Discovery (Open Social)

The scenes of flashing city lights, the mobs of life treading with reckless haste, and the unique signs of technological development were all a mystery to the otherworldly inhabitant. Artan was not used to seeing a population this abundant, back on Pax the most life forms he had seen at a time were maybe twenty, twenty-five tops? But here in this steel metropolis seething with life, he felt utterly alone for the first time in his life. How ironic and unjust he thought, after all he was royalty! these worthless buffoons should be swooning at his feet and begging for mercy, thanking him for not punching a whole the size of a crater everywhere he walked. After a few blocks though, his composure steadily returned as his analytic skills took the place of rage. These beings were eerily similar to him, at least when it came to matters of aesthetics, though their tenacity was rather lacking. So far he had only made direct contact with a fat and grotesque man on some beach, Artan drained him dry and showed him to fear for his life without even so much as a minor challenge. Could these beings really be restricted to these weak forms, jelly constructs which broke like a twig under Artan Havek's wrath in but a moments time.

If so, then these beings were ripe for conquer, oh how his father would have marveled at the opportunity to enslave such a weak and abundant race, perhaps this was his chance to recapture the glory destiny safeguarded just for his lineage. Gazing at the huge panels of light in what appeared to be the town's square, his imagination was unleashing in a rampage of pleasant thoughts. He could see it now, his name carved in lights , he had it all from the finest delicacies to a symphony of shrieks in his honor. But before any of this, Artan must know exactly where he was in relation to the rest of the planet: Surely this vast city of steel was one of the forerunners in their society. Maybe a technological wonder made to promote growth and progress of all kind, or maybe even a militant city with countless warriors to choose from (Though the fat man must have been some spectacular failure). The possibilities were endless, so was it with this that Artan approached a nearby life form and asked " Tell me dear, you are the female of your species are you not? What is this place, and please, spare no details

The apparent female responded in a confused manner, clueless as to why anyone would ask any of these basic questions (And slightly offended in his doubtful claim of her sex). "Look bud, I think we both know that im a lady so il do the lady-like thing and not penalize you for that little joke. If your too strung out to remember, this is New York, get a brochure for the details. In what seemed to be the bat of an eye, Arten shoved the female into a nearby alleyway and approached her, looking calm yet menacing all at once. His physical aptitude had launched her quite a ways, and she was horrified by what he may do next. He spoke smoothly, in a regal tone " Now, il ask only once more. What is New York, and what does it mean to your people? You have exactly thirty seconds to answer before I lose track of my patience. Slippery little rascal."

Ever since the Superior Spider had made her way to New York, she had noticed the influx of crime around almost every corner. It was actually the perfect place to get her name out there, and become well known, seeing how popular criminals were in such a city. If the cops focused more on actual city threats, and less on attempting to apprehend mutants and people with powers, perhaps it wouldn't be like living chaos everyday out on the streets. Either way, the conceited costumed vigilante had no problem showing up the cops at their own job. From bank robbers, to common criminals, she was there to apprehend them before the authorities could put down their donuts and respond to the call. Her being a mutant, and doing their jobs better than themselves, probably agitated them to no end. What did they expect? With her superior intellect, unparalleled ambition, and resources; she was by-far the better law enforcement. Better yet, she was the "Superior" Law Enforcement. Such arrogance only came from the combined minds of a failed clone, and mad scientist.

Swinging through the city streets in her usual costume, the masked vigilante would be performing practice swings using the experimental web shooters she had recently made for herself. Unlike the webbing she could generate organically, these webs had more potential for development. Working with the formula, she could alter their chemical make up and create new creations altogether. Acid webbing, cyro webbing, and much more. All these could be accomplished with alittle back bone and tremendous work. Little did she know her plans were working with the chemical formula this specific day would be delayed. On her way back towards the abandoned warehouse she had set up shop in; she would catch a glance of a strange man pushing a woman into an alley way. Most likely a mugger, or something close to the occupation. When would they learn crime didn't pay unless they were a super genius like herself? Such arrogance. With a flick of the wrist she'd fire a line of web onto a flag pole to use it as a medium for launching herself. To her success, the Superior Spider would be launched into the air like a true acrobat. Flipping through the air silently, the female would come down on the side of the building opposite to the wall the man and the woman were near. Simply staying connected to the wall with her wall crawling abilities, the Superior Spider would watch the scene. Numerous things ran through her mind at this moment, but instead of sitting there to analyze the entirety of the situation, she would slide down the wall and hit the Earth with a thud.

