The Champion/The Princess

Previously

Following the 3^rd Societies attack on Los Angeles, The Cardinal Princess made a stagy attempt to prevent the machine cult from expanding. Tapping into her reality warping powers, the young hybrid goddess trapped the entire society in a small community. It was not without a price; Maya had to sacrifice the heart of the person she loved the most, Ziccarra.

In the months waning Maya found refuge in the arms of her father, Thee Champion.

Now.

The night progressed without too many problems, a minor accident here or there, but nothing to immense for her to handle. Being the child of two different brand of deities blessed Maya with a plethora of skills and abilities; most of them she’d yet to master. Her father, Thee Champion provided a commanding presence in the town that deterred major crime. It was the perfect training ground for a rookie hero, but it didn’t possesses the excitement needed to fuel an active teenage mind. She flirted with the idea of joining one of the world’s most prominent organizations such as, The Champions; but her mother forbid it. It was never explained why, Maya could only gather that Ziccarra wanted them to operate as a family; which she totally understood, but she didn’t like it.

Her relationship with her father was awkward to say the least, she knew he loved her; and she knew she loved him; but other than having his DNA they really didn’t have anything in common, aside for watching classic films; which she was almost sure he only watched just to spend time with her,

In-between doing chores and patrolling Malaga; Maya frequently submitted her portfolio to modeling agencies hoping to land a small gig. She received callbacks from numerous agencies; but wasn’t able to find the time to make one.

She rounded the villa for the third time making sure all her chores were finished before her father returned; there was something she wanted to ask him, something her mother had already said no to. She wanted her own identity; to break away from both the Cardinals and New Gods all together.

In short she wanted to live and act on her own, as she pondered what she would say a blinking red light on her mother computer snagged her attention. “Brahma Bull…” She murmured, reading the title on her mama’s terrorist tracker.

She remembered her parents having a conversation about him in her quantum files, but she was never able to place a face with a profile. “These patterns…he’s not just in one place” she thought, retracing his route. “Looks like an affiliated gang.”

The small villa shook, Maya immediately pulled away from the computer slightly freighted at the forceful exertion. Hastily tip-toing across the room, she snagged her sketch book full of her uniform ideas; she then moved across the kitchen grabbing his bocadillo hoping to win his favor with her afternoon treat.

Ebulliently blitzing through the gelid air of the cloudless azure sky, the Herald of Hope's mind wandered to a topic that warranted his concern. It was no matter of world peace, upholding justice or fighting for the rights of others. No as the searing temperatures and pressure generated by the rufescent cone of superheated plasma enveloping his iconic person as greater velocities were attained, Alexis' mind thought only of one thing, his parenting. Even the loud, sharp crack of thunder birthed from the rapid expansion and pressure of the scorched air could not divert his train of thought from his sweet though odd relationship with his daughter, Maya. Having struggled so laboriously to seek render possible his daughter's freedom from the Third Society, Thee Champion was modestly put, a highly involved parent.

There few things in the world that swayed his attention from his righteous duties as a perpetual defender of mankind. Among those things however, it was both his beloved spouse, Ziccarra, and his tenderhearted but proud daughter, Maya that stood atop the peak. Too often the Herald of Hope lacked a consistency with the character he conducted himself with when interacting with his daughter. At times he governed himself with a fatherly sternness, necessary to remind his child of the boundaries of their relationship. Whereas other times he sought to be a more personable figure, her friend so to speak, perhaps allowing his efforts to come across too hard as he attempted to be her 'buddy' or the 'cool dad' as the present generation's youth once put. Always drifting back and forth between the two, never truly locating his balance, he truly needed to forge an impacting relationship with his daughter.

One not unlike the one she shares with her mother, Ziccarra. Oh how he wanted that with his daughter. To truly bond and connect. For her starry eyes to idolize him as they do Ziccarra. Unfortunately, their respective interests often left father and daughter worlds apart. Soaring into the architecturally unique city of Malaga, his ingress announced by the erupting series of sonic booms that tore the sky asunder, Alexis culminated his controlled descent with a temperate landing before the front door to his family's palatial abode. And as the minds of geniuses tend to, the Red & Blue Icon's formulated a potentially fruitful idea, one that would perhaps enable him to further bond with his daughter over their greatest mutual interest, super-heroics. Guiding himself into his home, his voice softly called out, "Maya?".

