Rising from the Past

"Tell me,when's the first time you killed?"

"How much trouble will I be in?"Starlio asks.

"That depends.You have to answer me truthfully Starlio because if any evidence against your statements are found,the government might have to reconsider that pardon you received."Mrs Miller,his assigned trauma counselor asks him.

7 Months Ago,

Starlio was an ordinary teenager surviving on scraps,living in a run down house with a father who did not care for him nor his family,rather spending all his time and money on gambling,smoking and other women outside.

A teen with a genius level intellect,stuck within a school he was far surpassing,missing out on countless offers to universities,scavenging through scrapyards for spare parts to build impressive inventions,jet packs,taser gloves,night vision googles,homemade EMP bombs and more.Until one day,his friends were kidnapped on a supposedly charity trip,almost sold by human traffickers.

With nothing more than his homemade invention and a brave soul,Starlio broke in and got his friends out,on the verge of death and only made it with Shannon's perseverance.

Following his heroic deed,he captured the attention of the Navarro Brothers,a brother duo consisting of a lawyer and a master inventor.Starlio was offered a position at their company,making a shit load of money and using them to build the first ever mecha armor,the Model 1.The human traffickers however sought revenge and attacked his school,hijacking the Model 1 and taking his entire school hostage.

With no options left,Starlio suited up on the Model 2,barely saving the day and...losing several of the people he knew along the way.

Now,June 2009.

"First time...I didn't have much of a choice.Shannon was being held at gunpoint and her captor shot me in the shoulder already.I used the last of my strength to shoot the captor in order to save her."Starlio recalled the events that changed his life.He knew Mrs Miller was testing him as usual,asking him the same questions over and over again.

"How many people have you killed in total?"Mrs Miller asks,dozens of times like before.

"I don't know...twenty.Maybe."Starlio checked his custom constructed watch he built for himself.He was about to be late.Mrs Miller noticed his uneasiness as she sighed,placing down her notebook:"Starlio...do you feel any guilt for what you have done.These men that you killed,they may have loved ones too.Have you ever considered that?"

"I did."Starlio looked her in the eye.

"And?"

"Nothing.I did what I had to do to save everyone else.They chose the path they took,kidnapping my friends,killing them?If I did not dawn that armor that day and fought the gunmen who attacked my school the casualty count would be so much higher.That is a fact that everyone knows.The police did nothing,the army did nothing and when I stepped up I'm the one in trouble."Starlio lost his cool.

7 Months Ago.

Starlio Stex,the prodigy of his school constructed a jet pack out of scraps to go on a rescue mission to save his friends,who were kidnapped by a gang of human traffickers.Barely surviving,Starlio returned with his friends only for the human traffickers to return weeks later,seeking revenge against him by attacking his school,killing dozens of students and teachers in the process.

Starlio was forced to deploy his latest invention,a weaponized armor known as the Model 2 to fight back,ending the conflict there.

"Starlio...I'm trying to help you here.The government needs me to assure them that you are not a psychopath.You are young...that's the only reason you aren't in jail right now."Mrs Miller tells him.Starlio nods:"I know..."

"Well,you seem busy so...same time next week young man.Don't be late."

"Alright.Thanks Mrs Miller."Starlio got up,slinging his bag over his shoulder and headed to the exit of her office."Starlio,exit's on your right.You're going left young man."Mrs Miller calls out after Starlio,who turns back:"Yea I know.I'm heading to the roof."

[Model 3 Operational.Deploying.]

Starlio pressed on his watch,directly linked to his lab at the new Navarro Warehouse,summoning his armor the Model 3 that was able to detect his location,fly towards him using nothing more than A.I and it being accessible by him only using fingerprint scans.

Starlio opened the roof's door to see the Model 3 on standby.

The bronze and red armor,gloriously reflecting the glows of the afternoon sun with hints of gold scattered across it's plating,white glowing eyes and it's panels,unfolding and opening up as Starlio approached it,revealing it's comforting,cooling and cushioned interior that gave the utmost amount of comfort for it's user,designed for extended periods of usage.

Starlio jumped in.The armor wrapped itself around him,parts clicking and locking themselves into place,fully suiting up in the Model 3.

