ic The Sun in the Shade

[Jack]

Jack fell to one knee, clutching at his chest as the shadowy spirit seemed to dissolve into wisps of smoke that flowed toward him with an eerie, deliberate grace. The fiery tendrils curled around his limbs, their touch invasive and seering as they seeped through his skin and into his very core. He gasped, eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and fear, feeling the foreign presence meld with his own essence. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced, a chilling confluence of alien magic and his innate primal power. He could sense the polar bear spirit within him reacting, its growls of defiance reverberating through his mind. Jack fought to maintain control, his breath turning to visible puffs in the cold air surrounding him.

 

What the hell was going on? His mind raced, desperately trying to make sense of the spirit's cryptic words and the sudden invasion.

 

 The sensation was disorienting, like a whirlwind of ice and fire clashing within him. Each word the spirit had uttered echoed in his thoughts, fragmented and elusive, refusing to form a coherent whole. He could feel the polar bear spirit's fierce resistance, its growls growing louder, merging with his own rising panic. Every fiber of his being screamed for clarity, for some understanding of this alien force; but all he could grasp were fleeting, disjointed impressions that only deepened his dread.. The polar bear spirit within him stirred again, a low, menacing growl echoing in his mind as it reacted to the intrusion.

 

Jack looked up at Rocky, his brow furrowed with concern. "Vhat...vhat just happen?" he asked, his voice hoarse and strained. "Vhat vas dat thing?"

 

Jack felt a bone-deep exhaustion begin to seep into his soul. His muscles, usually brimming with the strength of his bear spirit, now felt like lead, and his mind, already frayed by the relentless onslaught of disjointed visions, began to blur at the edges. The growls of the polar bear spirit within him, once a source of power and defiance, now echoed with a distant, hollow resonance, as if even it, too, was succumbing to the overwhelming fatigue. 

 

Jack cautiously reached within and lightly touched the magic he possessed, to see if there were any answers there to this mystery.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The forest trembled, every colour vivid, and red, like the richest autumn leaves in a blazing sunset. 

 

Rocky, pale and sweating, shrugged his shoulders. 

 

"What am I? The sorcerer supreme? I never seen anything like that in my life! Its either going to be in my nightmares or my next album cover. Probably both. Sheesh! It was scary... like... hungry..."

 

He paused. 

 

"I havent seen it before, but I have felt it. Something feeding off me. Feeding of my.. soul? No... not my soul. Feeding off my feelings. Sucks me dry, makes everything grey."

 

Whatever Sunshade was, Jack couldn't feel it in him. It was more of an echo, a mark, a tether. But even this feeling told him something. Sunshade was hungry, and Jack was a feast!

[Jack]

Jack knelt there, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. The cold air stung his lungs with each labored inhale, but it was a welcome sensation compared to the searing touch of the shadowy tendrils that had invaded his body moments before. 

 

He reached out tentatively with his magic again, seeking answers in the primal power that flowed through his veins. The polar bear spirit within him stirred, its presence a comforting anchor amidst the chaos. But as he delved deeper, searching for some clue or explanation, all he knew was that the demon was gone, leaving behind only a bone-deep weariness. His muscles ached with a leaden heaviness, as if he had been pushing himself to the limit for hours on end. His mind was sluggish, his thoughts drifting through a fog of fatigue that threatened to pull him into unconsciousness.

 

Rocky's words echoed in his mind, each syllable heavy with ominous portent. A symbiote, not a parasite. A blessing or a curse. The rage and anger within him, the beast he had leashed... Jack shuddered at the implications, his thoughts racing as he tried to make sense of it all.

 

Jack forced himself to take another deep breath, the cold air burning his lungs as he tried to center himself. He couldn't afford to give in to the fatigue, not now. Not when there were still so many unanswered questions.

 

He pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He reached out a hand to steady himself against a nearby tree, the rough bark biting into his palm. "I don't...I don't understand any of dis," he muttered, more to himself than to Rocky. "But I know I don't like it. Not one bit."

