Have you ever believed in karma? The belief that if you do good that you'll eventually be rewarded by fate. Suppose you do tell me how it feels because it never came for me. My mother was a crack addict, and my dad was nowhere to be seen. Every day was a struggle to survive in the Badlands of Philadelphia, a hellhole of gang and drug violence. Despite all that, I was able to survive through it all and escape with one vision: to make my community a better place no matter the cost. Twenty-four years of hard work and the only thing that I had to show for it was betrayal and judgment. As I sat in that damn coffin, struggling to catch a single breath, Genesis came. From this world gone mad, Dawn Williams died with all of her ambitions to have Scale remain to be judge, jury, and executioner. Months have passed since I've claimed my vengeance, and yet my soul feels as hollow as ever.

Cold eyes stared into the warm Nevadan air, dead set on my oncoming target amongst the swirling sediments. As if it were preordained, Algorithm proved to be right as a Jeep with bright beams illuminated the chipped asphalt. With that signal, I quickly got to work, enveloping the oncoming vehicle in a blue aura that lifted it into the air. 2 tons worth of horsepower meant absolutely nothing to my command over gravity as the vehicle was left helpless. Before the occupants could get any ideas, my allies got to work. Like something out of a horror movie, Slime descended to the jeep, blanketing all five occupants as they screamed inside of his mucus-like body.

My skin crawled immensely as soon enough, six unconscious; half-naked army members plopped down on the ground. From there, the rest of The Crusaders popped out from the shadows: Marauder, Barrier, and Rebound all made their appearance with villainous intent. Each of their faces displayed a demonic visage reminding me all the more that we are just self-interested criminals, all playing in a game that we may never get finished. Slime then descended and transformed back to human to status check.

"Voice synthesizers, rental scans, and fingerprints are all prepped, plus the outfits can fit us just like he said. Mr. Masters' contact was right on the money."

"Shame, he had to go into early retirement," Rebound said gleefully.

"Good job, Slime, but you forgot one thing," Marauder said, ignoring Rebound.

"What?"

In that moment, Marauder's fingers grew a harsh gold as ten daggers of energy tore through the unconscious men with an expert aim! I could almost see the light drain from their eyes as Marauder coldly stated.

"You forgot to dig the graves," he said professionally.

Like a cold front, Marauder's aura singled out the rest of us, as if this was his way of asserting dominance. I've seen that look a thousand times before, which means that I knew exactly what to do. In another motion, I gently sent the jeep down and made a grave. And as I set everybody down, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be one of them. Yet I didn't care, because for better or worse, I've decided that if I were going to fall, it would at least be a free one even if it means dragging everyone else with me.

Barrier/Jane Harp Pov

In the dead of night, we traveled towards Area 51 while equipping our essential outfits and gadgets. I've heard just about every story you can find, which is why I was the most on edge out of anyone, with my heart beating faster than a hummingbird. My senses crawled out every step of our odyssey in excruciating detail. After what felt like an hour, we managed to roll up into the base itself. Even from the outside, I could tell that the entire landscape of Area 51 has completely changed. The iconic base now resembles an imposing fortress, one with almost constant security as we heard the stomping of dozens of soldiers. However, our progress got immediately halted by our first hurdle, an old fashion car parking barrier with an attendant barreling down our necks.

My skin started flaring up massively at the sight of the guard, but all I had to do was call upon my greatest teacher, Jay. From there, I adopted his more lax persona as Marauder stated the passcode that gained us entry, once again making Algorithm all the more right. Once we got into the empire-like base, I assimilated into the flow of the crowd kicking and screaming. During our little check-up, I once again took note of our biggest asset. Between all of the signal jammers and trackers, phones, and comm-links was a no go. However, Algorithm had an answer for this: jewelry. Whether through rings or trinkets, all of us had some kind of accessory on us with a similar color. Effectively every single one of them was churning with chemicals that would have them change color over time. We were green for right on time, but over time the colors would go to yellow, orange, red, and black. And if everything wasn't ready by the time black showed up, Team B was to deploy no matter what.

