Composite Man's First Day on the Job

[Jack Darby]

Word Count: 832/5,000 - 10,000   -  Hero This City Needs Quest 

Approaching the area that he had read about on the maps, and found out about on the dataverse,  Matthew looked at the place that was to be his home. While it was on Tier One, the place was in shambles. Well, shambles was putting the place lightly. The manor had holes through it, mold, and practically needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Likely it was going to be a difficult task to do so without any tools, but Matthew didn't care. Fixing the place up meant he was going to be one step closer to having an HQ of his own in this strange new world. Once he had a base he could begin to deal with the other steps of his plan. For now he needed to work on the actual construction of the place. Dissolving one of the walls that had poison ivy creeping up it, Matthew groaned. If the rest of the place was as badly damaged as that one wall had been, he'd be better off simply dissolving the place into Omnilium and recreating it from scratch. Actually that was the best idea that he had had all day. Dissolving the place was the simpler solution than wasting the effort to rebuild the place from the ground up. 

While he was beginning the process, he was approached by a squad of Storm Troopers.  "What are you doing, Prime?"  asked the leader of the Storm Trooper squad of which there were seven men.  

"Trying to turn this place into my home." 

The storm trooper nodded.  "It's nice to see people are taking an interest in making Tier One even more beautiful. Yet, why here of all places?" 

"Primarily, as it is isolated for Tier One, and I like my privacy."  said Matthew. This was true, he enjoyed his privacy more than he'd like to admit. 

The Storm Trooper thought of something. Perhaps the talents of the Prime could be put to use, if they were to offer some help to him.  "I'll make you an offer Prime. You help me with a problem, and in turn we'll chase away anyone while you're building the place to your desires. What do you say about that?" 

A pause was done by Matthew, as he considered. Doing a favor for Law Enforcement was the right idea, as it was going to set him up so that he could become Composite Man here in the Omniverse once more. While he didn't agree with killing being the only option, perhaps he could solve their problem without actually having to kill someone, which would be good. It was also a chance to practice his skills. 

"Count me in,"  said Matthew.  "Excellent. Listen, there's a couple of Orcs in Tier Five from the Orc Mafia, and they've been wreaking havoc all over the place. Do you think you could take them down?" asked the leader of the Storm Troopers.  

Matthew smiled a predatory grin at the leader of the Storm Troopers which unnerved him. "Rest assured they won't be bothering you again by the time I am done with them. While I'm gone, I'd appreciate it if you could bull doze the place, as I will be building fresh." 

The Storm Trooper leader nodded, and Matthew materialized his motorcycle. Having learned that the problem was on Tier Five from the leader of the Storm Troopers Matthew smiled. At last, a chance to test his skills and see what he truly had in his arsenal. Headed to the elevator that allowed one to go down to the different Tiers, he'd board it when he arrived. Groaning as he looked at Tier Five, he noticed that the area looked like it had been abandoned. Unlike the upper Tier, Tier One, this place looked like it was before the internet had ever existed. It was almost laughable how different it was. Yet, he was not the type to laugh when he was on a mission, such as the one he was now on. 

His first step would be to make a costume for himself, because he was not about to have to deal with the Mafia down here on a regular basis in his civilian identity. There was one mistake of his brother Terry that he was not repeating. Thinking of the helmet that he had made earlier,  Matthew smiled. Perhaps he already had an idea as to what he should wear when he did this. Taking out the helmet, he'd put it on, and concentrate the Omnilium again. A black and silver suit similar to that of Batman, but without any logos or iconic marks of any kind on it formed over his body. Boots, and armored bracers formed as did crotch armor and the armor pieces that he needed to wear in his Composite Man identity.

[Jack Darby]

Word Count:    1714/5000- 10,000  (This is done using the Site's Counter.) 

Even with the costume that he now wore over his body,  Matthew didn't feel comfortable doing this. Sure he was one of the few who were capable of likely taking on someone like that, but he was unsure if it was the right thing to do or not. The only reason he had accepted the offer was so that the EPD could owe him a favor down the line, as he might need their help with something. Equipment didn't come cheap after all. Making his way through the derelict, abandoned tier that was in serious need of some maintenance and repairs Matthew soon encountered his first problem. A group of three idiots with Heaters that had decided taking pot shots at Primes was a fun activity.  "It's a fish!"  One of them said, as he fired the heater at Matt. Spinning out of the way of the first blast,  Matthew flipped up into the air, and hurled a Batarang. This connected, and knocked the heater from the hands of the idiot. He'd then hurl another after a brief moment, smacking into the head of the idiot and rendering him unconscious. Best if he not allow them to regroup though. Switching to his knife, as one of them rushed him with an anime sword,  Matthew was soon engaged in a battle involving knife versus sword, yet was holding his own. 