Without hesitation,Starlio activated the rocket thrusters located at the soles of his armored boots,taking off into the sky and heading towards his destination...the graveyard where his best friend,Conner Hans was buried in.[Incoming Call:Roy.]

"Hello?"Starlio picked up his call through his armor's HUD.

"We're here already.Where are you?"Roy spoke.

"I'm on the way,session ended slightly late."Starlio answers him."Alright man see you."Roy ended the call.Starlio still felt sour,a painful lingering feeling that pained him each time he recalled that day.Looking into Conner's eyes,watching as the life drained out of his eyes,taking his last breath.

"Live without regrets for me."Conner's last words.

"I'll do my best."Starlio found himself saying,approaching his destination within minutes,the Model 3 bringing him close to 700km/hr in terms of flight speed and from afar,he spotted his friends,Roy Brandon and Shannon Ray,both of them at the entrance of the graveyard awaiting him.Starlio landed his armor at the entrance,popping out of it swiftly and greeting his friends.

"Hey."Shannon waves at him.

Starlio smiled at her,instantly noticing her new hairstyle,a slightly more curly long ponytail,the blondness of her hair highlighted by the sunlight.She wore short red pants,a slightly oversized white t shirt and her signature sling bag around her shoulder."Alright,let's go in."Shannon tells the two of them,walking into the graveyard.

"I saw that."Roy whispered to Starlio.

"Saw what?"

"The way you looked at her."Roy chuckles softly as Starlio punched him lightly in the chest.The trio could see the memorial,a giant gravestone about 2 meters in height,standing tall at the corner of the graveyard with the names of the dozens of students who died on that day.

[To remember the innocents of North Star Academy.]

Conner Hans,among the names of those who died."We're here Conner.Thank you for saving my life."Shannon says first,placing down a small origami crane among the hundreds of flowers that filled the ground of the massive tombstone.

"Thank you for being one of the best friends I could ask for."Starlio pulled out a Mocha Frappe Figurine,placing it on the ground and from the corner of his eye,four men standing in the distance,clearly observing them from afar.

What now?Maybe he was recognized.

Starlio got up,standing beside Shannon while Roy paid his respects.Starlio slowly turned,trying to spot who the men were and immediately recognized the face of Mason Stex,his dad whose his mom had just divorced with two months ago.A father who had never prioritized his family over his job,using whatever money he earned from being a high ranking general for hookers,booze and gambling,making Starlio and his brother Mitchell endure their childhood through poverty.

Things only recently changed after Starlio himself used his money from his work to buy a new apartment at Plex City itself,on the 15th floor with a decent skyline view of the harbor front of Plex City.Shannon noticed the change in Starlio's expression:"Hey,you okay?"

"My Dad's right there.To the East with those men."Starlio tells her.

"What's he doing here?"

"No clue."Starlio answers her as Roy finished his prayers as well.

"Alright guys,I gotta run before my mom kills me."Roy got up from placing down his own farewell card and headed off."See you in school man."Starlio waved at Roy,who waved back in the distance.Starlio turned around,looking at his Dad approaching him.

"What do you want?"Starlio demands,Shannon herself slightly shocked by his agitation.

"Sorry for my intrusion.I know I have not done my job as a father well but-"

"You're not part of our lives now...Dad.We moved on,if this is about getting back with mom again-"Mason shook his head,interrupting him:"This is about you son.I...There are people out there who have their attention focused onto you and your armors.They may have negative intentions towards you.Come...join me,in the army right now.The government would be able to provide you ample protection in comparison to you being engaged with a private company."

Mason...in the military.

"I'm good thanks."Starlio gave Mason a sarcastic smile.

The Navarro Brothers had treated Starlio better than his dad ever would.First of all getting him out of legal trouble the first time he operated his prototype jet pack,giving him full legal ownership of his inventions and even giving him a job at their private company,Navarro Enterprises.It allowed Starlio to invent new household products and weapons that revolutionized the daily lives of many,but during his free time Starlio could use their resources to build personal inventions,like the Models 1,2 and 3,armors that provided him with superhuman abilities.

"You can have a good pay Starlio.This is not personal but people are really out there,desperate even,for just a taste of your armors."Mason tried.

