe approaching them - his short white hair and several uniformed guards making it clear this was none other than Theodore Kirk himself.

The girl's eyes grew wide as she looked upon her leader, hiding behind Redwood slightly as many children do when unsure of a situation.

"..come now, don't be afraid - I couldn't help overhearing the conversation at hand and I must say that your friend here has a point.. each one of us has incredible gifts to share with the world.." Kirk continues, looking to the girl with his unusual silver eyes.

"Ah... Mr. Theordore Kirk, I presume?" Redwood says, before turning around and standing up to face him. "An honor to meet you, sir. They all say that you are the strongest superhuman out there, after all."

The guards move forward as if ready to block Redwood before Theodore waves them off dismissively, giving Redwood a look as he smiles faintly "..oh do they now? that's rather unfortunate.. I would hate to imagine a world where all men valued was the destructive power of the gifts we have been bestowed.." - he glances towards the girl and she cries out a little in surprise as flowers sprout from the ground beneath her feet, though her surprise soon turns to childish delight as the flowers proceed to grow and dance along to a silent melody.

Theodore looks to Redwood, the small smile still on his face "..after all, it is far greater to heal than to harm..".

"Very true, good sir, and... I'm sorry, hang on a sec-"

Redwood reaches into his crimson trenchcoat and pulls out a small, rectangular object- a book, the cover of which reads "1984". He opens it and begins reading.

"My apologies, but sometimes, my brain spazzes and works in overtime, and it helps my concentration if I read." Redwood says, with his nose in the book. "By the way, you are totally correct after all- with great power comes great responsibility... I don't remember where I heard that before, though, but it's true."

Atl, who had lingered nearby after seeing Theodore arrive, noticed Redwood's unusual mental twitch. "Um... excuse me." he said awkwardly, "I think I might be able to help you with that, temporarily of course." His eye flashed briefly and he used a spell he had developed, which was cabable of fogging a person's mind. He applied only a small dose to Redood, lowering his brain functions to a healthy level.

"That's much appreciated, stranger." Redwood said, snapping the book shut and holding it to his side. "But I personally enjoy reading, so I'm usually fine with my crazy brain. It gets like this all the time."

Atl shrugged and looked at Kirk's powers at work.

Theodore Kirk watches the exchange for a moment before he nods "..I hope you three have learned something valuable today, now you must excuse me.. I have duties to attend to.." - with that a sudden strong gust of wind blows over the area, impossibly guided in such a manner it lifted Kirk and his guards off the ground - as if walking on air.

As Kirk and his men disappeared the little girl watched, smiling a little as her eyes grew wide "..when I grow up I want to be just like Mr. Kirk.." she says.

Redwood was staring intently at Kirk as he disappeared. ''"That man... is an enigma." ''Redwood thinks to himself. He then pats the girl gently on her head, not saying a word.

Suddenly and without warning a large shadow comes over the area, crowds gathering in a mixture of shock and awe as a gigantic flying-vessel passes overhead - the little girl's eyes growing wide as she looks around: "..what's going on?" she gasps.

"What the hell?" Atl muttered to himself and pullin back his hood enough so he could examine the shuttle.