"Impressive."  said his opponent. "Tell me. What brings someone of your caliber down here?"  

Matthew didn't respond, but instead raised his leg to do an attack most people would believe to be undignified. In other words, he kicked his opponent in the crotch and he kicked hard. His opponent went down, screaming in pain and dropped the anime sword. A couple of punches to the head later, his opponent was unconscious. This left one of them to go, before he could continue down his path to find the Orcs and stop them, so that he could have that place as his base.  Given his desire for a place to call an HQ,  Matthew was not about to leave a loose end like this remaining free. For one thing, he was not his brother. Unlike Terry he didn't believe in Batman's "No Killing"  rule that Amanda Waller had told him about. 

Yet for now, he was going to show mercy. Turning to the last one, he'd say to him.  "I'll give you a choice. You can either end up in the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital, or you can put down the heater, and walk away."  

Matthew was giving the Bat Glare, his own version of it to the gangster. 

The gangster slowly put down the gun, and ran away at a rapid pace. There was no way he was fighting someone like that. Even most of the Primes he had encountered hadn't used boomerangs, or similar weapons, or used a knife. 

Continuing the trek into the area, and noticing that the crime rate of the streets got worse,  Matthew frowned. His HQ was not going to be on Tier One, but down here. This place needed all the help that it could get, because of how much the crime polluted the streets of this place. Seeing a group of people mugging a helpless old man,  Matthew facepalmed. Getting off of the motorcycle he had summoned, he'd walk over to the alley. There was more work to be done down here, if he was to have any chance of finding those Orcs anyway, and putting an end to their activities. 

"1...."   Matthew began. 

"It's some sort of fish."   said one of the gangsters, a Male Twi'lek. 

"Fry him!" said the others, pulling out heaters. 

"2...."  Matthew grabbed one of his batarangs. 

"What's he counting for? I thought I told you to light him up...."  said the Male Twi'lek. 

They'd aim their guns at him, but they'd never get the chance to actually pull the trigger on Matthew. His batarang was hurled at them, which would knock  all of their weapons from their hands. Getting close to them,  Matthew didn't even bother using his knife. 

Punch. A scream came from the Twi'lek leader. A barrage of punches was directed by Matthew at the leader of the Twi'lek. "You!"  Another punch followed. "Don't!" Still another punch.  "Get!" More punches followed, and the face of the Twi'lek started to be bruised badly, purple spots forming.  "To!" A punch continued once more. "Mug when I'm around!"  The Twi'lek lost consciousness. 

The others were terrified.  "If he could do that to our leader....."   They'd try to run.   "And where do you think YOU are going?"  asked Matthew, a dark look in his eyes, as he approached them. 

"Please don't hurt us...." begged the terrified gang members. 

Matthew thought about it for several moments. Mercy could earn him some loyal minions of his own, down here. While he was no gang leader, he could use people to help him out as he worked to save the city from itself. If the area down here was any indication, law enforcement needed all the help they could get.

[Jack Darby]

2411 / 5,000 - 10,000 Words - Via Site's Word Counter. 

"I'll make you an offer,"  said Matthew to the shellshocked members of the group whose leader he had just pummeled into needing intensive care. "If you abandon your current affiliation, and come work for me, I won't hurt you." 

"What would we be doing?"  asked one of them, a black haired individual who reminded him a bit of his older brother, save for some facial tattoos. 

"Saving this city, of course."  said Matthew. 

"So you want us to work for you, and try to save this city? Why?" asked one of the ones who was reluctant, the SIC. 

"I refuse to let this spread to the other Tiers,"  said Matthew, pointing at them.  "You tried to mug an innocent. You tried to kill me." 

They stopped to consider Matthew's offer. On the one hand, they could run away and recruit backup to try and help them outnumber him. On the other, if they were to accept his offer, they'd be changing careers, but have the backing of a Prime. They were not sure which was the better option. 

Giving them his email address on the Dataverse,  Matthew said. "When you have made up your mind as to which one you want to choose, contact me." 