"I'm worth 2.5 million dollars at 15 years old Dad.I'm more than okay,I don't need your help and I am not interested...no....never going to be interested in being another one of the military's pet.Your job turned you from a caring husband to a stone cold father with no regard to his wife or kids,I think I'm better off where I am now."Starlio says,signalling Shannon to follow him.

"Son-listen-"

"No!Okay?!Mom,Mitchell and I are better off now."Starlio cuts his father off."There are strong players out there wanting your tech Starlio,big gangsters,people who even governments are afraid off.I'm not trying to ask much but this concerns you Starlio!"Mason exclaims.

"Goodbye."Starlio marched off.Shannon followed him quietly when Mason called her:"Ms Ray...he's important.He will take care of you...so take care of him too."

Shannon was speechless by those surprisingly nice words from what Starlio would otherwise describe his father as."I will Mr Stex."Shannon quickly turned to see Starlio,waiting for her with an apologetic look in his eyes."Sorry you had to see that."Starlio tells her.

"I understand why you talked to him like this...but from what I saw,he looked like he genuinely wanted to tell you something."Shannon grabs his arm,stopping him for a moment."I know...I'm...just pissed.He never really cared about us,he didn't pretend he did and out of nowhere when I'm successful he decides to show up?Pretty scummy."

"That's understandable."Shannon agrees.

"Want a lift home?"Starlio asks Shannon who nods:"Just make sure you don't drop me."Starlio re summoned the Model 3,which flew over to the two teenagers,opening up for Starlio to enter.Starlio suited up once again,grabbing onto Shannon who hugged him tightly,lifting off into the sky with her to bring her home.

Starlio recalled the first time the both of them were in the air.

He was half dead,broken bones and shot in the shoulder,on the verge of bleeding out while Shannon,who was herself in a weak state,forcefully activating his jet pack and flying the both of them right out of the human trafficking den while being shot at from the ground beneath them.He could barely recall anything except the blurry night sky they were soaring towards and the pain,numbing away his consciousness but one thing was for sure.

Without her...he was dead.As was she.

-

Navarro Warehouse.

"Your share for the month Starlio.$390,000."Javier Navarro walked into Starlio's lab,passing him a folder on the company's financial reports.Starlio smiled,barely interested in the money report as he turns to Javier:"Yea just leave it there,thanks."

"You're working on...?"

"The eye scanning door.Making it with cheaper materials allows it to be sold at one third the market price.I think it's an amazing security feature that's affordable to many who need it."Starlio tells the lawyer enthusiastically.

"Alright,you free tonight young man?"Javier asks.

"Should be,why?"

"Korean Barbecue,new place downtown that Xavier wants to check out tonight.Interested?"

Holy shit.Korean Barbecue is amazing.Starlio munched down on the medium rare beef slices,impressed by the quality of the meat as Dakota,one of his co workers laughed:"Dude,how have you not tried Korean Barbecue?It's one of life's luxuries!"

"Man...no I never tried this.This is so good...what's that drink by the way?"Starlio asks Dakota,who was sitting right next to Javier and Xavier Navarro and three other employees."This?You can't have this,it's Soju,a type of alcohol."

"Dang."

"Our company is now a 40 million dollar Empire of Household and Security Products!Cheers!"Xavier Navarro raised his glass as everyone around the table clanked their glasses together."For our head inventor,the most brilliant kid in the world."Dakota says.

"Come on guys."Starlio smirks,the group cheering another time.

"Starlio,did you order some pistons yesterday?"Xavier asks Starlio who nods:"Yea I'm planning to build another armor.I wanna test the limits of artificial superhuman strength."

"How does it feel for your wallet to be broken?"Dakota jokes,holding an imaginary microphone towards Xavier's mouth."I mean...if this boy doesn't do anything harmful with those powerful armors I won't complain.I mean...how many people has he saved with those armors already?If it means me going bankrupt for him to save people,I'll be glad to do so too."

Starlio smiled.

Since the Model 3 was built Starlio had helped out in multiple disasters all over Plex City,from vehicle accidents to accidental fires,Starlio had saved the lives of dozens of people.Media attention were also on him for a long time until recently where things had finally died down more and the general public,being focused on something else.

