Key for reading the story:
This story is begins the Nightwalkers Saga. To read the history of the Nightwalkers, see Generation Pre .
When you see a "~" this means some sort of telepathy (mind reading) or telekinetic (moveing objects with one's mind) action is taking place.
Abbreviations are as follows: CC-Caped Crusader. NF-Nightfall. Mob-The Latent Moblin.
Generation Ex
Prologue Back in the early 1980's another evolutionary mutation in the human race occurred; but not on a wide scale. A few dozen children were born with strange and unique abilities. These older children would use their gifts to impress their friends. However, their parents never could never quite accept the differences their children had. Then these children grew up. They each would decide how, if at all, they would use their powers. Some, in an attempt to be a normal human being would reject their mutant side and forsake their powers. Others, used them for the better of human kind. Like two in specific Max Jones and Jeff Knight. And still yet others, would use their powers for self-satisfaction and crime. Max, a young man just out of high school, not yet sure what he wanted to do with himself; who grew up in the city Kernersville, North Carolina. All he knew is that he was happy to be alive. He had a steady job at a computer corporation where he made more money that most of his friends put together. Since childhood he had a fascination with electronics and computers. Since then he read all the books, learned all the programs, done everything he could to learn the computer inside and out. His mature knowledge allowed him to get a job at a large computer corporation near where he lived. He also had a girl friend, Michelle. One he'd been with since school. They were in love and happy all the time. He was on cloud-nine. He had plenty of money for a teenager, a girl to love, and plenty of time ahead of him. But then one night a man killed his girlfriend, right in front of him. Max was able to help the police catch the man but it still didn't bring his girlfriend back. All he could do is ask God; "Why? Why me, God? Why?" He had no answer for him. Max secluded himself from everyone. Wore black all the time, and only came out at night. Finally he heard the answer God had been telling him. He had a dream. A dream with a man wearing a cape saving a person's life. Him along side of someone else. So he set out to become that hero. Not just for himself, not just for God, but for his first and only love. Jeff, also a young man who lived on the other side of Kernersville had already decided to be a hero. He didn't know how but he just knew he had to use his powers to help people. One day he went for a walk down the street when he saw man trying to abduct a little girl. He run over to her and told the man she was NOT coming with him. Furious, the man pulled out a staff of some sort and shot Jeff with some sort of beam. A deadly beam. Jeff fell the ground dead and the girl ran away screaming in utter horror. The man fled immediately. Jeff was taken to the hospital where they tried to resuscitate him. It was useless his soul had already left his body. In Heaven, Jeff's soul was confronted by God. He told him to go back he had a job to do. Jeff accepted his mission and returned to Earth.
The story begins here. In an empty field next to a church. It is part of a graveyard that belongs to the church but the field looks long unattended. It's weeds are knee high. A strange man speaks to his companion as they begin to start something sinister. "Just shut your trap! I told you no one would ever suspect a church. It's perfect, nothin' short of 'Superman' can stop us!" "I don't know, boss. What if I sneeze and the neighbors think you shot the preacher and the cops come and see us here with all this and they catch us and we run and they shoot us and we die and we go to the bad boy's place and the king bad boy gets mad and he...", the companion rambles continuously, "I said SHUT UP! Now come on and lets get out of here before anyone sees." The boss begins by gathering some of the things he needs. "Get that pipe over there and I'll get..." The boss looks up and sees a little girl watching in amazement. "Get what?... What?... Boss? Hey! You saw that little girl before I did! Boy, you're good boss!", the companion says happily "Get her.", the Boss says calmly. "GASP? No, boss." "OH!!!! Do I have to do everything myself?!" The Boss takes a gun and captures the little girl. The Boss and his friend gather what they can carry and they leave just as a shot is heard. An old man who lives next