Detecting his daughter's bio-electrical signature in the kitchen, he soon walks into the room of culinary practice, greeting his daughter first with a benign smile of fatherly affection and a subsequent kiss on the forehead, much to Maya's embarrassment. "Hello my Yaya", he teased, 'Yaya' being his daughter's mispronunciation of her own name during her infantile years prior to her traumatic kidnapping by the Third Society. Briefly glancing at the warm bocadillo resting atop a plate in her grasp, Alexis curiously inquired, "Is that for me?", he paused, his attention soon shifting towards the sketch book held by her other hand. "Your sketchbook. Are there some drawings Yaya wants to show me?", he smiled, his ocular ability to perceive microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang enabling him to peek into her sketchbook's pages.

"Oh costume designs. Funny that you have those with you, I was just about to suggest something. I know your mother always forbade you from joining the Champions of Peace and all of those other teams, but that's because we care about your safety", he continued. "We know you're very powerful but you're our baby girl, Yaya. We barely had the chance to be with you before...", before the Third Society realized their dream of capturing a deity, Maya. "And now that you're here, it's admittedly difficult for your mother and I to envision you being a hero out there on your own without us. We want to work as a team, you, me and your mother. But since she's not here right now and because it wouldn't technically be breaking her rule on super-heroics since I'm here, what do you say to patrolling the city with me come nighttime?".

She welcomed his presence having spent most of the day by herself, his authorative presence provided a bit of solace. An involuntary smile escaped her cherry tinted lips, her dad’s nickname was adorable; to see such a mammoth man use such an endearing term tickled her. Resting her head on Alexis’ shoulder, while guiding him through their beige corridor slightly pulling on his shoulder. Her parents were wealthy, so money wasn’t an issue; what she lust for was a chance to establish her own identity in the world of heroics.

Her dark brown eyes never left her father’s face as he flipped through her sketchbook, watching how he actively took an interest to her talents as an artist. Though their relationship was an awkward one, his style of parenting was completely opposite from the almost totalitarian approach her mother implemented. He was a lot more compassionate, more understand; and seemingly understood what the sheltered teen went through.

Plopping down on the couch, her ears turned intently toward his voice; it was calm, reassuring, and compromising. She could feel her body trembling from excitement; his revelation was exactly what she wanted, a chance to do some real heroics. Pushing from the couch, the 5’10 teen launch herself at her dad hugging him with most of her strength.

“Papi thank you!” She shrieked allowing her thick Spanish inflection to filter through. Many of her costume designs ran through her head, most of them were derived from her mother and father’s uniforms. If she TRULY wanted her own persona, she needed something that made her stand out; with a snap of her fingers, the vibrant red one piece, with ornate head dress took precedence on her body. Maya’s slim body was easily visible with the fabric she chose to go with, but it also made her appear to be more than just a teenager.

“I can’t wait, to get out on the town!” the enthusiasm in her voice richoeted through the villa; the increased volume only made her realize she needed to calm down. “Oh! That reminds me, Papa that light has been blinking all day…what does it mean?”

Her finger pointed to her mother’s terrorist tracker, it was still blinking rapidly; it had snagged her attention for quite some time.

“Papi…can I ask you a question?” She asked, knowing she’d ask whether or not he agreed. “What do you see in my mom?” She loved her mom; she shared a healthy relationship with her, but Ziccarra was more of an aggressive combatant, graceful yet aggressive. He was a lot more passive; it just didn’t add up.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother; but you guys just seem like complete opposites”

Warmheartedly embracing his daughter's enthusiastic hug by affectionately wrapping both arms around her tall, slender frame, an audible expression of fatherly contentment escaped his widening smile, "Awww you're welcome Yaya". Planting a quick, doting peck on his daughter's cheek moments prior to the conclusion of their familial embrace, a sportive chuckle escaped Alexis' sculpted frame as he harmlessly teased his only child, "You're getting stronger. One of these days you're going to crack one of my arms with those hugs hehe". Shifting his attention towards the blinking light festooning Ziccarra's laptop screen, Alexis addressed Maya's curious inquiry, "Oh that".

"Well, you can see that on the computer screen, that's a digital map of the globe. That blinking light is emitted from one of the trackers I helped build for your mother. She's using it to track the movements of the Brahma Bull, he's a terrorist with a penchant for destroying cities. Your mother realized that uncovering his location would be extremely difficult because he never seems to ever be in one place. Very elusive person", he resumed. "So the last time she confronted him, I gave her a tracker she slipped into his person so now we can predict his movements and know where and when he'll attack next. Well, until he figures out that there's a tracking device embedded in his body". Continuing, the Herald of Hope offered some additional elaboration.