"Helping others also helped us after all.Because the public has seen you helping so many others,public pressure is on the government to not take away your armors.Makes my job here easier."Javier says,drinking down another can of beer.

"Gladly."Starlio answers.

2 Hours in and Starlio found himself within a food coma,overdosed on several milkshakes and a ton of beef.A thought shot into his head as he walked down the bustling street of Plex City,his trusty hoodie over his head to shield his identity from most of the people around him.Starlio phoned his brother:"Hey Mitchell,you need anything for supper?Have you guys eaten?"

"We good.Ordered in some Taco Bell."

"Alright."Starlio texted back when he heard the distant wailing of police sirens echoing throughout the streets of the city.Starlio turned to his side to see several civilians,terrified and running from their lives as a loud screech pierced his eardrums,a rogue car going down the street with gunmen mounted through it's doors,firing at the police cars who were chasing shortly behind.

"Shit..."Starlio quickly activated his watch,calling in the Model 3.

Starlio began sprinting after the car's direction,watching as the rogue car began leaving a trail of destruction behind,weaving through the city traffic dangerously with no regard for human life whatsoever.Several pedestrians were injured as Starlio quickly sprung into action,helping up a random woman before quickly rushing to the site of a crashed car,who was trying to dodge the rogue car earlier.

"Help me pry open the door!"Starlio yelled to on lookers,who quickly looked for objects they could use as tools.

"Starlio Stex?Is that you?"An on looker asks as Starlio quickly answered:"Now's not the time man help me get them out!"Starlio grabbed a random shard of metal,using it like a crowbar to pry open the door for the unconscious driver.Two other men helped out,forcing the door open and dragged the unconscious driver to safety while others cleared the surrounding area,fearing that the car might explode.

30 Seconds.Starlio's watch rang.

"Take care of them!"Starlio tells the on lookers,running down the street and from a distance,he could hear the roar of the Model 3's flight engine getting louder.Starlio roughly gauged the distance between him and his armor,jumping into the air as the Model 3 wrapped it's sophisticated panels around the teen,suiting up mid air and allowing Starlio to take flight immediately after the rogue car.

"Scan route of rogue car,how many people on board?"Starlio asks.

"3 Gunmen Reported by the Local News.One hostage,one driver,two shooters.Displaying route taken by rogue car on HUD."The armor's A.I informs Starlio who quickly soared to the given directions and quickly found himself right behind the police chase.

Starlio soared right in front of the police line,using himself to tank the shots,shielding the policemen from the bullets.

"YO!It's that fucking kid!"A gunman roared.

"Shoot him down then!"The other replies when Starlio sped up,launching himself right into the first gunman,shooting out his fist that shattered the man's rifle like a glass bottle,grabbing the gunman and soaring next to the street,throwing the shocked gunman onto the ground in pain before continuing his chase.

"He's armor is bulletproof!"Starlio heard the panicking gunman say as the driver replied him:"Use the hostage you idiot!"

"Get away!Or I'll blow his brains out!"The gunman grabbed the hostage,who was tied up with a makeshift handcuff,shivering in his seat.Starlio knew better as he soared into the sky,confusing the gunman who was trying his best to track Starlio with his eyes,only to be distracted enough for the cops to land a shot on him,killing the gunman.

"SHIT!"The drive roared when the side of the car burst open,Starlio smashing through the door,grabbing the hostage right out of the vehicle and dropping him safely on the sidewalk while the rogue car continued on.

"You alright sir?"Starlio asks the hostage,snapping the handcuff apart with a simple twist.

"I'm okay,please you have to stop them!They have the deposits of thousands of our customers!"The man begged Starlio,the manager of a bank that was robbed."I got them,just hold on."Starlio jumped into the air,taking off right after the rogue car once more.

"Stop the vehicle now!You're getting innocent people hurt!"Starlio yelled,chasing after the driver.

"I don't care!Get away from me!"

"STOP!"Starlio demands,looking ahead to see the rogue car about to accelerate right into a group of civilians.Without hesitation Starlio fired up his thrusters,shooting right past the vehicle and landing right in front of the car's path.Starlio braced himself,reminding himself of the armor's capabilities as the car rammed right into him full force.