He'd make his way deeper into Tier Five. There was work to be done, and he was not going to delay it. First he was going to deal with the couple of Orcs who had imperial grade blasters down here. Once that had been dealt with, he'd focus on any of the other problems that this area had. After all, if he was going to be the hero that this city needed, he couldn't focus on just one set of problems. Of course an HQ down here was going to be very helpful to him in the long run. It would allow him to stay down here, and keep up the good fight against the crime that polluted this Tier. 

Encountering a group of two individuals with knives that tried to lunge at him,  Matthew sighed. Why were they all idiots like this? Hadn't his lesson been enough to the individuals that he had encountered thus far? Apparently not, if ones like this saw fit to attack him with such crude implements. 

Twirling and evading the first slash of the knife of one of them,  Matthew pulled out his own knife. If they wanted to play with knives, he'd teach them a lesson about how to handle them properly. Perhaps these two could be recruited by him. They didn't look to be part of any gang to his knowledge, but Matthew could be mistaken. Still, if it meant he'd have the help he needed to clean up the streets, he'd do his best to police the streets and make sure they stayed safe. After breaking the knife of the idiot who was swinging at him wildly, and disarming the other one with a punch to the face, he'd look at the both of them. 

"I can do one of several things, to you, or for you."  said Matthew, to the now disarmed individuals he'd tied up with some rope he'd created. 

"What are our options, fish?!?" spat the tied up knife wielders. 

"One, I can turn you over to the Empire Police Department." 

The knife wielders had a rap sheet a mile long of robbing people with their knives. They'd shudder a bit at that.  

"Two, I could beat you up quite severely, to the point where you'd be able to never hold a knife again." 

Never be able to hold a knife again? Was he serious? What kind of Fish said things like that? 

"Three, I could deconstitute you with Omnilium and absorb you." 

Death? Was he serious? Hopefully he'd present a good option soon, as they were close to wetting themselves. 

"Or the final option, four. You two work for me." 

"WORK FOR YOU!"  Both of them shouted.   "Good choice,"  said Matthew.  "Now. I need information on the various gangs."

[Jack Darby]

"Well boss,"  said the two as they had arrived at the warehouse Matthew had converted into a temporary HQ for himself on this Tier before he'd begin his hunt for a building that he could actually call his HQ. "You did want to know about the Gangs, right? Well, I'll tell you..." said David Santos.  "The First and biggest of the gangs is the West Side Coalition. They're comprised of The Westside Knife Ear Warriors, The West Side Ewoks, The Mighty West Side Klingons, The West Side Hufflepunks,"  Matthew stopped him there.  "So there's a lot of gangs right?"  


"Yes."  said David Santos, to Matthew. 

"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me."  said Matthew, cleaning his fingernails with his knife. 

"What do you mean, your work cut out for you?" 

"I'm going to stop this gang problem."  said Matthew. 

"The only way you could do that is if you formed your own."  said David. 

It was not the only way,  Matthew realized. Yet perhaps he could play it smart, and create his own organization down here, to police the streets. Already he had a couple of members at his disposal. Recruiting was going to be easy, if he kept doing what he did best to the criminals. All he had to do was play his cards right, and he could have the numbers he needed to clean up the streets down here, and make them safe again. 

"You've got your work cut out for you boss. You surely don't intend on doing this alone?"  asked Blake, the other member he had recruited.   

"Not alone, no. But you two aren't nearly enough,"  said Matthew.

[Jack Darby]

2698 /  5000 - 10,000 Words.  

Looking out of the warehouse that he had made into his temporary HQ in Tier Five,  Matthew decided he was going to change the warehouse into his HQ. It was going to be simpler than building that manor into the proper HQ for himself. Concentrating his energies,  he took out the orb of Omnilium. Rainbow light surged out of the orb, and consumed the warehouse in it's entirety. The warehouse broke apart, and started to transform itself into a manor. The manor then had a "bat-cave" beneath it when it had been entirely completed. The HQ was one that Matthew had made for his own personal use. 

"Your base looks impressive boss,"  said David. "But why did you choose to make this place into your base?" 

"Here is the best place for us to begin our efforts to clean up this city, and make the streets safe again."  said Matthew. 

"So you weren't joking?"  asked David. 

"No. I wasn't."  said Matthew. 

David began to get worried. Was his new boss crazy? There was no way he could go up against all of the Gangs. Was there? His boss had beaten both of them down before they could do any damage against him. But how was that possible? Was his employer some sort of mutant? Or did he possess special abilities like most of the other Primes? David did know his employee was not a fountain fresh Prime, if he could do something like this. 

