INSIDE THE POLICE STATION, NEW YORK CITY. DAY.
Soft, muffled light pours through the high windows of the office. A young policeman, about 25 years old, sits at a table filled with folders, reports and coffee stains on forms. His name is Alex Graves. He is neatly dressed: a light gray shirt, dark blue trousers, a light steel-colored coat, a short, neat haircut. His eyes are focused on the papers, but in the background there is a TV playing a news channel.
THERE IS A TV PRESENTER ON THE SCREEN.
A stylish woman with impeccable styling and the cold charm of a media star looks straight into the camera:
- Imagine a world without crime. Without fear. A world where justice is not a dream, but a reality. Thanks to the heroes... and the League they created.
- "Adeptus Iustitiae. - guards of the new era."
Frame change. Close-up of heroic figures. The camera slides slowly, showing each of them with spectacular graphics and accents.
1. Warrior
Armor that shine in the light is made of alloy, not amenable to time or weapons. Her figure is a combination of strength and grace. Blond short hair emphasizes the face with cold determination. Deep blue eyes study space as if calculating every potential threat.
There is a compact flying backpack on the back. In the hands - two massive pistols decorated with engravings. The weapon is specially calibrated for its power and speed. Every movement is honed and lightning fast.
2. Flora, The Queen Of Nature
The camera slides over her emerald green skin, as if covered with the thinnest veins of foliage. Her hair is lush, scarlet, like rose buds that bloomed in the wind. Poisonous green eyes sparkle with life and ancient power.
She is wearing an exquisite dress the color of dark needles, embroidered with patterns resembling lianas and tree bark. Around her are animals - wolves, owls, deer - and a bird sitting on her finger, to which she leans with tenderness. The air around her seems to whisper, nature obeys her will.
3. Velocity
Man-speed. His dark blue suit fits snugly around the tanned body, as if poured, emphasizing anatomically precise muscles. Neon blue lines run over the suit, pulsating to the rhythm of its pulse.
Black short hair does not move even at super speed. Gray-blue eyes sparkle in anticipation of movement. He stands as if in peace, but the next moment he may find himself in another country. The world is a stretched frame for him.
4. Stormbringer
The one who carries the storm. His black suit with metal inserts seems to be made of the night sky. Dark skin contrasts with the shimmering silver lines on the suit.
His short-cut hair moves slightly from the constant tension around him. Gray eyes are full of clouds. Lightning bursts out of the hand, ionizing the air around. He's standing like a thunderer waiting for the command.
5. Flaming Master
His figure is a mystery. The charcoal-black suit fits snugly around the body. Completely smooth mask without facial features, only two burning eyes, like portals to the abyss.
Tongues of flame enveloping his body come out of his palms. His movements are meditative, as if he controls the element with the power of thought. The voice, if he speaks, resonates with the hum of magma and ancient fire.
6. Enigmar
A ghost among the heroes. His suit completely covers the body - a matte fabric with a metallic sheen. Only the silhouette is visible, like a haze. He is invisible, literally and metaphorically.
Appears suddenly, disappears without a trace. Even the camera barely caught his presence. His presence is felt like a whisper in the dark.
7. He...
The first...
Founder.
He!
Light-bearing!
The screen is flickering.
There is a majestic figure in front of the audience. Tall, perfect - like an antique sculpture, embodied in life. His body is flawless, as if molded by the gods themselves.
Long golden hair flows down the shoulders. The face is hidden by a silver mask with subtle divine patterns. White fabric with gold and scarlet inserts falls off the belt and shoulders.
In his hand is the skull he is looking at. His eyes are white, glowing, as if carrying ancient knowledge. He's not just a hero - he's an architect of a new era. He revived those who left the earth and gave the world a second chance.
AT THE POLICE STATION
Alex turns off the TV. Footsteps are already sounding in the corridor. He collects papers, puts on his coat and goes to the exit.
At the exit he is met by a girl - red-haired, cheeky, in a leather jacket and with a vile half-smile. She leans on the wall and jokes, glancing:
- Oh, Mr. Policeman, won't you stay on duty for a couple more hours? I have here... a very urgent crime that requires your personal intervention.
Alex sighs, but the corners of his lips give away - he doesn't mind. The day is coming to an end, but the stories are just beginning.
TWO DAYS BEFORE...
New York. 2099 year.
Call. An alarming, sparkling connection - through the noise of gravity transport, interference of digital rain and the pulsation of advertising neuroscreens spilling over the walls of buildings.
- Hello? - the voice on the other end is low, tired, with metal reverberation: an implant in the vocal cords, old-fashioned.
- Uncle Harold, this is Alex. - He swallows, his fingers are shaking. - I... wanted to talk. About Laura.
Pause. Click. Harold Evans turns on the visual. His face is assembled from pixels - wrinkles on which the light of the screens is stuck, and eyes, which seem to reflect a whole era.
- Speak.
Alex inhales - slowly, deeply. The lights of the metropolis flicker behind him: an advertising drone sheds light on his cheeks like a searchlight interrogator. From the street you can hear the hum of antigravity taxi, the roar of ventilation shafts and the voice of a street preacher shouting something about the "synthetic soul".