"And she's not only using it to study his movements. She's using different tracking devices for several criminal targets". Hoping to have fully answered Maya's inquiries, Alexis found himself partially taken aback by the statuesque Liafador's subsequent question. Gradually yielding to an emerging smile, Thee Champion turned to composedly meet his daughter's eyes and relieve her of her confusion. "Yes, your mother and I are in many ways opposites. What do I see in her? I'll try and put into words what I feel for your mother. You see, before marrying your mother, before we had you, my life was very different. I was raised to adhere to good values. I've done many things in love. I've traveled to other planets, interacted with extraterrestrial civilizations, but all of those were unintentional occurrences during my heroic duties".

"I would go to another planet to save this person from something and I'd end up meeting an alien race. I'd return to Earth and stop a tyrant from taking over and in the process I'd befriend the heroes I teamed up with to stop the tyrant. I'd do the same thing over and over again, I'd meet people I befriended, women I would date but nothing would ever stop me from devoting my entire life to helping other people. That was my life. And nothing could distract me from it, and I really believed that nothing ever would. That nothing would ever break my focus from devoting one hundred percent of my time and energy to being a hero and nothing else, until I met your mother", he smiled almost boyishly, endeared by emerging thoughts of his beloved spouse.

"She and I worked together to save a city and I fell in love with her. I'm not exactly sure why. On paper we're incompatible. But I remember respecting her more than anyone. Your mother.. she wasn't always a good person", implicitly highlighting Ziccarra's villainous past. "But she sought redemption and devoted her every being to making the lives of other people better even though hers deteriorated. Few people believed that she had changed, but she never let that get to her, she kept doing good, not for recognition but because she knew it was the right thing to do. I respected her for that. Before meeting her, my life was 'save that guy', 'protect those people', 'stop that bridge from falling'. And I could never see myself being anything other than the person who does those things. But I did, I ended up marrying your mother, and then we had you. She was the only one who ever made me want to be more than just a hero".

"She made me want to be her husband", he laughed, "To become a father. Honestly Yaya, I don't know what to say but your mother.. she's the one", he smiled, "I know its sappy but really, she's the one. And when you meet 'the One', you just.. know".

She actively listened to her father explain what attracted him to her mother, the passion in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. The story that was Thee Champion and The Goddess contained many chapters; though Ziccarra did her best to hide her nefarious past from Maya, the young teen was able to research most of her exploits. Her father on the other hand was a different story, everything she wanted to know about him was as simple; as asking. Only after digesting his story, she realized their differences were exactly why they were perfect together.

“Well…oh. Wait hold on” She started, then stopped. Removing her phone, she quickly fixed her hair before taking a selfie to upload on Instagram. She then turned the camera around, and took another with her father standing in the background. Her status in society had only just recently been discovered, when one of her friends tagged her as Ziccarra’s daughter, her followers increased by almost 2k.

She loved taking pictures, once the news broke, Maya begin taking hordes upon hordes of selfies, sometimes with both of her parents. She posted pictures of both Catalina and Isadora, her sisters even though she’d never met them. She was proud of her family, proud of its history, and proud to be a part of it.

Replying to a comment, she returned her attention back to her father. “You know, when you explain it like that… it kind of makes sense why you guys are in love” Maya replied, leaning on the threshold. “From what you’ve explained Mami was a lost soul until she met you, you provided purpose and direction; and aided in her transition. You on the other hand, were a drifter going where every you were needed, she gave you stability. I get it. It’s actually kind of romantic”.

She couldn’t help but look at the situation for what it was, she was a hopeless romantic at heart; she was more so proud that she was the product of her parents affection.

“What about you though?” She asked, completely forgetting they were supposed to go on a nighttime patrol. “Where are YOUR parents? How come we don’t have your last name?”

The details of her father’s past were perplexing. She knew he received his powers through man-made means, but was that really all he was…? A weapon?

“I’m glad that you’re my dad, I’m glad that “The Goddess” is my mom. I can’t imagine growing to a full adult without having known either of you….even though mom is…a Trunchible.” She dropped her tone for that last part, knowing he wouldn’t take too kindly to badmouthing her mother. She didn’t like the fact that bodyguards escorted her to school, or that she wasn’t able to go over her friend’s house; but given what happened to Isadora and Catalina…she knew it would kill her mother if something happened to her.

“But…” She grew visibly impatient, not because of the conversation; she enjoyed that, but because she was ready to leave the house and spend some time with her dad. I’m ready to go can we leave already?”

Lightly shaking his head as a quietly entertained smile adorned his archangelic features in response to Maya's ceaseless indulgence in snapping pictures for her Instagram profile, Alexis taciturnly whispered under his breath, "Adorable". To a first-time father, how could it not be? For Maya to so insistently post pictures of her family, even of her siblings with whom she has yet to acquaint herself, it was telling of his daughter's inherent pride and adoration for her family. "That's exactly it, Yaya", he smiled, content with his Baby Lexis' poetic way of describing the dynamics of his relationship with Ziccarra, "We balance each other out. Before her I could not envision myself having a family. But when I look at the two of you, I see my everything".