"I still need more information on the Gangs. Is the Orc Mafia affiliated with the West Side Coalition?"  asked Matthew. 

"No they aren't, Boss. They don't have any affiliates, from what we know."  said Blake.  "Why do you ask?" 

"I was making sure that bringing them down would be easy enough for me, when I was equipped." said Matthew. 

"How are the three of us going to take on a gang that size?" asked David, and Blake simultaneously.

"Guerrilla Warfare Tactics, Poisons, Pressure Points. In other words, not playing fair." said Matthew.  "They won't see a tactic like that coming from a small band like us probably, but we are still going to need more men. Do you know of any gangs that have recently dissolved?" asked Matthew.

[Jack Darby]

3347 Words out of 5000/ 10,000 Words.  The Hero This City Needs Quest. 

"Well there is one of them, but you wouldn't be able to likely collect all the members under your banner. Plus they are likely more ruthless and wouldn't want to listen to your orders, anyway,"  said David Santos as he looked at Matthew for a moment. His current boss was ambitious, ambition that he knew could perhaps get all three of them killed, or that might work out in their favor in the long run. Either way, he was wary of fully trusting his new "employer" who had coerced him into working for him with a beat down that had happened because he had attacked the wrong person. Once he got free of Matthew, he knew he was going to be very careful about who he attacked, because he didn't know if any of them were from the same place as his current employer.  "The gang was called the Metalheads..." said David, finally allowing Matthew to hear the name of the disbanded gang that had been removed from play. "They were taken down by a man named Harlan Higgs who killed most of them,  and while some are still scattered, most of them joined up with him in the Gentleman Jacks." 

The gentleman jacks. The name brought back memories of the Royal Flush Gang. They had been hard for his brother to defeat, reminisced Matthew as he examined the warehouse turned manor that he had made for himself. Going over to one of the rooms, he looked inside it and found a crate. Opening the crate with a crowbar hastily made out of Omnilium he'd look inside it, and smile. What he had just found was a way to even the odds against most of the ones who possessed Heaters, or similar weapons at their disposal, and at the same time it would almost be fun for him to use. It was one of the pieces of equipment he had possessed prior to his arrival when he was working for Cadmus. Sure, no such gang existed here anymore, but he could work to save Coruscant. Tier Five was only a place he had chosen to start out their mission to clean up the mess of the city. 

Strapping on the familiar wrist guns, he marveled at how light they were. While they were not 'his' they were something he was familiar with. Sure they were just a recreation likely out of Omnilium, Matthew thought about what he could do with these. Batarangs could be used in a fire fight, but sometimes bullets might be a more effective tactic against his enemies.  

"Boss? Why are you smiling?" asked David. 

"I just found a real Game Changer,"  said Matthew. 

It was true, the item he had was going to make it easier for them to start work cleaning up the streets.  "But now to do something about your clothes, so you're wearing my colors instead of that of any other gang on the streets,"  said Matthew as he approached each of them. For David,  he created a black robe of sorts with a red "bat" badge on it, like what would be worn by the police. An anime sword was made,  a buster sword and handed over to him.  "Your new attire and equipment, created by me for your own use."  Matthew said. David swung the sword experimentally.  "Feels very light, but durable." 

Approaching Blake, he'd look him over and then say.  "You look like more of a marksman, so...."   A heater was created out of Omnilium and handed over to Blake but slightly modified, so that it could also shoot regular bullets out of it. When Blake took it, his outfit changed to a gray and black uniform, much like that of a soldier, and he gained a "lens" over one eye that would help him with shooting his opponents.

[Jack Darby]

4045 Words according to the Site's Counter,  of 5000 - 10,000 Words. 

"We don't understand, Boss. Why are you arming us? It's not like you expect us to go out on the streets with you, and help you put a stop to the more violent activities, is it?"  asked both of them to Matthew. Going over to them both, and sighing, Matthew summoned up a chair and sat down in it, so he was facing both of them at the same time.  "Tell me, how much did you make when you worked for the gangs you were in?"   Matthew asked them. "About 50 dollars a day."  Matthew frowned and then said. "200,  that's how much you'll each get paid by me hourly. Your first assignment is a rather simple one. I am still under informed and under-equipped. We will need to arm me, somehow so that I can do more out there. Even with these Wrist Guns, it's not going to be enough if the streets get serious out there with firearms, as I don't have a laser weapon of any kind, yet."  Blake then said. "Well, sir, what did you have in mind, weapon wise?" 