- You and Laura... were my family. After... Well, you know. When they were gone. You accepted me. Supported. I'm... forever grateful for that.
Silence. Only the noise of the city and the crackling of the light panel above the head.
- I want to ask for... blessings. I... I want to propose to her.
Harold's face slowly straightens up. Feelings are almost invisible - only a barely noticeable movement of the eyes.
- Do you know what you're signing up for? She is not one of those who will live a quiet life.
- I'm not looking for peace. I'm looking for her. - Alex speaks as if he's swearing. - I want to be near. Always.
Long pause. Then:
- Do it right, Alex. Don't be prossed.
PROPOSAL DAY
He was choosing a ring for a long time. Not in the jewelry store. It's all plastic and algorithms. Alex went to Lower Manhattan - where there are still real shops left. The old master, with a manipulator hand and eyes replaced by lenses of the optical spectrum, took out a box from an iron box covered with rust.
The ring was strange: the metal gave a little blue, as if energy was flowing in it. It wasn't smart. It just... was.
Like memory. Like an oath.
EVENING. STREETS OF NEW YORK.
They walk along the Old Midway, the former Fifth Avenue, now ingrown in the city like a capillary in a cyberheart. Houses rise up like forgotten gods, between them there are wires, screens, neon slogans flashing:
"HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE. CHOOSE PHARMACOR."
"A HERO IS TECHNOLOGY."
Flying cars rush by, leaving behind a plume of ultrasound. There are police drones scanning passers-by in the alley.
Laura is laughing. Her voice is like music that broke through the asphalt.
- And he just left a pizza box on my windowsill. He says: "The birds didn't finish eating." As if I had to say thank you.
Alex is smiling. He looks at her as if he remembers every pixel.
- You know... - She stops, looks up - into his eyes. - You have a hero's face. One that I would... trust. Forever.
He gets down on one knee. Directly on the wet asphalt, illuminated by a reddish glow of advertising from a neighboring skyscraper.
He takes a box out of his pocket.
- Laura Evans...
She freezes. The world around seemed to hold its breath.
- You are my light in this urban hell. My axis when everything rotates.
Let me be with you. Always.
He opens the box. The ring shines in the light of neon, like a particle of another reality.
But at this moment...
FLASH.
CRACK.
The city seems to bend into an arc. HE appears.
Velocity.
It occurs as an error in the code. The body is covered with a network of cracks, from where steam escapes. The eyes are empty, like a doll. He's covered in blood. There is a human nipple on the cheek.
He doesn't notice him. Breathes like a beast. Due to overheating, his chest is already covered with bubbles - the meat is boiling from the inside, the suit is cracking.
And a blow.
It's as if the air itself exploded.
Alex manages to hug Laura. Instinct. Love. To protect.
But it's too late.
He's falling. Hands squeeze her palms. But everything else...
Only blood. Only pieces.
Body — no. Only doll brushes are in his hands. Everything else is torn off, broken, scattered on the asphalt, like a discarded doll, broken into meat.
He screams, but the sound is lost in the buzzing of the city. The face is covered in blood. The eyes are empty.
- Laura...?
Velocity disappears. Like a phantom. Like a virus.
And at that moment Alex realized:
This city is not alive. It's an organism. Sick, with rotting vessels, where the heroes are only inflamed cells.
No League. No system. No god.
No one will save.
And it all started with that.
Personal dossier — object: VELOCITY
Full name: Jacob "Jake" Randall
Status: Full member of the League "Adeptus Iustitia" (Latin: "Adepts of Justice")
Age: 29
Height: 1.98 m
Weight: 95 kg
Physical characteristics and abilities:
1. Speed: Maximum — 120 km/h (the average human run is 15 km/h).
2. Acceleration: to maximum in 1.2 seconds.
3. Strength: Increased, but mainly due to inertial impulses during movement. Normal strength level is slightly above average, about 70 kg bench press.
4. Stamina: High for short periods of time, limited due to overheating of the body.
5. Reflexes: Enhanced, reaction time — about 10 ms.
Features of the ability and its consequences:
1. Jake Randall has a unique metabolic reaction, allowing him to develop speeds significantly higher than the human norm. However, due to the extreme kinetic energy released during movement, the body is exposed to strong thermal effects, which can lead to irreversible tissue damage.
2. To control the temperature and prevent overheating, the Velocity suit is equipped with a built-in cooling system:
2.1. Water cooling with liquid nitrogen circulation (prototype).
2.2. Thermoregulatory nanocoatings on the skin.
2.3. Active fans and heat exchangers built into the suit.
3. Despite these measures, the cooling system only works effectively for the first 3-4 minutes of maximum load. With prolonged activity, a rapid increase in body temperature is noted, accompanied by painful blisters and partial tissue degradation, which limits the duration of use of the power.
Notes:
1. Current cooling technologies are considered experimental and require further development to avoid critical damage to the body during prolonged use of the abilities.
2. The lack of information about the past creates difficulties in psychological analysis and control of the object.