PART ONE: LEGEND HAS IT

CHAPTER ONE: HOMEWARD BOUND

A helicopter blade slices through the air inches away from your face, filling your nostrils with the smell of burning metal. You don't have time to process this, however, as a ball of flame unfurls in your direction.

You leap onto a neighboring rooftop and tumble around a smoldering chunk of engine. Today was supposed to be your day off, but when you saw a news chopper careening out of control above the city, you couldn't just stand by like a common pedestrian.

As you pull clear of the wreckage, you see that the ejected pilot floats high above the rooftops from a parachute—one that is crawling with licks of flame. It won't be long before the parachute burns through and the pilot drops hundreds of stories to his death…

So, how are you going to save him?*


Rip up the cables that run along the roof and use them to lasso the pilot down.
Use the zip-cord from your wrist holster to reel in the pilot.
Forget the pilot—he'll be able to steer himself onto one of the rooftops. It's much more important to stop the burning wreckage from falling to the busy streets below.

(*Both Shiloh and Jade are in differing simulations right now.)

Shiloh jumps onto the ledge, using his finger to trigger the zip-cord. It shoots from the top of his wrist, with a magnetized tip set to latch on to the pilot's metal seat.

The shot lands perfectly. Then, with great care, he begins to retract the zip-cord, pulling the pilot safely onto the roof beside him.

Jade spins around and sees the severed tail of the helicopter teetering on a ledge. He rushes back across the roof to stop it from falling, completely forgetting about the chunk of fuel-soaked engine that he dodged before.

As he approaches the helicopter tail, an explosion rocks the engine. A blast of heat hits him full-force, searing the skin from his bones.

As your vision fades to black, you remove the virtual reality helmet and end your 3D gaming experience. You blink several times to adjust to the sunlight in the room, which pours in through sleek glass windows. Then you look across the conference table at a buttoned-up executive eyeing you two.

"So, what do you think? They really ramped up the graphics, right?" she blurts out. "Oh, don't spoil the surprise—take the game home for your full report. You can collect your advance from the front desk on your way out. Thanks, as always, um…"

You two are Virtuous Reality's best game testers, but this executive still doesn't know either of your names. You force a smile and remind her that you are...

The young man forces a smile at the executive as he stands. "Shiloh."

Jade gets up, standing to the right side of his best friend. "Jade."

"Right, Jade, Shiloh." She gives a quick nod to you both. "Always a pleasure."

The executive then strides out the door—no doubt on her way to a more important meeting. So you walk toward the front desk with your friend, thinking that you'd much rather be out there saving real helicopter crashes than testing fake ones. But hey, at least it pays the bills.

Though not very well, you might think as you accept a deposit for $100 at the front desk.

Adding this amount to your bank account brings both of you to a grand total of $2100. Not exactly rolling in dough, are you?

Jade turned to his friend, "I have a suggestion, if you're willing to listen." He flashes him a small smile.

Shiloh raises an eyebrow at him as he walks ahead, pushing the door to the building open. He waits until they're both outside to vocalize his thoughts. "Shoot."

"I think it is best if we merge our accounts. You've been a great friend to me, Shiloh, and I trust you." It is no secret that he has been alone for most of his life, in more ways then one. The Fringes aren't inhospitable, but without a caretaker and on your own for years, you can imagine that it would whittle you down.

Jades parents died on Static Lane in one major Ani-gang rumble many years back, leaving him alone. They were renowned as an idealistic and loving couple, and their vision of good has always driven Jade to do right by the world.

"Well normally I would agree, but this isn't your typical scheme. Become a roommate and I might consider such an 'advance' in our friendship." The tone was layered by sarcasm and distrust, but the hidden meaning was definitely teasing. The young man tilted his head down for a moment then offered up a grin.

Jade had proven time and time again to be Shiloh's best friend, a surrogate brother, an extension of his separated family. With him around, his life felt somewhat normal.

Jade waves a hand dismissively, "Please. As nice as your place is, I like finding my own place to live in the Fringes. Not to mention the fact that it smells like shit."

"That," Shiloh responds, a finger pressing harshly against Jade's nose, "is a lie. Grandma makes the place smell like heaven, or at least a candy shop populated by plants. And when we get back, when I tell her what you said about our home, she's going to make you apologize up and down for a month."