Subsequently addressing the teenage goddess' following inquiry regarding his own parents, a softening smile of profound thought curled along his personable visage. "My parents.. I don't really have any. Not any biological ones at least. I think the best way to explain it is like this", he paused, bracing himself with a temperate inhale prior to resuming their conversational exchange following a relaxing exhale. "I have none. The best example I can think of at the moment that mirrors my predicament is Gaia. A primordial deity worshiped by the Ancient Greeks. She was a deity that simply came to be without any mother or father. One that represents Mother Nature. I am similar in that I came to be without being conceived by a parent. Myself and whichever New Gods emerged with me, we are the primordial, original deities of the modern man's era. We came into existence when the first nuclear detonation was carried out".

"When mankind left the world of old and transcended to a new age, the Atomic Age. And so in this new age came its new deities. I am the divine personification of both the modern man and what he may become tomorrow. The New God of Man's Tomorrow. I am everything that the human can one day become. The New God of Human Evolution", how Alexis detested to speak of himself in such a light, though it was necessary, necessary to enlighten his daughter on the truth behind his divine essentiality. "But I didn't grow up without a parent. The moment I was born I was adopted by a retired general of the United States Air Force. Her name was Alexa Pettis. That's why my name is Alexis, I was named after her. She was my mother growing up. She taught me everything I know. Good values. How to fight. How to stay in control and conduct myself with caution in a world that I can destroy if I misuse my powers".

"Legally, she would have been your grandmother if she were still alive. Under her guidance, I learned a lot of things. Her parenting style was a lot like your mother's. Strict and disciplinary but very warmhearted and protective. She's responsible for my morals, and she's the reason I never allow myself to get angry enough to truly lose control and do something I regret. Whenever I approach that point that makes me want to simply let go and unleash, I remember her words, 'A giant can't keep sleeping'. It was her taunt to make sure I remembered not to unleash myself. Every time I'd get angry over something silly, she'd taunt me with that because she knew I was prideful and I'd want to prove her wrong so every time I remember those words, I do my best to show her that I have control".

"She's what kept me grounded. She'd tell me that despite everything, I was human. She'd tell me that being human doesn't mean being part of a particular race or sharing their genetic makeup. She'd always remind me that the willingness to adhere to a sense of righteousness, of justice, having a moral fiber, and integrating oneself into a society are what truly makes one human", he paused. "You would have liked her", the Herald of Hope smiled before allowing his heart to melt in response to Maya's endearing gratitude at having he and Ziccarra as her parents. "Awww, Yaya, we wouldn't have it any other way. Though I wouldn't call your mother Trunchbull, she only does what she does because she loves you so much. And I'm sure you understand. She hasn't been as lucky with her other children. And while you may not know this yet, there is no greater pain in the world than a parent losing their child. A child is someone a parent invests a lot of time, energy, money, and love to make sure they succeed. And we'd do anything to protect you, even if some days you end up hating us for it hehe. It just means we're doing our jobs right". "Alright, let's head out and patrol the city. You lead, Yaya".

“Hmmm” She thought exiting the house, with him following close behind her. HE did understand, it was as if she were reliving the life of her father all over again; only she had a mixture of his and Ziccarra’s face. “Dad, you aren’t the child of two famous heroes though, you don’t have a preset image that you HAVE to look up to.” Maya explained, slowly levitating into the star lit Malagan skies.

“On Instagram, I’m Ziccarra or Thee Champions’ daughter; at modeling shows same thing. All these people judge me based off you two; I like helping people don’t get me wrong, but I’d much rather model or be an NFL cheerleader or something” Not really the latter, she really wanted to get across that she wished to establish herself and identify on her own, rather than have one fabricated for her.

One thing about her times spent with her father, they were always productive in some sort; she seemed to always find out more about herself, by listening to him speak on his past instances. Maya’s high expectations usually clashed with harsh reality, this was due to her still being in touch with her younger self.

“Dad, I made an appointment to meet with the MVP’s” flying parallel to him, she gave a side eye trying to gauge his reaction; but she couldn’t tell. It was a relief he didn’t erupt into a Spanish filled fit, it was actually a relief. “My….goal is to reform Catalina…” She finally admitted, addressing what had been on her mind for a while.