The thud was loud enough for the man to hear her, and know of her presence. She wouldn't make a hostile move, but would instead stand there watching him. Maybe the fact that she was a masked vigilante mutant would scare him off before he tried something? The amount of times that had actually worked was surprising to say the least. Either way, to show what she was there for, the Superior Spider would raise her left hand and point towards the woman. As she pointed, she kept the white eyes of her mask locked on the man. He knew what she wanted even if she never spoke.

Abilities:

Oh how Artan loved to be in control, asserting his dominance over others was just another aspect of his birthright, and the mighty blood which flowed through his corrupt veins. It made him superior for a reason, not to protect, not to serve, but to give him the means by which he may pursue any goal available to him. Though he had to admit, with all the changes that had gone on recently, he didn't really know what he was after at this point. He knew fate had some sort of great calling for the man, but knew nothing of what it would entailed, he figured that it was up to him to fill in any remaining blanks but what would be worthy of his attention? Just then, the otherworldly being heard a loud thud behind him which was accompanied by something he never would have expected.

Another female from the looks of it, but this one was most peculiar. Instead of being dressed in the average clothing which he saw covering the flesh of most of her species, she was in a set of rather tight....tights. They accentuated her figure which caught even Artan's eye, something which intrigued the man of sin who's taste was accustomed to nothing but the finest. Her face though, was masked with two white globes covering the location where the eyes were supposed to be. She didn't make a sound, instead, only lifting a finger in order to point out the woman behind him. Now really, Artan must have been more captivating then that (especially more so then her), I mean he was an intergalactic being after all. Though this female seemed to be out of the norm herself, maybe the warrior caste in this empire's society? Artan had barely heard her make her approach,standing quite fearlessly in bold and reckless opposition to someone she had never met before. He spoke in a smooth yet perverse tone, something ominous seething through it "A pleasure to meet you, names Artan Havek, at your service love"

As he spoke, his right hand moved to cradle his stomach just before he bowed in a most sarcastic way, hardly implying any sort of honest respect with it. " Im afraid if you want the girl you just can't have her. Im in need of some information, lets just say im new around here. Maybe we could strike a deal? A bargain of sorts! Since you want this lady who is currently in my company, and I want information, maybe we can trade? Il hand her over to you, with a bow tie and all, no strings attached. So long as you promise to show me around, you seem to be the knowledgeable type, do your people consider you a warrior, maybe a general?". Each word poured out of him like honey, attempting to sway the lady away from any kind of hasty actions. The last thing he needed was to punch a crater sized hole in the ground, revealing his presence to any other warrior or sentry in the vicinity. No, what he needed was information, which in the world of shadows and conflict, was just as essential as power: And Artan already had power.

As he spoke, the young lady stood up once more with a look of absolute horror etched all over her features. She wanted nothing more but to make her escape far, far away from this alleyway filled with abnormally strong men and masked women. But before she could do so, Artan forcefully gripped her forearm, locking her in a painful vice grip. It took almost everything out of her in order to not let out a yelp of pain, but this was the least of the man's concerns right now. Instead, he held her there, waiting for the woman to speak and make her next move.

This odd man standing before her was certainly different when compared to the average man. The way he moved, spoke, and his over all charisma, made the Superior one quite curious of his origin. The two white globes, playing as her eyes in this case, would begin to scan the man from head to toe. The detective vision scanned him, looking for any sort of abnormalities on his person that may have spill abit of information on where he may have came from, or if he was just a psycho with a suave face. One would think she was a mad woman to stand so boldly and opposing to such a strange individual. Well when you lived in New York you saw stranger days. Especially when you had made it your occupation to fight against crime for free in a skin tight costume. One day you could be fighting a man made of water, and then the next you could be getting thrown around by some weird creature made of pure jelly. Though delicious, cleaning the jelly out of your costume after was the true crime.