door to the church runs out of his house with a rifle ready to shoot. He is horrified when he sees the little girl's bloody body. He runs as fast as he can in his house and dials 911 to call the police. At the police station. "Hello, Police, Officer Parker speaking, how may I help you? A murder?... Kernersville... A church?... Uh huh... No, no we believe you. We're sending a patrol car there now... Uh huh... Good bye. Chief, gotta murder in Kernersville!" "Kernersville! That's in 'Omega'! Sound the alarm, have them rally here officer!" The police officer runs to a glass case on a shelf in the conference room of the police station. He takes a sliver key from his pocket and unlocks the glass case. Inside the cage is a large red button. The officer presses the button and it lights up.At the home of Max Jones a red light is ignited and an alarm is set off. Max jumps up from his sleep and wide awake dials a phone number. "Hey, Mob... You can't make it... alright I'll tell them, out. Well, you'll come won't you, 'fall?" He presses the hook and then dials another number. "Hello. Oh, it's you CC!", says Jeff. "Yeah, got bad news. The Omega alarm just went off. You know what that means." "Crime in Kernersville!", later the two of them meet in the chief's office in costume and disguises. The chief sits down and offers the two a seat but they decline. "Well, Nightwalkers, it's good to see you again. I only wish the conditions were better. We got a call about an hour ago from some scared old man. He said a strange man and an idiot were hanging around a church and it's graveyard when a shot was fired and a little girl was killed. So we go you a new patrol." CC speaks to the chief and to Nightfall, "The Latent Moblin is still in recruit form and I suggest we don't even tell him about this. It sounds a little too dangerous for a beginner and he's still getting over the beating he took last time. What do you all think?" The chief gives only his opinion, "I'd say you're probably right, but you are the superheros not me. So I'll leave that decision to you." Nightfall says without a second thought, "I say yeah! We can't baby him! He's either a Nightwalker or not. I mean he'll never learn without on the job-experience." CC looks at the Chief and Nightfall, "Well, NF, Chief, it looks like we got ourselves a hung jury." Later they meet at the Nightwalker's hidden base. Their base is in a small open spot deep in a forest in Kernersville. The entrance is on the top of a hill and beyond is a small flight of stairs leading underground inside the base. They are inside in the computer room. One entire side of the room is covered with monitors, and computes. One large screen functions as the main viewer. There are several seats in front of the computers giving multi-user access. The rest of the room is more or less file cabinets and storage facilities for disks and other files. " 'fall, I don't know. Do ya really think he's ready?", CC asks sitting infront of the computer. "Ready or not, he'll never get ready without getting out here and fight for his life. Or at least that's how I feel.", Nightfall says sitting next to him. "You've been right before... But let's start on this case we got alot of work to get started on before we do any knuckle cracking. Let's figure out what kind of graveyard freaks we gotta go n' get." "Hey! Ya know we used to hang around graveyards too.", NF says. "Yeah, I know. Anyways I'll use my psychic probe to scan for any intruders outside then I'll go to the graveyard and see what I can 'dig up'! See ya later." "See ya." CC opens his mind so that other thoughts can enter. He senses only one man's thoughts and he knows it's Nightfall's. CC's psychic probe finds no one nearby that could see the secret hideout so he leaves for the graveyard. Because the church is not far from the base, just through the woods, he decides to travel on foot. After CC leaves, Nightfall works on training the Latent Moblin. They go into the "combat simulation room." Nightfall gives him several situations to try to escape from. As he is trying Nightfall hears commotion outside the secret base. Nightfall tries to hail CC using the unique psychic rapport the Nightwalkers share. ~CC, where are you?~ CC who has just arrived at the graveyard quickly responds, ~Nightfall! What is it? I'm here at the church.~ ~Something is going on outside. I thought it might be you.~ ~Well I'll meet you outside the base!