Somewhere in the depths of New Amsterdam, two kids were busy defacing a grey smear of wall. They were young, and easily influenced by social trends, and tonight they tapped into the mood of the times.

TRANSHUMANS OUT

A simple message, delivered with vitriol from an aerosol can. One of the kids stepped back, admiring his handiwork and lifted the can for another spray. There was a woosh of air and a flash of light and then he was staring at his empty hand.

"You got a problem with transhumans, little dudes?"

They turned around and stared at the figure on the other side of the road. He was tossing the spray can in the air.

"Did you do that, freak?" one of the precocious brats asked.

"That's right, dude. Pretty gnarly, right?"

They didn't seem impressed. "Fuckin' transhumans," one of them said, nudging his companion in the ribs, "they get some shitty powers and suddenly they think they can rule the world."

"Shitty? Back up, dudes. Hella lame."

"What, you can attract cans? That's a crap power."

"Whoa, you think that's my power? Uncool."

"So what is your power?"

He smiled, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. "Well, I ain't like to brag, dudes. But it goes a little somethin' like this." He lifted his hand, and a ball of lighting surged into existence, casting his face into stark relief. The two kids looked less sure of themselves all of a sudden.

Johnny Volt laughed maniacally as sparks flew from his hand. With a lunge, he sent the ball racing across the road at the kids, but it burst against the wall harmlessly. He looked around in confusion to see them lying against the sidewalk, a shadowy figure standing over them.

"Hey, what happened?"

The figure lifted its head. "I did."

A length of chain hurtled through the air, carrying a metal weight straight towards Volt's face. He took the impact full on the nose and staggered backwards, falling over a trashcan and tumbling to the floor.

Nightfall yanked the chain back towards himself, letting it wind back around his forearm. He looked down at the two cowering children. "Don't deface walls in my town, kids."

They nodded dumbly as Nightfall turned away and stalked across the road. He unravelled some of the chain, taking it in his other hand and whirling the weight around. He could see Johnny Volt picking himself up in the garbage.

"Why do you creeps never learn...to stay down!" He sent the weight flying towards Volt again, but this time the punk was ready and he dived out of the way, rolling up to his feet. The weight smashed into the wall, showering the street with dust.

"Whoa, totally weak move, dude."

"Weak?"

Volt grinned. "In a manner of speaking, that is..."

The weight was still embedded in the wall and Nightfall tugged at the chain to dislodge it. Volt held out a hand, and slowly it began to glow and then spark with electrical current. "Did you know that, like, metal conducts electricity?"

Nightfall locked eyes with the miscreant and then started to unwrap the chain as quickly as he could.

"Weak, bro." Volt grabbed the chain.

Before he could touch the chain though, a dark figure fell on his back. Volt crumpled beneath the weight he wasn't expecting, giving Nightfall time to unwind his hand.

"Surprise attack, not cool." Volt murmured. He surged to his feet, knocking the stranger back. He held up his hand, the ball of electricity glowing. "Time you learnt to mind your own business." He released the ball but the shadowy figure moved quickly and it dissipated into a wall. "Come back!" he roared into the shadows.

"I'm right here," a voice said quietly behind him.

Volt spun around, raising his hand again. There was no one there but Nightfall and his fists.

Nightfall laid into him, driving him backwards with lefts and rights. Volt fell over the trashcans he landed in earlier. Nightfall pulled something from his belt, but someone grabbed his arm before he could finish Volt off.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You can't do this." The voice was muffled, distorted slightly.

"And who are you to tell me that?"

"One who'll be punished for a transhuman transgression."

Nightfall pushed the stranger away. "What would you rather I did, take him to the authorities? You think they'd do anything?"

"I don't know."

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter." The figure tried to back off but Nightfall grabbed its arm. There was a sound of glass smashing. Nightfall looked down to see a pair of spectacles smashed on the ground.

"What's going on here then?" said a voice from above.

Nightfall and the figure lurking in the shadows cast their eyes upward as a dark shape descended from the night sky. His white-booted feet touched the asphalt and it was clear to both of them who he was.
"Paragon…" Nightfall let go of the stranger's arm, not taking the time to notice the odd, chitinous texture of the flesh and the thick, rigid hairs that covered it.

"You are the vigilante known as Nightfall," Captain Paragon summarised as he stepped forward.

Nightfall smirked and hefted his chain, wrapping it around his wrist. He tossed the weight into the air, catching it with the other hand. "This is my town," was all he said.

"No, it's not."

"The people of this city may have been fooled into thinking you're whiter-than-white, Paragon, but here in Devil's Playground, we see in shades of grey. I know what you are."

"No one ever mistook me for white. You're coming with me."

"I don't think so…" Nightfall spun the weight around rapidly and then released the chain, sending it hurtling through the air towards Paragon. The Captain caught it without apparent effort and let it wind around his own gloved wrist. With a small smile, he yanked it and nearly pulled Nightfall off his feet.

"Don't think you've gone unnoticed, Nightfall," Paragon said to him as he began to drag him closer, "I've studied your abilities and your character very closely. I know what you're capable of, and I know you're no match for me."

Nightfall gritted his teeth as he tried to dig his heels into the floor. His muscles bunched with exertion as he tried to pull back on the chain and halt his inexorable advance.

At that moment, something happened:

By chance, an ordinary person living in Devil's Playground threw open their window to let some air in. The blind went up first, throwing a square of yellow light into the alleyway and causing the mysterious figure in the shadows to be momentarily exposed. Nightfall was facing away and saw nothing, but Paragon got a full view.

His mouth dropped open. He stopped pulling. Nightfall fell back, to land in an undignified sitting position.

The creature screeched and turned away, leaping up onto the wall and scuttling up the side of the building with astonishing speed. Paragon untangled himself from the chain and took a step forward. He was still too shocked to give chase. He didn't know what he'd just seen: it was something from some nightmare. He knew it was Transhuman, for he'd heard it speak with a human voice, albeit one filtered through grotesque, inhuman mandibles. It had once been human, or its ancestors had been human, but now it was…something else…

An abomination.

Nightfall, forgotten, was left to stare after Captain Paragon as he surged into the air and after the creature.

"Uh…can I go?"

Nightfall looked across at Johnny Volt, still cowering near the wall with the graffiti.

"I don't think so, you piece of shit."