 

A few days later…

 

Jack ambled down the bustling city street, his massive frame dwarfing the pedestrians around him. The small package tucked under his arm felt like nothing compared to the weight of his thoughts. He'd wrapped Lynn's gift with painstaking care, hoping she'd appreciate the traditional Siberian craftsmanship. 

 

His mind wandered back to that night in the park, the shadowy figure with burning eyes. Sunshade. The name still sent a chill down his spine, colder than any Arctic wind. Jack shook his head, trying to focus on the present. He was meeting Lynn soon, and he didn't want his worries to spoil their time together.

 

A scream pierced the air, jolting Jack from his reverie. His head snapped towards a narrow alley, where three masked figures loomed over a cowering family. A father shielded his wife and young daughter, desperation etched on his face.

 

"Nyet," Jack growled, his body tensing. The familiar surge of protective rage coursed through him, but it felt... different. Hotter. More volatile.

 

He stepped into the alley's shadows, his presence immediately drawing the attention of the muggers. One of them brandished a knife, its blade glinting in the dim light.

 

"Vy ne khotite delat' eto," Jack rumbled, his accent thickening with emotion. He took another step forward, his massive form filling the narrow space. "You do not want to be doing dis."

 

Jack clenched his fists, willing himself to stay in control. He couldn't risk changing here, not with innocent people so close. But he thought he felt something else that whispered in his mind. He really wanted to let go.

 

 "Leave. Now." Jack growled, his voice deepening to an inhuman rumble.

 

[Supercape]

GM

 

The three thugs laughed, each pulling out a small knife. 

 

"Get lost, big guy!" laughed one. "This piece of meat crossed Blowfish. And only fools cross Blowfish!"

 

The other two laughed in uninson. 

 

"So he's gonna get cut up into pastrami!" laughed the first thug. "Nice and slow, and bloody!"

 

The other two thugs nodded emphatically. 

 

"So get lost unless you want a... slice... of trouble!"

 

The other two cavorted and convulsed with laughter at the terrible pun. 

 

"And don't get no funny hero ideas, Ruski! You are a big man, sure, but there are three of us and one of you. Even if you are more like two of you."

[Jack]

Jack's anger surged, a seething core of fury bubbling up from deep inside. The thugs' sneers and jibes only fueled the fire, each taunt pushing him nearer to the brink. His fists tightened, knuckles whitening with the effort to control himself.

 

 'Tearing these scum to pieces would be so effortless...' he caught himself thinking. 

 

The bear spirit within him roared, demanding release. Jack gritted his teeth, struggling against the urge to transform and rip these men apart.

 

They deserved it, didn't they? These men had shown themselves to be the real monsters. Their cruel taunts and callous actions proved they had no regard for other's lives. Why shouldn't he unleash his full power and teach them a lesson they'd never forget?

 

He could almost savor the satisfaction of seeing fear replace their smug expressions. The bear spirit roared its approval at the thought, urging Jack to embrace his wild nature.

 

But even as the temptation threatened to overwhelm him, a small voice of reason pierced through the rage like a lifeline. This wasn't who he was. Jack had always aimed to protect others, not to inflict pain and terror. If he gave in now, how would he be any better than these thugs?

 

Jack took a deep breath, forcing his fists to unclench. The bear spirit threw itself against its mental prison, roaring it's dissatisfaction with the decision, but he stood firm. He had to be the better man, to rise above the base instincts that threatened to consume him.

 

It wasn't easy. But Jack knew that once he crossed that line, there would be no turning back. He couldn't let himself become the very thing he despised.

 

As his fury peaked, Jack exhaled sharply. The air around him and the muggers plummeted, dropping to freezing in an instant. Frost formed on the alley walls, and the thugs' breath appeared in visible puffs.

 

Despite trying to shift his anger into the icy air around him, Jack' body still quivered with the effort of suppressing his transformation. The veins in his arms bulged against his skin and though he remained in human form, nothing about his demeanor was human any longer. His eyes blazed with a supernatural rage, and his stance shifted to that of a predator who had found his prey.

 

"Dis my territory now," Jack growled, his voice barely his own. The bear within had already claimed this neighborhood, the neoghborhood where his family now lived, and Jack felt driven to protect it with all his might. "Yous vill not harm dese people."