~, CC drops the evidence but sees a good set of fingerprints. Rushing he lifts the prints and takes them. CC runs to the base and meets NF outside of the base. Near by, "Where are we boss?" "How the heck should I know?! If you hadn't lost the map we would be-OW!", the boss stops instantly when his psychic powers register other psychic powers. "Boss! What is it?!", his companion asks. "A psychic! Somewhere near by. Shut up while I probe." ~Where are you psychic? What are you doing here? Where is here?~ Meanwhile CC and NF are scouting the area looking for intruders. "Well I don't see anything, NF. I guess it was just a raccoon. I might as well just--Oh!" CC's psychic power register the psychic probe. "What is it CC?! What did you sense?!" ~Raising psychic-defence.~ "Someone near by... psychic power registered a psychic probe." Down a path leading up to the base come two strange men. "I see them! Let's get'em!" They run aggressively at the two strangers. "Boss they're coming! Run!!", the companion yells. ~Mentally bolting two strange men~, CC mentally attacks their mind's. "AaaAaaHhHh! Keep running!!" The two leave but CC foolishly continues to bolt them. "CC, that's enough! They're going already! I said enough!", Nightfall pounds CC to the ground. CC breaks his concentration and his bolting stops. "Hated to do that but I didn't think you were going to stop bolting them." NF helps CC up off the ground. "I should be thanking you. I couldn't stop. I just kept bolting I don't know what got into me. Come on I'm going back to the base.", and so they reach the base. Back in the computer room, "I'm going to call the chief of police." CC picks up the phone and dials a familiar number. A special phone rings in the police station in the chief's office. The chief knows it is the Nightwalkers' special phone. Back at the base... "Hi chief, It's me, Caped Crusader, well I investigated the crime scene and found some interesting things... two big rocks used as seats I think, because they were surrounding a burnt out campfire, a large empty pot, a gun, two masks, about twelve thousand in cash, and get this an arm, a leg and a head... Yeah, a head... Yes sir, I found some fingerprints at the scene and the Latent Moblin is running them through our databases. Yes sir if we require the police's help we will call you. Yes, sir good bye.", CC hangs up the phone. "CC, no record of the fingerprints you brought back.", says Latent Moblin. "That's no surprising, Mob." ~ ! ~ CC hears NF's thought. "Hey, that's a good idea. Yeah, I think we all should do that Nightfall." "What's that CC?" "What you just said, you know about us going to the service at the church for clues." "I never said that. I had just thought of it as you mentioned it." "What you mean you didn't say that. My powers have been feeling weird all day. If you can handle it without me for a while I think I'll go home and rest.", CC says confused. "Go ahead and take the day off. Mob, and I can work together. We'll see you, out of uniform, at church tomorrow." Caped Crusader leaves and returns home. The next day. Max and Jeff are in the church. The service is about to begin. "How ya feeling today Max?" "Well, I'm not one to complain... How far did Chris get in training yesterday?" "He got a level higher I think, but I exhausted him so he stayed home." "That's fine we can manage with out him." Max looks around and sees the two men they ran off the day before. ~Hey! Look over there sitting a few rows from us, aren't they the one's we run off?~, CC uses his mental powers to keep them from hearing them. "Yeah, I think. I'm not sure though." "I guess there's only one way to find out..." ~Who are you?~ A few rows over... "Boss! Help! My head go tinkle!" The strange man feels the slight psychic probe. "Yeah, mine too. The psychic! He's here somewhere! I gotta probe and find him." ~Which one are you?~ Back at our heroes... "Ahhh! I gotta get out of here; one of them is a psychic too. He'll figure out who we are!", so our hero CC leaves the building and runs out of sight just in time. The service begins. The pastor greets everyone and pronounces the next few minutes for every one to greet each other. The Boss approaches Jeff. "Hey, your new here Mr..." "Me friends call me Mike, ye can call me Jeff." "Uh, yeah. So where are you from, Jeff?", asks the Boss. Jeff realizes the Boss is asking too many questions. "Why are ye so interested in me?" The Boss gets annoyed "Why aren't you telling us anything and why do you have the name Mike if you're English?" "That's Irish and I told ye it's Jeff. Ye know I don't think this is the right church for me so I'll be seeing ya lad. Good day!", Jeff gets up to leave "Hey, wait I'm sorry! Come back, Jeff. Stop!", shouts the