When the man introduced himself, the female Spider would place her hands on her hips while shifting her weight. It wasn't everyday where a criminal attempted to make conversation with the mutant who was trying to ruin their plans. Apparently there was a first time for everything. This was New York after all. She wouldn't return his introduction, even with the odd bow he delivered to her next. The Superior Spider wasn't known to say a word to anyone. People suspected this was because she was conceited or simply was a mute. Whatever the case, she never said a word to anyone. When the man continued to speak, the Spider-Woman would tilt her head to the side and simply watch the worlds stumble from his lips. He surely had a way with words, but he still was a creep from her perspective. Which..that was weird. The woman dressed in the skin tight outfit calling someone else a creep. It appeared she would have to actually answer this psychopathic man.

"A lively proposition. It's a shame my creator told me never to talk to strangers...Especially the type that hold women against their will in dark alley ways." When the man made a grab for the woman's forearm, the Superior Spider would act on instinct, and raise a hand. "Enough! You'll quickly learn I'm not a fan of saving these people, but I'm less of a fan of men harassing defenseless, pathetic, women. Atleast find one who knows how to defend herself. It's unbecoming." Lowering her hand and placing it on her hip, she'd narrow the two white globes she called eyes. "What do you want to know, my inane friend? Just for the record, I am not a tour guide and never plan to take up the profession. Even for the life of another." As she said the final word, her eyes would give a quick glance towards the woman that most likely feared her as much as the strange man holding her.

It took almost everything out of him to not burst into laughter at the costumed diva's retort, her insinuations pointing out that he was trying to get some extra sinning done in this dark alleyway. Why she couldn't have been further from the truth, sure the women he held seemed to be okay, but why on Pax would Artan waste his time with a 6 when he could easily acquire a 10 with half the work. Though it seemed his efforts at discretion were hardly effective, a smirk painted clearly across his face gave any attempt at control away. " No, no, no my dear, you have me completely misunderstood. I want nothing to do with this female's body!" he said, releasing her with a rather violent shrug as he did. The women fell to the ground, holding her forearm in pain as she just laid there, far too immobilized by fear to even try making a run for it. Good, now she knew who was in control, running from him would be useless anyways, if Artan had truly wished her harm he would have been done with it long ago.

With his hands free, the cynical man brushed aside his long silver hair, removing any strands from his face in order to create a perfect line of sight between the two. He had to admit that the female had spunk, standing there unphased with her hands plastered onto her hips meaning business. He'd relax his demeanor more, trying not to intimidate her with his fixation on so many vile and gruesome enterprises, so instead he simply spoke softly " You don't? then tell me, why do you get all dressed up and scour the streets for evil to slay if you don't like to? Does the dark side tempt you so much you have to deny yourself of it?" he said, averting the conversation from any conflict. He'd just have to pick on these capable women at a later time, after all his greed was legendary, it was only a matter of time before Artan set his sights on her, for whatever reason it may be. He cared not for the sentiments of others, instead he only focused on how they could be of any use to him, clearing the more useless beings clear from his psyche.

" Besides, the more capable women are worth more then just a cheap thrill or a quick abuse. Being as pathetic as she is, its basically this one's purpose to fuel the strong. You on the other hand seem to have a greater calling then that." He glanced back down at the woman, his casual face of amusement replaced by a stern demeanor which invoked pure unrestrained fear. " Now, get the fuck out of here little girl. The grown ups are talking" Just then the woman made a run for it, stumbling foot over foot as she made her hectic escape. To her, she couldn't have possibly left fast enough, she even dropped a few trivial possessions as she did so without even looking back. Just like that his attention returned to the costumed "hero" ahead, the smile of feigned innocence now returning at a moments notice.

" Me? I want what i always want, everything. I let her go, that way there won't be anymore useless collateral, so inform me of this world you live in, would you?" Artan then walked a few steps forward demonstrating no malicious intent as he leaned his back up against a nearby wall to his right.

Nothing to do with the female's body? Then what was he, just some sort of freak that enjoyed taking advantage of women just to do it? The Superior Spider was new to heroics, sort of, but she had heard about people like this. They had no real motives to kill or take advantage of others. They just did it because they had the power too. She wouldn't admit it herself, but she was the same way. Well not her, herself, but the person that was currently "controlling" her every action through the mind. The Spider would raise a brow, as the man had let the woman fall to the ground. She didn't even attempt to run at this point? What the hell was her problem? Did fear really control her? Her attention would be stolen back by the man, and she'd turned to look back at him. This time he seemed to be asking a question to why she dressed up like this. To be honest, that was actually a relevant question. Why did she do it? Before the Superior Spider truly became "Superior" she was not a heroine. She was nowhere near being a savior to the people. However, after her transformation, here she was. Attempting to save the people that scorned her kind. It was an interesting question.