Which means we had to divide and conquer to survive. Once we found a good crossroads, I walked with Rebound straight towards the prisoners while the others proceeded to try and cut the power. Which meant I had to brace myself for the most dreaded part of the mission. Before there were the Crusaders, before there were even the Lessors, it was always Jay and I. And the only way we survived together was the simple cloak and dagger. Whether it be a simple nudge or misdirection, we always controlled from the sidelines, and ever since I got this power of mine, that skill improved a thousandfold. Power aside, I can now control and support just about anyone. Except for Rebound, a battle brazed brute with zero self-control. Either way, I still tried to claim control as we walked towards the clincher of this escapade.

"How are you holding up?"

"Not good, I don't know how much more I can take," he said in a pained breath thick with small sparks of violet lightning.

That didn't fill me with any confidence as we kept going to our destination with our now greenish-yellow accessories.

Yamato Lee/Marauder POV

Failure is something I've never taken lightly. After all, failure usually meant death. This is why to this day; I still regret not killing every single one of those Champions right then and there. The others may have moved on, but my eyes have remained razor-focused. Right now, they have the power, teamwork, experience, and popularity; hell, I don't even know if this mission will even up the scales, but that fact only makes me even more determined. With Barrier gone, I had full control over the group as we kept moving forward to the generator. During the interrogation, we found out that the power station was located in the lower levels. We blow that out, and the others get only 5 seconds to break out all the other helixes before the emergency power kicks in. Do that, and Team B's catastrophe will be even more assured, which means that we needed to be the first domino to fall. And my now yellow ring proves we need to do that now.

But as we tried to approach the nearest elevator, I noticed something odd about the passerby. The wild flow of the soldiers was now starting to ebb as they stood in a salute like motion on opposite sides of the corridor. This, unfortunately, meant that the 3 of us needed to hurriedly and awkwardly join the crowd. In that stride, I managed to get a good look at the cause of this roadblock. Amid the mission, I forgot that there was another regret that I had, not killing that merciless bastard when he first came up. Half our leniency on the Champions came from this man's interference and lockdown of Philly, even if that same interference leads to our forces getting suppressed and picked off. I originally thought he was a simple nuisance, but his very appearance here means that his influence was greater than I imagined. Because right in front of me, I saw the paragon of the Purifiers: Tactic in all of his infamous glory.

Despite the major strapped at his side, it seemed he had full power in the room. So much so that their words drowned at his very presence. Every militant step made my heart jump up all the more, knowing his very appearance was the only variable we didn't account for. By the time we were almost facing to face, I wanted to kill him so badly I could taste it. And I don't know whether it was my bloodlust or just plain bad luck, but soon enough, that same man started to turn and make his way towards me. I swear my hands were almost about to go alight by the time we were face to face. At that moment, the tension was so thick that you couldn't cut it with a knife if you tried. And yet, despite all of that, this painful accumulation was all answered with one quote.

"At ease, soldier, no need to be so tense," he said commandingly.

"What makes you think I'm tense?" I said in a careful tone.

"Your saluting with your left hand instead of the right makes you stand out," he said as he scanned my person.

At that moment, both of our auras grew into an all-time high, making our bodies twitch with anticipation. But that moment didn't last at all as I was the first to back down.

"Thank you, sir, I'll remember for next time," I said through gritted teeth.

"No problem," he said as he walked off.

And as the crowd started to disperse, I saw Tactic give us one last look of understanding. And it was this one look that drove my entire body into overdrive! In an instant, I took Slime and Scales' hand and forced them to run alongside me, forgoing all stealth in a mad dash to the elevator.

"You're blowing our cover Lee," Slime said in a hushed whisper.

"Cover's already blown; we need to get to the generator stat," I said hurriedly.

Thankfully we managed to get to the elevator with no complications, but despite that, I didn't let my guard down for a second. And like some kind of angel of death, Tactic answered my call. From the floor above, the man dropped down like a bolt of lighting! In a split second, the figure turned into a blur, backhanded Scale into the right side of the wall while sticking an Agonizer in Slime's gut! Utter disbelief claimed my body as it reflexively unleashed an energy clad swipe! However, that got countered with a high kick that sent me colliding with the back of the elevator! When my eyes began to refocus, all I could do was point my now glowing finger down the barrel of a gun aimed straight at my heart.