“You both tried, and nothing came of it; but…in the 3^rd society we bonded…I could feel her starting to change.” It wasn’t very well known, but Catalina was the reason Maya had been released from there control. Maya’s reality warping powers usually came with a price, she had to sacrifice a piece of herself inside of the new reality, that piece was Ziccarra. Ziccarra volunteered herself to deal with the problem altogether, which meant she’d deal with Catalina on her on.

“Do…you think Mami will kill Catalina?” She asked fearfully, hoping to god his answer would be no. While in midflight, the Malagan police sped through the city streets chasing multiple vehicles. “Look there’s a chase there….and there. I wonder what’s going on.” Malaga RARLEY got this exciting there was something happening on the streets, despite the negatives that could arise from this, Maya was excited to finally show the city what she was capable of.

“Patrol Selfie!” She screamed, snapping a picture of herself, before rashly flying off to converge on one of the high speed chases.

Tamely following behind Maya as they quietly soared above the gelid Malagan night sky, an expression of partial pensiveness overtook the Herald of Hope's benevolent features, "Hmm you're right", he began. "I didn't have a concept upheld by my parents that I had to live up to or be expected to follow. The woman who raised me always made it a point that while she wanted me to have good values, I always had the freedom to be who I wanted to be. I just chose to be a hero, and she approved", Alexis paused, meeting his daughter's glance with benign paternalism. "I don't want you to feel like we're choosing your life's path for you. You know you can be anything you want to be Yaya, I'll support you as any father should. Provided it's not anything crazy", he jested with a quiet chuckle.

"I had the freedom to choose what I wanted to be, my 'mother' allowed me that freedom. I want you to have that freedom as well", he paused. "Your mother, she doesn't want to force you to do something you don't want to. But your mother, she's made many mistakes when she was younger. What she's doing, it's not forcing you onto a predetermined path and telling you what to do. She's trying to do everything in her power to make sure that you don't make those same mistakes she made. It's why she's so strict with you, she wants you to have it much better than she did. I hope you understand that. You're our daughter but you don't have to be a superhero or anything like that if you don't want to. You can be a model or an NFL cheerleader like you said. As long as you don't become a villain", he laughed. "As for the MVP's".

"I would have preferred it if you had asked me for advice before scheduling the appointment because while you should be making your own decisions, it's always good to ask for your parents' advice on big decisions like that. In any case, I'm glad to see you branching out on your own, even if it does break my heart", he partially joked with a temperate laugh. "Catalina?", uncertainty succinctly fell upon his now earnest visage. "I... Catalina isn't herself. Every time I look into her eyes I see the teenager trapped behind bars. She's possessed.. by something, I don't know who or even what but that's not the sweet, timid girl that your mother would talk about. It's like her mind and spirit were poisoned by whatever it is that possessed her. But if she's truly changing as you say, then maybe she's finally regaining control".

Flying by his daughter's side, Alexis offered his input on the matter. "No, your mother would never do that I don't think. She may not always show it but your mother is the most emotional person that I know. Behind that disposition of steel is a mother who very deeply loves her children. She'd sooner take her own life than think about killing her children. There's nothing your mother and I want more than to be a family with you and Catalina". Lightly shaking his head as a quietly fond smile curled along his visage in response to Maya's quoted 'Patrol Selfie', Alexis accelerated behind her as she approached one of the fleeing vehicles. "I'll follow your lead Yaya, what's the plan?", Alexis wouldn't seize the initiative here, it was necessary for him to instill a sense of leadership and tactical quick-thinking in Maya.

So now would be a bad time to tell you about my sex-tape….Kidding” She said, making a gradual descent. “Well we want to limit people from getting injured” She started, shifting her focus to the task at hand. “Our main focus should be taking them off the streets, then we question them. Papi, take the North car, I’ll snag the one going east. We can interrogate them on the oceans front.” Dropping down to street level, she flew in pursuit with her cape and hair tattering widely behind her. The young model had yet to manifest any other powers; save for her flight and reality warping, she hadn’t exactly worked on perfecting them either. Landing about 50 feet in front of the assailants vehicle; the slender beauty cast an animation on the road; conjuring what appeared to be a massive pod of jello. The red ford Taurus slammed into the jello construct halting the car on impact. “Easy Enough” She whispered moving in a sultry saunter towards the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle had been knocked unconscious probably from the jarring impact of abruptly slamming into the jello. Maya released a tickled chuckle, it was so amusing to watch the passenger try to free himself from the car.

“I’m curious, where would you go after getting out of the car?” The sounds of sirens blaring in the distance. “That’s my cue” pushing an open palm forward, she entrapped the entire vehicle in a red shroud before dissipating on the street.