Boss. Jeff gets perturbed, "Just ye try and stop me ye wee...!" Trying to calm Jeff down before he makes a scene the Boss says, "Okay! Okay! Bye.", so Jeff returns to his house. Immediately he changes into his costume and takes a underground monorail to the secret base of the Nightwalkers. CC is already there. They meet back in the computer room. "Hey, Nightfall, I thought 'Jeff' was going to stay.", CC says surprised. "No, too many questions were being asked. I just pulled the 'I be a wee Leprechaun' stunt. Didn't fall for it though." Laughing CC says, "Duh! Nobody in their right mind would fall for that one. Hey I gotta plan but what do we do about Mob?" "Let's tell him what we're doing, have him posted here, and go from there. So what's this plan of yours?", CC explains his plan to Nightfall and he agrees. With the Latent Moblin at the base, Caped Crusader and Nightfall go to the graveyard for a stake out. They are under some trees and bushes which hide them. "Well, it's a slow night for a change. Why don't we see what... Are you ok, CC?" NF notices CC's spaced out look. "Uh... yeah. I feel just... I've felt... Well...", he is unable to describe his feelings. "I see." "No, it's just I'm not sure about my powers they've been feeling strange for the past day or two. I'm not sure I can handle this.", CC says worried "Well if I could... " POW! A shot is fired seconds before a flash lights up the sky. "What the @#$% !!! Let's go!!", they run to the field and hide in the shadows to observe this: "Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Now the last ingredient. Hand me the mortal heart, Man Servant Hecubus!" He walks to a freshly killed corps and reaches in it's chest. He pulls out the heart and hands it to the boss as he drops it in the pot. As the pot began to bubble and steam the boss started to chant a spell. "Oh, spirits from the dark... Give me a staff of light!" A hole opens up from the sky and a staff falls out of the sky and into the hand of the boss. The boss started to stir the pot as he continued to chant. "Demons! Yes, yes, yes! Take thy life of the Man-in-Garfield Shirt and give it to my creature of the night." Even though Nightfall knew his former identity was the Man-in-Garfield Shirt, he got a gut feeling of safety although his fate was being cast before his eyes. The body parts began to levitate, the head, arm, heart, and leg. A bolt of light flashed from the sky hitting the parts and a bolt of light flashed form the sky hitting the parts and then hitting Nightfall. "Noooo!" Shouted the fearful CC. As he did this it gave away the hiding spot they were hiding at. "Nightfall?! Man-in-Garfield Shirt is that you?! Yes!!", realized the boss. "It's you, the Warlock! Hey, CC I'm not Man-in-Garfield Shirt anymore so he can't do anything to me!", shouts Nightfall relieved. Smiling the Warlock says, "Oh, but your wrong. Demons! Take thy life of Nightfall and give it to my... Umph!!" Nightfall uses his immortal strength to knock the Warlock to the ground but Man Servant Hecubus tackles Nightfall to the ground just as CC jumps in to his rescue. "Man Servant Hecubus, kill Nightfall's companion now!" "Yes, Master!" Man Servant Hecubus fires photons of light from his hands at CC just as he: ~Telekinetically shielding body~ "Hey, Man Servant Hecubus I just learned a new mutant power of mine watch this!" CC begins to turn green and morph into a giant dinosaur. Using his bad grammar Man Servant Hecubus says, "Master! Master, he's a dinosaur! He get me! He get me!" "Man Servant Hecubus you simpleton, he's planting that image in you head. He's no dinosaur.", says Warlock annoyed. "Master, let's trade mine is too scary!" "Oh, whatever!" Man Servant Hecubus fights Nightfall and the Warlock attacks CC. "Hey, Man Servant Hecubus over here." Using his immortal strength Nightfall pounds Man Servant Hecubus but nothing happens. He appears unaffected. "He He He. I'm invemontable!" Laughing at Man Servant Hecubus' bad pronunciation Nightfall says, "Uh... I think you mean 'invulnerable'? Hey CC I could use some help here. Another of those no pain packages!" "Wee, you're not as scary as the other guy." He gets the misguided idea Nightfall is less of an adversary. ~Giving Man Servant Hecubus the suggestion Nightfall's a leprechaun.