"First, I'm going to need more guns than just my wrist guns. As good as they are, they aren't enough on their own. What we need to do is procure more firepower for me, so that I can hold my own without worry." said Matthew.  "And perhaps a Bo-Staff, or similar weapon as well. I'll after all need to be well equipped for any situation that I should find myself in. A knife, a gun, a batarang... it isn't enough in the long run."  He said, from beneath his helmet. It was true. His equipment as it was now was not nearly enough. Coruscant was rife with crime, and plagued by it. Dare he say that the city was infested with crime? Well, it was. Of course he'd never admit to that. While part of him had wanted to ally with the Empire, he was just not sure on it at present. 

"So what are we going to do from here, boss?" asked David. 

"We go to work. We'll show the other gangs just how ruthless the Knightmares can be."   While he hadn't thought of that name long, it did seem to fit. They weren't worthy of being official members of the Bat Clan,  Matthew knew that. Batmen didn't use guns. Well on the news Batman had once, but that had been because of old age, probably. Still, Matthew knew they needed a name that would strike fear into the other criminals. 

"There are rules to being Knightmares, though. Rules that I shall detail for you,"  began Matthew. 

"Rule One. No selling to children. I don't care who you sell to that isn't a child.  Children are strictly off limits for any kind of merchandise that could cause any kind of harm to them, or others."  said Matthew. 

"Rule Two, no capes. You don't go after the Primes who wear the fancy costumes. You leave that to me." 

"Rule Three, you don't murder parents in front of a child, and try to avoid murder in general unless it's other criminals."  Matthew said. 

"And I'll make up the rest of the rules as we go along,"  said Matthew. 

"Any questions?"  asked Matthew. 

"Why are you doing this? I mean, you know the other gangs won't want to toe the line with you. You can't be serious about dealing with them like that."  said Blake. "I mean, you are just one man. What can one man do against a crime ridden Tier?" 

"You'd be surprised what one man can do, especially when that one man is determined!" exclaimed Matthew. "Now, I must begin practice with these new wrist-guns, so that I can learn how to use them effectively."  stated Matthew.  "You two will be left to your own devices, just obey my rules, or I'll know, and come after the both of you."

[Jack Darby]

4591 Words out of 5,000 - 10,000 Words. 

When the two that he had 'recruited' by means of the beat down he had dished out when they tried to attack him had left, to do whatever they wanted Matthew started exploring the various rooms of the place he was in. Entering one of them that looked like a study, he noticed a grandfather clock of a sort inside it. This seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on where he knew it from. Seeing a hidden lever inside the Grandfather clock, he'd pull it, and the clock pulled out from the wall revealing a secret passageway. What was the place he had just discovered? Upon entering, he'd nearly stumble down a set of stairs that led to an empty cavern of sorts that had been underneath the place without his knowledge. Examining it, he realized that it was going to be the perfect place for him to begin setting up the more essential equipment inside the place that he needed. Vehicles could be stored down here, as well as his costume or costumes as he planned on having more than one identity out there in the streets, so he could do his jobs without fear of being discovered. Sure the Empire had the advantage of highly advanced technology, but he'd eventually be able to close that advantage off, and make it his own. Setting up some crude floating targets using Omnilium, Matthew examined each of them. Checking the wrist-guns that he had found in the place, he smiled for a moment. Practice was not a fun task, but he could at least entertain himself with trying to learn how to use these. For some reason he had forgotten how, and so as he was going to be relying on these pieces of equipment in the field, he knew he needed all the practice he could get down here, before he used them out there. Practice did make perfect, after all, and he needed to be as close to perfection as he could be with his gear. Each piece of gear he used was one he was going to practice with until he could use it on instinct alone. The batarang for example was something that he had down pat. Sure it might have a limited range of effectiveness, just like the Wrist Guns did, but it was still more useful than the knife for distance tactics on his enemies. 

"Home sweet Lair."  said Matthew, as he began to decorate the cavern with Omnilium. First,  containers that held various costumes were put into place. For some reason he had made replicas of costumes he had been familiar with, like that of Red X, or many others that he had seen in action, or in the Field Reports that had been vague. While he didn't remember what all the costumes could do, he supposed he'd discover that later when the time came for him to wear them. For now it was time for him to hit the streets as Composite Man. He'd dallied enough down here. Going to another part of the cavern, he noticed an exit that led directly into one of the streets on Tier Five, but was disguised. 

"Time to go to work."