Reforming on the beach with the two suspects, minus the car; Maya took a commanding posture before them. “On your feet” She commanded, the suspects complied but were disoriented. Removing her headdress, she stalked closer stopping about six inches from them.

“Why were the police chasing you, I recommend you tell me, because my partner will not be so accommodating” Maya didn’t speak with enough inflection to strike fear, she was 5’10 almost 120 IBS, and sounded like a 15 year old, it was something multiple agencies told her she needed to work on. She could see the critic in their faces, it angered her to end.

“I can see you’re going to force my hand…” Pushing her palm forward again, she turned the concussed driver into a snail. “WHY we’re the cops chasing you!” She screamed, raising her foot to crush the snail.

“We…we’re moving TDT.” She was familiar with the drug, it was something some of the other models did right before they hit the catwalk. “Why…?”

The man took a deep breath before answering, he knew he was between a rock and a hard place. “S-so we can move into the area.”

“We?” Maya inquired looking for a name. “OPEM” He answered with a sigh. “The terrorist organization?” She said, softly. “We’ll see what information your friends have.” She said, looking off in the distance to the pending arrival of her father.

Casting a quick wink in wordless affirmation with respect to his daughter's suggestion, the Herald of Hope directed his soaring frame towards the car fleeing north from the altruistic father-daughter duo. Flustering the car into a street of less densely populated traffic, the Red & Blue Icon's pursuit grows less fervent as he performs a temperate descent several feet from the accelerating vehicle prior to with an incandescent flash of his cerulean eyes, a potent electromagnetic pulse is generated, instantaneously afflicting the semi-conductors, 'computers', electronic ignition system, and ignition chip in the targeted vehicle, abruptly disabling it's functions as Thee Champion halts the fleeing criminals' vehicle with a nonchalant grab of the bumper.

"It'd be wise for all of you to come quietly. There's no point in resisting", his calm yet resolute voice warned, his iconic frame landing inches from the car's backseat door. Employing his coupling of blistering superhuman speed and flight, Alexis transports his captured group of law-breakers to the white sands of Malaga's beach, dropping them next to Maya's interrogating captives with a partial degree of benignity. While his daughter struggled to convey a sense of fear or cultivate an intimidating aura given her petite frame, sweet features and honey-laced voice, the New God suffered no such disadvantage. Towering at a jaw-dropping 6 feet 7 inches in height, and blessed with a diamond-cut physique that dwarfed even the hulking frame of the legendary Hercules, Alexis cast an intimidating presence even with his most benevolent smile curling on display.

"Your colleagues have informed this young lady of your drug trafficking for OPEM, the terrorist organization", his powerful voice began, adopting an austere character that paralleled the earnest expression adorning what were usually affable facial features. Perpetually allowing Maya to seize the initiative of their heroic endeavor so as to impart and develop the spirit of leadership in his daughter, Alexis resumed, "She's going to ask you additional questions that your colleagues couldn't or perhaps weren't willing to answer", his denim blue eyes glared, piercing into their very fiber of their beings with an icy stare of unwavering seriousness, "And you're going to answer every single question she asks. Are we understood? Good", he paused, shifting his gaze towards Maya with a nod, "Proceed".

Maya’s eye’s traced her father’s dark outline descend from the heavens, as he made his return to the surface the incandescent light from the moon illuminated his features making his gallant entry one of envy for the Cardinal Princess. The new detainee’s scrambled near their comrades, speaking in a weird language amongst themselves; Maya instinctively picked up on it. Her time spent with the 3^rd society allowed her to translate the known Earth languages, Portuguese happened to be a language she naturally understood, given her proximity to her Iberian neighbor.

“What’s OPEM, and why are you here in Malaga!*” In their native language, the revelation provoked shocked expressions, her father’s command presence persuaded the thugs to sing. She could see them using nonverbal communication to choose a leader.

“A weeks ago, a rouge member of the Red Cardinals came to us; and informed us that we’d be getting a influx of members to support our cause” As he explained, Maya’s face turned to her father, completely unsure as to what any of that meant.

Returning her attention to the detainee’s she listened intently for something that’d lead them to the leader.

“The imported Cardinals came to us from Belize; with instructions to sell this mysterious drug. We don’t know who we’re working for, our orders come from an unknown source; but everything it tells us has come true.”

Maya’s hands slid inside her cloak, she tried to make sense of it all, but there was very little information to forge an opinion on. Maya sniffed a few times, there was something in the air; something she hadn’t noticed before. “You smell that…?” She asked turning back towards her father. Seizing the moment of uncertainty the “leader” of the terrorist laughed a hearty laugh; thrusting his hands forward, he sent a powerful spritz of some sort of magic based attack at Thee Champion.