"The Dark side? Sounds like you may be an extra from Star Wars." That was a surprising comment coming from her, seeing how she was never the type to joke around in such a way. "I do it because it's the only way I can test this body's capabilities without bringing unneeded attention to myself. The cops and people may not like me, but the job gets done. However, if I were to be someone like an antagonist, they'd use all their resources to make sure they crushed me on the spot. Something you may not understand." That was all she could say on the subject. She didn't enjoy speaking to these people, and had always been the silent heroine. Being forced to speak out did sort of bother her, but this expression of annoyance wouldn't be visible beneath her mask.

When the man finally released the woman and let her run off, the Spider would raise her arms and cross them across her chest. Now that she was gone, he had basically gotten rid of the one thing that was holding her back from just lashing out. However, that would be quite messy to just do. Attacking a man without being provoked would certainly bring unneeded attention to herself. However, when he began to take a few steps forward, her eyes would narrow. If he were to take a few more steps, she would have taken it as a hostile movement, but instead he would plant himself on a wall. Seems like he was getting quite comfortable talking to her. Even to the point of asking his question is such a relaxed tone. "This again? Explaining my world is something I can hardly do. This body only has the experience of a few years. I'm a clone of someone else. What I know about this world is all implanted in this head from files and simulations." She raised a finger and tapped her forehead. "What I can say to you is, this world is alittle piece of irony. You don't want to look too far into it, or you're going to go crazy. If you're not familiar with human life, then I recommended keeping far away from it. It's nothing to yearn for." Her words were completely blunt. There could have been abit of nihilism in her tone.

He toyed around with his thumbs, weight pressed up against the wall as his slender frame stood there, soaking in everything the female had to say. It seemed as if his own words had managed to put a dent in her mental barricades, forcing her to look inside for some sort of answer. Her immediate rebuttal was that of a joke, apparently making an allusion to something the man had never heard of. Though this did not throw off Artan's train of thought, he knew of the devices used to avoid looking weak, after all he had broken dozens of people who attempted to puff up their chests at him. Though, she was not empowering herself, instead she merely dodged the accusation all together. " I understand to a degree, but tell me then, if the point is to test your bodies abilities then why do you use such simple obstacles? Its no challenge for something with wings to fly. If you really want to see what you can do, your gonna have to push yourself to the limit. I assume these 'Cops' are some sort of peace keeping entity? do-gooders?"

The man's brain quickly went to work, connecting various pieces of a larger puzzle together, allowing him to unravel at least a few caches of information on this world. If there was a need for women like her, and peace keeping entities, then Artan could only surmise that there would be a raising malicious presence somewhere, an evil which needed putting down. Now this sounded like something he wanted to join, a side which truly symbolized his wretched nature. From his brief interactions with the women, he felt that that she too had a similar nature laying dormant within her, she may not want to admit it to herself, but she reveled in power just as much as any dark entity would. Being a man who was once forced into the position of leader, he had no misguided ideals on his abilities to perform such a task. He was simply not cut out for it, if a person couldn't function properly on their own then well, that was just too damn bad. Weakness is like a terminal disease, once you've been diagnosed there's no getting rid of it, and soon it will all be over.

He gazed toward her once more, features indicating he was almost enjoying their little talk, so far it had been the most interesting thing to happen to him on this putrid little dump. The masked woman began spilling what she could about the planet and its people, revealing things about herself which intrigued Artan. His voice flowed out ominously, but just as smooth as ever "So! your artificially constructed, is that it? No wonder you seek to challenge yourself, you want to experience life for yourself. Well isn't it ironic that you fiend to have things of your own, memories and experiences, yet hide behind the disguise of a mask to save people who scorn you, condemning you for trying to be you. Irony is indeed abundant here, but answer me this if nothing else. If you wish to test yourself out, acquire and even create things that are yours instead of made for you, then why not use these assets you were gifted with and take what you want? I've never heard of Star Wars, but it seems to me they have the right idea. Every thing is so much more.....pleasant, in the dark