Jade swats Shiloh's hand away, pushing his own finger against Shiloh's nose. "Oh really now?!" He had a playful tone and smile on his face, daring Shiloh to threaten him more.

"Yes, now!" Shiloh presses a hand against Jade's shoulder, shoving him back a bit. "And Grandma won't send you home with your favorite cookies."

And just like that, ever-so-confident Jade backed down. "Okay, okay! You win." Mumbling something about chocolatey-delicious-goodness, he crosses his arms.

A business woman has stopped to look at the two with a confused expression on her face. "You two in a relationship?" She asked, completely serious. Nothing can ever hide the disapproving look in her eyes.

The triumphant smile across Shiloh's lips instantly faded, eyes widening to a near-impossible degree. He slowly craned his neck toward to the woman, blinking at least twice. A shiver made him convulse for a few seconds before he turned and gave the exit a good shove open and left. A brief sound of a retch could be heard before the doors closed behind him.

It was almost comical, Shiloh's reaction. Jade was better.

His eyes teared up, and his shoulders slumped. Burning tears went down his face, "H-how could you!?" Before the woman could respond, he ran out the doors, slamming it behind him. His fake-crying ends when he is out of her sight. He laughs, finding the surprised expression on the womans face worth-while.

[both]
You push all thoughts of money from your mind as you exit into the bustling streets of Millennia City. Nestled on America's west coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Millennia City is the shining beacon of twenty-second-century progress—not to mention the city you've called home for your entire life.

You step into the crowd next to a woman whose skin is covered in fishy scales, each one reflecting a different color. You suppose this might surprise some people, but not you. NYC has finance, LA has entertainment, and DC has politics, but MC has heroes—it's the Powered capitol of the country.

A fact you're reminded of as a sonic boom pulses through the air. You look up to see twin blondes rocketing across the sky, a cloud of smoke left in their wake. You know that you belong up there with the Legends instead of down here with the masses.

These days, one out of every three people is born with Powered abilities and pretty much every one of them wants to be a hero. Especially now that Powered Heroes have eclipsed movie stars and music icons to set the standard for A-list celebrity.

You'd also love to be flying home right now, considering that you have the Power to fly. However, after one too many gruesome midair collisions, the Department for the Regulation of Powered Resources (DRPR) designated the skies for government-licensed travelers only.

So flying is definitely off-limits for you…but do you let that stop you?

Absolutely—heroes are meant to enforce the law, not break it.

Of course not—I was born to fly, no matter what the law says.

Shiloh pushes the urge to jump off the ground and let his flight powers kick in, instead preferring to stuff his hands into his pockets and trudge down the sidewalk. Why bother aspiring to be a hero if you ignored the law? It was a question he always kept in the back of his mind, to keep him in line.

Jade stuck to Shiloh's side, his arms still crossed as he walks at the side of his friend. Being lawful was the best way to go, but there is always the urge to just...fly like an eagle.

Breaking the law now will only hinder your heroic rise later, so you know you'll just have to be patient—extremely patient, considering that if you were a big-time hero, you could be flying home in a fraction of the time.

As you walk down to the Metro-Way platform, you pay for the ticket by rolling up your sleeve and accessing your MeChip, a bit of personal tablet technology embedded in the underside of your wrist. Not too long ago people used paper slips to pay for things and little plastic devices for phones, but that was before all communication, identification, entertainment, and banking functions became standard in MeChips.

Each MeChip comes fully customizable, with robotic personality programming that adapts to your habits and desires. There are five standard templates available for the robotic personality, so you decided to go with the:

Polite Butler.

Sassy Diva.

Supportive Caretaker.

True Nord.

Grumbly Fatass.

Shiloh could only smile as a he looked down at the True Nord. The long-haired, stern-faced warrior rested the bottom end of his war hammer against the "ground" and grunted. It was as it should be, as Shiloh had loved the Bethesda game series from the 21st century.

Jade had purchased the Polite Butler robotic personality, and as his MeChip adjusted his own tie, the butler can only smile back at Jade. They had been together for a while, after all.