[Jack Darby]

5581 Words out of 5000. Quest Complete.  

Driving to one of the more crime filled areas of Tier Five on the motorcycle he had materialized,  Matthew had to admit he was impressed. The black motorcycle he had created practically purred as he drove it along the streets of Tier Five. Silver stripes were painted on the side of it, and the holo display of the motorcycle was crimson colored. While it was not a hover car, the motorcycle was good enough to be his vehicle, at least for now. Stopping near an intersection, he'd see a woman getting mugged by an Orc who had a blaster that looked like the ones the Storm Troopers carried. Frowning, Matthew parked his bike and got off.  Gritting his teeth, he'd eject the ammunition from the Wrist Guns, and replace it with a fresh cartridge. There was going to be no mercy for his opponent, as he despised people who attempted to mug others, or steal the money from them. 

The orc barely got 10 feet away, before a fist collided with his face sending him to the ground. When it did, the Orc growled and lunged at Matthew trying to clobber him. Each of the Orc's clumsy blows were avoided by Matthew. 

"Is that all you got?"  asked Matthew, beckoning with his hand. 

The orc charged at him,  forgetting the fact he had a blaster. This of course was the plan that Matthew had. Distracting the Orc from his weapon was in order before he brought him down. Given he didn't have a bolo, or similar gadget that he could use on the Orc to tie him up, Matthew looked around for anything in the area that he could use to improvise with. It was times like this that he wished he possessed Super Strength. 

Flipping over the head of the Orc and landing behind him,  Matthew plunged his knife into the shoulder of the Orc, bringing him down without killing him and causing him to grunt in pain. 

"Why?" asked the Orc. 

"You mugged a woman, and took her purse.  You're in my town, and I don't like it. Spread the word there's a new sheriff in town, and it's not you."  

As an added incentive for the Orc to not continue the criminal activities,  Matthew pointed both wrist guns at the Orc's crotch. "Of course, I should make an example of you, so your fellow Orcs learn the lesson that you are going to be teaching them by example. No. I'm not that cruel...."   Matthew then pulled out his knife, and walked towards the Orc who was now a blubbering mass. "Relax, I'm not going to shoot you."  He'd then carve the letters "CM" for Composite Man into the shoulder of the Orc with the knife. "This mark will remind the other Orcs, and you of just what will happen if I ever catch you doing something like that again!" said Matthew. The panicked Orc ran off. The crime had been stopped by Matthew who returned the purse to the lady, and got a kiss on the helmet in return from her. Telling her he needed no repayment of any kind, the woman left. 

Driving away on his motorcycle,  Matthew came to a crime ridden street near his HQ.  How many times must he teach lessons to these criminal scum bags before they learned the lesson? Matthew knew that the peaceful approach wasn't going to succeed. This was why he had done that to the Orc, and to get the words out to the criminals that there was a new 'hero' on the streets. 

This time a little boy was getting beat up by a couple of muggers who were tossing his wallet back and forth over his head. Having once been small, Matthew did indeed feel pity for the boy, but also outrage at the idiocy of the muggers. Kicking out the kickstand on his bike, Matthew got off his bike. Slowly making his way over to one of the thugs, he shot them in the shoulders with the wrist guns. 

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"  asked one of the thugs, a former Metalhead. 

"Your worst Nightmare." 

The other thug charged at Matthew with a knife, but a punch to the face dissuaded him of that approach. It also cost the individual several of his teeth when he charged again at Matthew, sending him to the ground unconscious. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Matthew to the thug that remained. 

The thug panicked. "Please...don't hurt me... I meant nothing by it. We were just having Harmless fun...." 

"Fun huh?" queried Matthew, as he looked the thug over.

[Jack Darby]

6120 Words out of 5,000  - 10,000 Words. 

"You believe THIS,"  Matthew's fist collided with the solar plexus of the thug. 

Screams of pain followed. 

"Or this,"  An axe kick sent the thug to the ground in pain. 

A groan came out of the mouth of the unfortunate soul. 

"Or this,"  Matthew headbutted the thug. 

The thug winced. 

"Or even this?"  Matthew kicked the thug in the groin, with his steel toed boots.  "Is fun?" 

"No....."  screamed the thug, in pain and now terrified of the young Mcginnis, even though he didn't know who he was. "What do I have to do to earn mercy from you?" 

Matthew looked at him darkly. "You're asking the wrong person for mercy,"  He'd point at the child. "But I'm feeling generous. I'll give you a head start. You'll have about two minutes before I hunt you down, and continue the punishment you deserve, for doing this." 