Maya’s protective instincts kicked in, allowed her to catch the event as it happened; casting a powerful gust of wind, she forcefully knocked her unsuspecting father out of the way. “It’s dream shade…” She whispered, trapping detainee in a bubble.

Maya’s breathing heightened, it wasn’t possible; how’d dream shade make it here. “You think that’s it…what do you think we were doing with that powerful magic?” She heard him taunting, but it was now apparent why she smelled it.

“The city…you laced the city with dreamshade…” Maya’s eyes burned red, before she could react; the first strategic placing detonated sending an atomic level shockwave over the city of Malaga. “Dad…the people…” she whispered, turning towards him. “We have to go, but what do we do with them?”

As their joint interrogation of the captured drug traffickers approached its crescendo with the mention of the Red Cardinals, Alexis' mind immediately wandered to thoughts of Ziccarra. If there was ever a person whose knowledge of the mythical Cardinals would enlighten both father and daughter of their present situation, it was his strong-willed spouse, Ziccarra Liafador. In his moment of succinct distraction however, the Red & Blue Icon had rendered himself vulnerable to what would have been an opportunistic magical assault from their adversaries if not for Maya's timely intervention. Pushed from the attack's path by a conjured gust of air from his daughter, Thee Champion nimbly re-positioned himself, halting three feet from their criminal opposition.

For a moment, he smiled internally at the irony of the situation. He was the father, the patriarch of the family, its protector as determined by social convention. Yet it was Maya who had shielded him from harm, and it elevated the pride he harbored for his daughter. Coolly shifting his attention towards the Red Cardinals' cronies, Alexis' azure eyes earnestly met theirs as the revelation was made, the entire city of Malaga had been blemished with dreamshade. "You do-", the New God's voice paused, his extraordinary senses alerting him to the ebullient generation of a destructive shock-wave threatening to consume the iconic Spanish city. "Nevermind them", he began, referring to the interrogated criminal collective prior to blowing a powerful gust of air with the superhuman assistance of his lungs, knocking their adversaries of their feet. Following with a secondary gust of wind that blew a dense cloud of sand all about the drug traffickers, Alexis quickly superheated the sand into glass via beams of ionized plasma.

"They're trapped in a barrier of thick glass. We'll return for them later. Come on". Darting into the air, certain that Maya would quickly follow as father and daughter accelerated side by side, Alexis resumed, "Maya, I'll need your help. This detonation is threatening to destroy the city. I'll do what the Earth's magnetic field does to most of the dangerous cosmic rays that reach us. While I'll be able to erect a magnetic field powerful enough to keep the explosion's radiation from spreading, I'll need you to use your powers to alter the reality of the explosion's strength, if you can't completely nullify it, at least try to weaken it". Doing his part, the Herald of Hope erects a potent magnetic field in the afflicted area of the city, preventing the radiation from spreading outwards by deflecting it inwards and containing it.

“Maya darling, your powers are far too powerful for you to use; in the same way that your father, and I use them. It tis not a thing of thought with you, rather a feeling that you muster to control your abilities”

Her mothers’ advice burned through her mind, how she wished she was here to assist her now. The father-daughter duo blasted through the Malagan skies with incalculable velocity, she’d been given her orders; however she wasn’t confident in her abilities to control her warp powers. “Papi I-“before she could speak he was gone, following his own orders; she watched as he disappeared not worried about the situation, but believing he would stop it.

Her heels touched the Malagan streets, faced with the oncoming explosion; Maya’s breathing heightened the surging nervousness circumvented her body. She froze, her inability to move made the situation dire. Her fingers involuntarily twitched, but that same involuntary feeling wouldn’t allow her to force her arm out of mental entropy. “Papi…i-I can’t” She whispered, again finding herself backing away from the oncoming shockwave.

“NO!” A commanding voice and presence blocked her exit, turning slightly; she was face to face with the Cardinal Goddess herself. “Mami!” A tear broke the eyelid of the Princess, followed by a crack in her voice.

“Darling, remember what I told you…” She said, taking Maya’s hands in her own. Maya turned and placed her face in her mothers’ bosom. “Mami…I miss you so much…” she whined, realizing how weak she was without her mother’s authorative advice. Everything moved in slow motion, the converging shockwave barreled down on both mother and daughter, yet she still couldn’t muster enough strength to face this obstacle.

“Maya my darling, you might be the strongest member of this family, take this emotion…take this fear; and channel it into something good. Think about the lives that will be lost, remember it’s a feeling…not a thought” Ziccarra guided her daughters hand in the direction of the blast. With a simple blink of the eye she was back in real time; with her hand extended outward.