Starlio felt the impact across his body,but his armor was stronger,distributing the impact safely away from his actual body and using the super powered exo skeleton of the Model 3 to stop the rogue car right in it's tracks,denting the hood of the vehicle and the driver,being shot right out of the frontal windshield and falling on his back onto the ground.

Starlio found himself lifting the entire vehicle up as he quickly set it down,turning his attention to the driver who pulled a gun out and began unloading his pistol onto Starlio.

To no one's surprise but the driver himself,the bullets bounced off harmlessly the Model 3 as Starlio marched up to him,snatching the pistol right out of his grip and snapped the weapon in half like a twig."You're done man."Starlio tells the driver,who looked at him in disgust:"You....you're just a kid!You don't know what's it's like...you will never."

"You don't know what I went through."Starlio struck the driver between his eyes,knocking him out.

A crowd of civilians gathered around the victorious Starlio,cheering and clapping their hands for the teenager and shortly after,dozens of police officers arriving in their vehicles."Mr Stex,thank you for the assist."A police sergeant thanked him.

"You're welcome."Starlio answers.

"Starlio!Come on dude we gotta put this on Facebook!"Starlio could hear two teenagers tell each other as he turned to the police sergeant:"I gotta go first.I'm really trying to get attention away from me and what I just did is probably the reverse of that."

"You've been a great help already man.Just go,we'll take it from here."

"Alright.Thank you."Starlio says,taking off into the night sky of Plex City.

What a long day it has been already.At this time of the day all Starlio wanted was to collapse onto his bed with no more worries that usually keep him up at night.Just let me rest...please,Starlio begged in his heart,trying to keep his memories hidden away,instead focusing all his attention onto the beauty of the city he was soaring through.heading back home to the apartment he bought,sharing it with Mitchell and his mother,Alice.

"I'm home."Starlio landed on the balcony of their 15th floor,$600,000 dollar apartment.

"Mom's asleep already."Mitchell says,pressing down on his PlayStation controller playing GTA IV."Alright,don't play till it's too late alright?Tomorrow's Monday we have school."The older brother side of Starlio spilled out.

"Alright bro."

Starlio retired to his bedroom where his phone rang upon connecting to his WIFI,two messages from Shannon Ray:

I saw the news Starlio,you okay?

Starlio's heart skipped a beat as he quickly answered:I'm okay,nothing really damaging except a couple of external scratches on the Model 3.

Wanna go to school together tomorrow?

"This girl..."Starlio smiled to himself,his heart flustering a little as he jumped back onto his cushioned gaming chair,right beside his latest computer,a newly released 2009 i Mac on his desk.I'll see you at the usual spot?Starlio quickly texted back.

See you then.

-

Somewhere.

Mason Stex found himself sitting comfortably at his desk,soldiers right beside him,pointing their weapons at the door,awaiting for their infamous guest to arrive.Standing beside him...Argus,the Chairman's messenger.

"What makes you think...this soldier of yours will be able to get things done?"Argus asks.

"He's no longer a soldier.He has been dismissed by the military for multiple war crimes but I've reviewed his record before.He's a madman,265 confirmed kills,3 tours.He's a one man army if I've heard of any."Mason explains.

"The previous guy we sent after Starlio was juiced up with Silverblood and he couldn't even beat your son even with the Model 1 stolen."Argus questions.

Silverblood,an experimental drug going around in the black market.Said to amplify an average person's strength,stamina and speed by ten times over.

"Your guy...Demonshot,you call it?He wasn't trained.He was unskilled,unprepared for a real fight.My son may be young,barely an adult but he has trained and worked hard.Excluding the threat from the armors he has in possession he works out regularly,increasing his strength and stamina while also attending Taekwando and Muay Thai lessons.Being a prodigy,it didn't take him long to master both fighting styles."Mason explains.

"And you will be providing this new guy with some experimental tech?"Argus confirms.

"Yes...the military's best minds have created an armor that should match up with Starlio's own tech.I will provide the tech,you provide him with the Silverblood."Mason tells Argus when the door opened,a tall,well built man standing by it,towering at an impressive 188cm in height and his brown hair,combed backwards with a full beard growing down his jaw.

"So you are the one who called me here?"The man asks.

"Titus Alanore.We have an offer for you."Mason tells him.