Crossing her arms upon her chest, the female Spider would switch her hips and narrow her eyes. The way the man spoke infront of her made it obvious that he wasn't from there. Throughout her year of fighting crime, she had never come across such a humanoid figure that wasn't from their plain of existence. Years ago she had come across a crashed alien ship where a four armed brute attempted to punch a hole through her chest. That situation ending abruptly, be the being itself did not appear human. This one, on the other hand, could pass off as a human any day. Especially if he were able to understand the customs of being such a human being. Telling by his questions and just how ignorant he was to his surroundings; that probably wouldn't be happening any time soon. "I am pushed far enough when dealing with the scum that crowd these streets. They far out number the cops. And yes, these cops are do gooders. Though their methods are flawed when compared to my own." The costumed vigilante would raise her right hand and use her index finger to tap her head. "They don't have a Superior mind leading their force. Not like mine. Whether I'm fighitng good or evil, neither has the capabilities of pushing me to my limit." Ah, that arrogance of hers. She had almost forgot to tack that on during the conversation with this odd man.

This man was obviously enjoying himself in the conversation like he was getting some sort of desired reaction from her. He probably felt proud of himself simply because he got her to finally talk. Such a weirdo. She had no intent in going into her pass as a clone. So as he began his monologue, she would cut him off midway. "Look, even of this attempt at using whatever charm you may have to sway me. I'm not interested in what you're selling. Infact, I'm going to continue on my way if you're finally done asking questions for this lovely evening." The Superior Spider would lift her right arm and fire a web off towards the side of the building she stood adjacent from. She wouldn't yank herself towards the wall. Instead she would simply hold the web line while looking towards the male. "Can I trust you not to get yourself into trouble if I left you here? You're not some type of vampire, werewolf blood hungry creature, are you?" The phrase was between blunt and joking. Though, he obviously wasn't human unless he had lost his memory of some sort. And even then, he wouldn't be speaking with such mannerisms. Would he?

With a attentive ear, Artan was able to hear every shred of egotism the woman instilled in the conversation, sating her pride for at least a few years of time, which meant quite a lot considering the span of time it took for a year on Pax. A part of it appealed to the insidious spacer, for if sins of this caliber existed here as well, maybe he wouldn't find it such a hard time to fit in. " Tsk Tsk Tsk, you shouldn't compare my side with the others, we tend to get awful violent when put in close quarters. You may remain with your affiliation, but know its never too late to get your hands dirty". With that, the woman launched a sliver substance up above his head, assuming a position which indicated her desire to leave. A pity really, there was still so much the man was curious over and it did feel more refreshing talking to someone he believed could at least defend themselves. It was difficult being Artan Havek, he knew that he could find the same satisfaction by browsing the streets some more, but anyone who knew him personally would understand his dilemma: Artan had to have it all, and not a shred less.

She spoke a few final words, before asking him if he would behave. The corrupt soul merely smirked, almost incapable of holding back a maniacal laugh which any average earthling would find utterly disturbing. " Charm? Me? Im flattered, really dearest. Im not trying to sway you, merely show you the things you'd rather not see is all. Il keep my questions to myself however, im sure you have some recorded instances of your history somewhere? Il learn on my own." He would too, if he wasn't such a bad person. Incorporating another of his most useful tools, Artan lied his ass off, knowing he'd just intimidate some pour saps and save himself the trouble later on. He felt like the apex predator, and not just because of his arrival onto this planet of weak jelly bags, no, this feeling went farther back then that, all the way until his days on Pax as a lad of thirty-five or so. But he never would have seen the irony of his words coupled along with that of her final ones, it was practically a chemical recipe for unfaltering laughter.

" Frankly, no you cannot, it'd be best if you just pointed me towards the nearest trouble that way I don't have to tear the city apart looking for some. Ugh, i haven't been honest in ages, you bring out an ugly side to me, you know that? Anyways, Im neither a vampire nor a werewolf, whatever that is. Just imagine the worst creature you can think of, the most fierce and brutal, the most terrifying, well, im the one who hunts him, like the gazelle to my lions diet." With a final smirk, he awaited her reaction before he began to plan his own departure.