“A feeling…not a thought” She whispered, releasing a crimson pulse from her palm; the dispersing blast immediately begin to weaken do to her dad’s governing power, and her warping skills. It was a visible change, she could see the wave weakening; the satisfaction she got from watching the dream shade dissolve into nothingness.

She stood on her own taking deep breaths wiping the tears from her face. “Mami….thank you” Deep breath, after deep breath; she allowed herself time to calm down and reevaluate the situation. “We need to find the rest of that dreamshade…”

It was a wonder it had even appeared here, there was a rift between the realms…a rift between a worlds Maya knew all too well. “Reina….” She whispered, placing her hands back within her cloak. “Papi…we have work to do.”

With both palms thrust forward, his archangelic features growing more earnest by the minute as a fortified magnetic field envelops the atomic eruption's womb, the Herald of Hope exercises caution in preventing any ionized radiation from penetrating the confines of his internally deflecting magnetic field. It's strength could not be too great, otherwise he risked causing unnecessary damage to their immediate encompassment, it required regulation. As he focused and focused, certain that his daughter would soon follow his instructions, Alexis' extraordinary auditory perception detected the whispered doubts of a conflicted Maya. She was too far from him to hear his words, though it was clear that his beloved Baby Lexis required the iron will of her mother.

His voice couldn't reach her ears, and he knew not of Ziccarra's supposed albeit temporary emergence to offer their treasured daughter words of moral support, Thee Champion had to do something. And so he did, he spoke, hoping against all logic that somehow Maya would too hear his words as she had heard Ziccarra's. "Yes you can, Maya! You can. Listen, I know it's scary to wield all of that power and not know how to control it, being told that you must keep it all under a lid for the safety of others. I know because I was you at that age", he resumed, "But you can't allow fear to hold you back. You can control your power, Maya. You have to learn to let go. I'm here, nothing bad will happen. You're my baby girl yes, but you're also the daughter of The Goddess and Thee Champion. You can do this, we can do this. Together".

He couldn't be certain that she'd heard him, however, come the seconds that followed his impassioned speech, a warmhearted smile curled along Alexis' comely features, the sight of his approaching daughter, confidence brimming in her eyes, it warmed his heart. If there was ever a moment when Maya resembled her mother, it was undoubtedly this one. "Good", he paused, "I can contain the radiation from leaking but something has to be done about the shock-wave. Can you stop it?".

Even though Maya’s push had weakened the wave significantly, it was still a threat to the city of Malaga. Standing idly in the middle of the street Maya lethargically turned toward the on-coming shockwave. “Yeah…” her spaced out reply wasn’t immediately followed by solid confirmation; she was emerging from an epiphany one that only her mother could trigger. “Yeah…I-I can do it” She finally confirmed, placing her headdress on, she extended her palm outward toward the coming pulse. A red radiant ray of energy gradually built up in her palms, dropping her right leg back for better stability; she pushed her energy out to negate the oncoming shockwave.

She could feel its tremendous power, what was far more terrifying was knowing she created it. Not wanting to overwhelm herself with guilt; she zeroed in on the task at hand. Her dad couldn’t do it all, and even though she wanted her own identity; she was the only thing he had right now. It had to be done, not just for her father, but for herself.

Allowing her power to erupt, she could feel herself overpowering the wave, until it was reduced to a violent gale of wind blowing through the sea side city. “Th…at was harder than I thought it was going to be…” She whined, taking deep breaths to regain her composure. The job wasn’t entirely finished, her dad still needed to contain the radiation. Placing her hands back within the innards of her cloak, she levitated with the intention of going to aid him; however the sound of fire trucks wailing in the starlit horizons prompt her into taking appropriate action.

“I’m needed elsewhere papa!” She screamed, her attention shifted to the blaring sirens off in the distance; levitating just a meter off the ground she disappeared in the Malagan night. This wasn’t something she WANTED to do, but given her power and family name she felt obligated to do it.

She wasn’t the fastest, or the strongest; but her mother stressed thinking with a more strategic mindset, from a few blocks off she could see the smoke bellowing over the city’s skyline; she could feel the heat from far off it was a byproduct of the dream shade.

When Maya incidentally created the pocket universe, she also created the dream shade; a powerful drug that allowed the wielder to use it as they saw fit. The real question was who was OPEM, and how did OPEM get it? As she effortlessly distinguished the flames by converting them to water, she had a choice to make.

Track down OPEM? After all she created it, and was more knowledgeable on the subject the second choice was allow herself to focus on her modeling…glancing up at a nearby adverstiment, it would seem that fate had already made her decision for her.