The thug wisely took that moment to do something that was done by many crime lords when they were outnumbered. It was also done by generals, and terrorists and many others alike. Namely, he started running. Well, actually not running. He was more like sprinting from the place at an alarming rate, as he wanted to be nowhere around this nut job when the two minutes were up. Whatever had crawled up the man's britches and died was something that the thug wanted no part of. A mental note was made by him that he was warning every street thug he could come across that there was a new Prime in town, and one who did not play nice with the criminal element...at all. 

"The Fish is Piranha."  said the thug, as he dashed away. "Or a shark." 

"120,"  said Matthew, beginning his count. It didn't even take thirty seconds for the thug to get out of his line of sight. After making some medical supplies and patching up the child that had been harmed, Matthew frowned. Why were people stupid enough to do things like this to one another? It was a question he did not possess an answer to. Likely he was never going to know what motivated people to do heinous acts like that. Playing keep away with someone's wallet was just cruel in his eyes, and deserved every bit of what he had dished out on those thugs. 

"Well, he's gone. Where do you want me to take you kid?" asked Matthew. 

The kid was too shell shocked. Not that Matthew blamed him of course. What he had done to save the life of the kid had probably terrified him. Still, it had been better than just letting the event happen. Sighing,  Matthew walked over to his motorcycle, and decided he was going on mote patrols tonight than he had. There were bound to be more like the kid out there,  suffering under the heel of some punk with a gun, or a knife. They'd soon learn exactly why oppressing the young was not the wisest career choice, especially with Composite Man on the case. 

It was only day one, and he had just gotten started.

[Jack Darby]

6636 Words of 5,000 - 10,000 Words. 

One group of thugs had been dealt. Well, more than one. So far he had confronted a couple of Twi'leks who had been intent on causing problems, and a couple of idiots who he'd managed to convince to join his forces. This Tier had more than the lion's share of problems like that, however. Given he'd stopped an orc, albeit in a brutal manner that probably traumatized the orc, and any gang members who were supporting such activities, Matthew wasn't sure what to do with himself. Sure he had collected the blaster of the Orc and planned to upgrade it so that he could use it, and it was going to be useful. Yet, for now he was not going to do so. After all he didn't want to become too well equipped too soon. Doing such would be boring, and that was not a good thing for him. Sighing he wished to himself that he had a decent sword at his disposal. While he didn't have more than a knife for melee combat,  Matthew knew he'd get there eventually. His skills were going to grow back to the levels that he had when he had been employed by Amanda Waller. Later he was going to have to visit a blacksmith, to have a sword made for himself or learn how to do it with Omnilium. Either way, he was going to need something more effective than his knife at hand. Sure he had the Wrist Guns of Dead Shot at his disposal. However, in the long run they were useless should it come down to melee combat. As he was still re-learning Gunfu, Matthew knew he had a lot of work to do. His skills needed to grow if he was ever going to be a master. If he was going to ever save this Tier from it's multitude of disasters that it had, his skills needed to grow. Really his lack of skill and ability with his equipment now was sad. 

What he needed was someone who could mentor him, but he didn't know who it could be. Amanda Waller had no skills with a sword, or the hand to hand or marksmanship he needed. Any of the heroes were out, as they weren't likely to approve of his methods. Deadshot was out, but because of two reasons. One, Matthew had jacked his guns in the Omniverse. Two, Matthew had no knowledge of whether or not Deadshot could do melee combat, or hand to hand. This was a skill set that he desperately needed. The skills of the Orc, and others in the Omniverse had proven that he needed a decent grasp on that. 

"It's clear that my skills aren't enough."  

Matthew frowned beneath his helmet, as he looked around the area as he drove on his motorcycle down the streets. Just how bad was this Tier?!? 

Apparently the crime rate of this Tier was one that required more than just what the Police could do.

[Jack Darby]

7304/5,000 - 10,000 Words. 

Of the gangs, the easiest to start out with would be the one that had been "disbanded" by the Gentleman Jacks, the Metalheads. There had to be some of them still around. If there were, recruiting them to his colors and Organization, the "Knightmares" was going to be a piece of cake. A demonstration of force could be just what the doctor ordered in an attempt to persuade them to work for him. And really, Matthew needed all the minions he could get for the Knightmares, so they could begin doing what the Empire's Police Department on this tier couldn't. They'd actually make a difference out there on the streets because of how much crime polluted this tier. Driving past condominiums that had been spray panted, and had vulgar slogans painted on them in large letters, Matthew scowled. One of the definite orders of business when the Knightmares were established was an urban renewal effort. Upon his return to the HQ he noticed an orc in the mansion he called home and the severed heads of both of his recruits. The Orc then growled something that he heard in his own language. 

