Spirals of Fate is a serialized work of fiction centering on the intellectual property of City of Heroes and City of Villains. Chapter One centered on two villains, Vincent and Mara, and their breakout from the Zigg, a prison used to house those with super powers. They met another villain named Mosaic and the three headed for Arachnos flyers and freedom. Chapter 2 explored the perspective of the young heroes called to defend their city from the rising tide of crime. In Chapter 3 Part 1, Mosaic, Vincent and Mara arrive at an Arachnos-held area and were changing from prison garb to street clothes when another escapee accosts Mara, leading to Vincent – yet again – dealing with the situation in a violent manner.

Spirals of Fate: Chapter Three (Harsh Environments) - Part Two
By Michael Lafferty and Matthew Eberle

The sudden violence had spread among the villains like wildfire. Waves of flame and ice battled back and forth at the rear of the crowd. Several hulking figures were battling it out in a fierce brawl at the center of the courtyard. Mosaic watched as the fierce melee spilled towards Vincent. A blast of radiant energy caught the young man square in the back, driving him to his knees. Before the attacker could follow up on his success Vincent had already surged to his feet. The eerie, booming howl of Vincent’s rage echoed through the courtyard. As other villains turned to see what the haunting noise was he spun and struck his attacker. The green and gray figure behind him took the blow in the center of his chest. A sound like tearing cloth echoed after the blow, dark energies lashing the villain. In the suddenly silent courtyard the only sound was the unconscious villain collapsing heavily to the pavement.

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The distraction had given Mara time to move away. She knew that Vincent would be Ok, he always was, but she didn’t want to be seen as the cause of the commotion. Her inner defense mechanisms were in full flight. ‘Escape,’ she felt urged, ‘run away.’ It was an old refrain. But now … for the first time she was starting to feel there was a piece of her getting very tired of that. She had taken it, the verbal abuse, the physical abuse, for so long. Her ability to turn invisible had allowed her to move away, but something else inside was tired of the running.

“That was a nice trick, girlie,” a voice said into her left ear. “Get them all riled up and then let your boyfriend take care of business while you run away.”

Mara spinned and was face to face with a tall brutish-looking woman. Tall may have been an understatement, but Mara classed everyone that way, due to her diminutive size. But the woman was muscled more like a man, bulging biceps, a cruel face that sported scar. Her hair was short, razor-cut, and bleached white. Her blue-stained lips curled into a sneer.

“But what are you going to do when your boyfriend is occupied. He’s not here and I got an idea about you working …” The words faded out. The woman was still speaking but Mara had stopped listening. There was a fuzziness, a surreal quality to the scene, playing out in slow motion. It all stopped making sense. Instead, all she felt was the bottled rage, now rushing forward. This woman, standing there, mocking her, was the culmination of everyone who had wronged her, either physically, emotionally, or mentally.

“no more …” The words seemed far away.

‘no more …” the intensity was growing. Then the words were there, blinding her. It ceased to be a woman standing there, eyes widening in surprise. Instead it was an object, a thing, a source of all Mara disliked.

“NO MORE!” the voice screamed and Mara struck out, her fists pounding into the image of the woman, fists encased in a reddish glow. The woman, who was not a tangible being to Mara, crunched down, diminished under the thunderous blow, bones shattering. The face looked up, an odd question trying to form. Mara put a glowing fist into the face, driving the woman back, into a crowd that had turned to stare at her, shock on their faces, knocking over many more combatants. She was wild with the rage released, looking for the next target. She swung a fist at an approaching form, a man-like creature that seemed to be wrapped in black mist.

Vincent caught the hand, allowing his shield to absorb the impact. Still, he felt the immense power there.

“Mara?” His words were more than a question, they were an offering of comfort to the wild-eyed woman.

… to be continued
In Chapter 3, Part 3 Mosaic begins weaving Vincent and Mara into the fabric of his plans for power.

This is a fictional story is based on the intellectual property of City of Heroes and City of Villains. That property was used as a backdrop for this story with the permission of both Ncsoft and Cryptic Studios. While this story uses that world as a backdrop, it is not meant to reflect either gameplay or storylines with the massively multiplayer online world. Some of the images used with Spirals of Fate have been taken from the game and modified to suit the illustrative purposes of this story. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only.

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