~ "Yeah, not scary at all you even look like a... ", Man Servant Hecubus says realizing what Nightfall looks like. "What are ye trying to say lad? Leprechaun?" "Ahhhh! You're scary too!" Nightfall runs over to the money laying on the ground and begins to chase Man Servant Hecubus. "Did ye steal me pot 'o gold? For this ye shall ner' see the light o' day!" This little display has captured CC's attention. The Warlock raises his staff above CC's head. CC unintentionally reads his mind. ~I'll bash him in the head while he's not looking~ Just as CC turns around he is bashed in the head with incredible strength just as CC emits a mental blast. ~HELP! Ahhh! Pain so great! Can't feel anything...~ Both Nightfall and the Latent Moblin receive the distress message. The Latent Moblin leaps up and leaves the base in route to the Nightwalkers. He realizes it's time to leave the post. The leprechaun illusion disappears immediately and then the two villains gang up on Nightfall. The Warlock fires a blast of energy from his staff throwing Nightfall to the ground and Man Servant Hecubus pins him down. Then the Warlock continues his spell "Demons! Take thy life of Nightfall and give it to my... Umph!!" The Latent Moblin appeared to the rescue by shooting an ice blast from his eyes. The Warlock had been knocked down twice and he was getting very tired of it. He began chanting inferno spells at the Nightwalkers. An enormous flame of intense heat exploded directly in front of the Latent Moblin. Using his freeze vision he tried to put out the fire but couldn't compete with the Warlock's evil spell. Spontaneous flames engulfed CC. The Latent Moblin was able to move his body to safety before he sustained much injury. While Man Servant Hecubus was amazed, Nightfall was able to overpower and throw him into a large flame just as another flame quickly swallowed Nightfall up from underneath. He was immune to much of the heat due to his near immortal invulnerability. Though he couldn't feel it, Nightfall came out of the fire with his skin on fire. Knowing he couldn't defeat Nightfall directly, the Warlock used an irrational last resort. He became so determined to defeat NF he would stop at nothing to get him. He may have to stop at nothing to actually get him. He chanted a final spell: "Demons of the dark and of the night... Take the life of..." The Warlock had to duck to avoid an icy blast that flew towards his head. "... Man Servant Hecubus!!!" And give it to my creature of the night!!!" And so it was done. CC arose to see a bolt of light to fall from the sky and hit the levitating body parts. Another bolt from the body parts was emitted towards Man Servant Hecubus. But he managed to leap out of it's path. As he jumped out of the way the bolt hit CC. Everyone gasped as CC collapsed. Nightfall rushed to CC only to find he was dead. "No! CC was not to die!", exclaimed the Warlock. The remaining 4 super beings stood in amazement staring at CC's dead corpse. Nightfall began to shout. "Warlock! You'll pay for this. I'll avenge his death if it's the last thing I do!" To correct the mistake evil uses two wrongs to make a right. Though no one could bare the consequences another bolt fell successfully hitting Man Servant Hecubus. He collapsed, dead. The body parts began to move by themselves. The Latent Moblin ran with all his speed into the church as the body parts began to take from of a demon. Throwing bolts of black rays he began to hit tombstones. Zombies began coming up from the graves that he hit. The demon appeared to actually resurrect the bodies in the graveyard. The Zombies were in such a rage they began to take their tombstones and throw them. Most of them crumbled before hitting Nightfall. After they didn't appear to spare the Warlock, he retreated. The Latent Moblin came out of the church with a sliver cross with razor sharp edges. Just as the demon fired a black bolt the Latent Moblin threw the cross. The cross stabbed into the demon causing it pain. As the demon clenched with pain he missed a tombstone and hit CC's body. The demon fell to the ground breaking into the body parts and the cross. Immediately the Zombies died and fell to the ground right were they were. Bewildered the Nightwalkers watched as CC arose from the dead. "How and what did you do?!", Nightfall demands. The Latent Moblin simply says "It was a demon that possessed the body parts right? Well he couldn't stand anything holy, like a cross." Confused CC says "Alright, who dug up all our ancestors and what happened here?" They laugh as the police pull up. They explain what happened and return to the base. When they return CC sets down at the main computer. He begins to fill in his log entry for the day. When he finishes he loads the file containing the Latent Moblin's training logs and he reads them. He decides it is time to end the Latent Moblin's Training. To Be Continued...