"I'm going to do to you what I did to them, for what you did to my boys." 

As the orc swung the meat cleaver that he carried at Matthew, the oversized blade was flipped over by Matthew. There was no time to play nice with someone who was willing to murder innocents. The individual had also invaded his home, and so deserved every bit of what was to come. Turning off the safeties of the Wrist Guns mid leap, he'd land behind the Orc. "Say hello to my little friends,"  He'd shoot the Orc in the back, causing the Orc to go to the ground in pain. The orc had been brought down because one of the bullets had hit his spine, paralyzing him temporarily. Matthew then hoisted the Orc up onto his shoulders. 

This was one criminal he was going to give to the Empire Police Department. Normally he'd avoid them, but with someone like this he wanted to make sure the crook was not going to come back. Of course, eliminating the problem had been an option, but was not the one he was going to go with. No, he was going to give the person over to the Empire to see what their brand of justice was like. After all, if he was to be the hero this city needs,  he could ill afford to set a completely bad example for anyone in this city. Sure he was not his brother Terry, nor could he ever consider himself worthy of the legacy of Batman, but eh knew he could do something else. While he may operate similarly to the Batman he was willing to do things the Bat wouldn't. He was also willing to kill if the need should arise for him to do so, something that likely was going to cause problems for other heroic types out there. 

"Hello,"  said Matthew as he entered the run down EPD police department nearest him on Tier Five. 

"What brings you here?" asked the Receptionist. 

"I'd like to turn a criminal over to you."  said Matthew, pointing at the tied up Orc. The orc actually was not just tied up. Heavy chains in place of ropes replaced normal restraints, and he had cuffs on his hands and legs. Cuffs that had been made by Matthew out of Omnilium, so that he could avoid a repeat. 

"What are his crimes?" asked the Receptionist. 

"2 Charges Aggravated Assault,  2 charges murder,  One Charge Breaking and Entering, One Charge Illegal Possession of a weapon." 


"I see. And you stopped him?"  asked the Receptionist. 

"Yes. Could you get some officers out here? I don't know how long he will be unconscious." 

Or how strong the Orcs were, which was the reason Matthew wanted backup.

[Jack Darby]

7771 out of 10,000 Words.  - Quest Completed to my satisfaction!!! 

Several worn down Storm Troopers who looked like they were in serious need of a paid vacation rushed down when the Receptionist called them, replacing the crude shackles and chains that Matthew had created with Imperial Grade Restraints, to hold the Orc longer than the normal ones would. Of course, as their restraints were a set of stasis cuffs that bound both his hands, and his legs, Matthew couldn't help but be impressed. Cuffs like that were something he needed to invest in if he was to continue his work out there on the streets, and from what he had just seen he was definitely due to continue. There was no way he was going to allow the crime rate to continue to skyrocket. The poor white armored men, they looked like they were overworked and about to drop from the crime rate of this Tier. It needed a cleansing of some of the crime. This was why he knew that he had to do something about it. Yet he couldn't do it as Matthew Mcginnis. Matthew Mcginnis was a human, and a weak one at that. What he needed to do was become something more, someone more. An icon, of sorts. An actual hero. As he exited the EPD Station near where he was on "Palpatine Avenue" down in Tier Five, he started to think of what would be a good identity for him. Multi Man? No. It was too cliche. Gearhead? No... just no. It was a stupid name for his costumed identity. 

An idea then hit him as he continued to drive along. Alloys were made out of multiple metals, and heroes had multiple identities. Composite. Composite Man was going to be the moniker he used as leader of the Knightmares. Yes, it was the perfect name for himself, and one that he hadn't thought he was going to use. It was in a word, perfect.  "Yes,"  said Matthew once he dragged his weary, tired and sore body back to the lair that he called home. Of course his body wasn't just sore. It felt like someone had taken a million needles, and driven them into his body. It also felt like someone had taken a wrench to his head. Furthermore it also was like someone had shot him with a nail gun repeatedly. For tonight at least, he was finished with his heroic actions. There was always tomorrow, and tomorrow could be a good time for him to get started spreading the word out. Of course he was going to need more henchmen, but he'd burn that bridge when he came to it assuming he didn't get arrested by the EPD for doing the job they were supposed to be doing.