 

The temperature continued to fall as Jack towered over the would-be muggers, his massive frame casting them in shadow. He could feel the bear spirit clawing at the edges of his mind, desperate to be unleashed.

 

"Last chance…" Jack said, his eyes boring into theirs with a ferocity meant to incite primal fear, the kind that would make their instincts scream at them to flee.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Thugs looked at each other and ran. Stupid, they were, but it would have taken a fool of the highest calibre (with a PhD in Foolishness) to hang around facing this threat. Knives clattered to the floor, and sneakers pounded the tarmac. 

 

It was amazing how fear lent wings. 

 

And then, Sunset appeared. 

 

The black silhouette seemed more solid now, the orange eyes blazed with a more corpreal fire. His grin was as wide as ever. His hands rubbed his stomach. 

 

"My days!" he whispered. "I cant recall a feast so sumptious! The anger! And the effort you put into stopping it! I couldn't dream of a sweeter meat!"

 

His blazing eyes turned to Jack. "Thankyou, sir! The dice of fortune fell most kindly when I bumped into you! The feast of a century! of a Millenia! Where does that rage come from? And how do you hold it in check?"

 

He laughed, and kicked the beaten man. 

 

His foot was not fully corpreal, but neither was it fully intangible. It sort of half passed through the man's head. Enough to tip him into unconsciousness, but not bloody the nose. 

[Jack]

Jack let out a long breath to calm himself after seeing the demon-parasite-wraith. Jack had secretly hoped since he hadn't seen the thing in several days, that meant it wasn't still hanging around. Apparently it just waited for its "feast" as it called it.

 

When it kicked the down father, Jack immediately felt the anger flare up, but he immediately suppressed it. That was what it wanted, the anger and likely why it kicked the downed man at all, just to provoke him. He closed his eyes and knelt by the man, looking to his wife and daughter. "I yam sorry, are yous all right?" Jack was deliberately ignoring the demon parasite. He had a dinner date and he did not want the mood spoiled by this thing. Plus he liked the idea of seeing what it did when ignored.

[Supercape]

GM

 

When Jack pushed back on his anger, the Shadow's eyes rolled back in pure delight. 

 

"Never have I felt such a feast..." it whispered. Jack couldn't swear it, but the Shadow almost looked fatter. 

 

"I'm...I'm fine...." gulped the man, clearly in pain. His eyes flicked over to the Shadow. "What... what the hell is that?" he gasped, crossing himself. "Am I seeing things?" he asked Jack. "Please, tell me I am seeing things! I... I think I need the hospital... I must have got kicked in the head or something... I can see a shadow. With eyes! Looking at me!"

 

"That's right, Sunshine!" smiled Sunshade. 

 

"And talking to me!" gasped the terrified man, grasping Jack by the lapels. "Please! Help me! I think I have a concussion!"

[Jack]

Jack could see quite plainly that his presence here was doing more harm then good. "Yes...yous likely have concussion. Do not move I call ambulance for yous." Jack looked from the man to his wife and daughter with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

 

He reached in his pocket and pulled out his old flip phone and dialed 9-1-1 and moved away from the family as he spoke, hoping the demon parasite would follow him. He explained the situation to the dispatcher and gave their location. After he hung up he started walking away towards the bridge. "Vhat do yous want from me...?" He let a little rage slip into his mind as bait. He stopped at the end of the alley to await the Ambulance, not wanting Sunshade to bother the family anymore and focus on him instead.

Edited August 28 by Jack

[Supercape]

GM

 

As it so happened, an ambulance was passing...

 

Sunshade looked petrurbed. "No, no, this wont do. Compassion? Where is your fury? Where is your sense of righteousness?"

 

He hopped from one shadowy leg to another. 

 

"Its like... like a drug. Once savoured, its absence is a poison! Curse you, damn you!"

 

As the sirens could be heard, Sunshade started to get anxious. 

 

And fade, blending in with the shadows... grunting with effort. Jack could still spy the shadow, now insubstantial, lingering against the brickwork and rubbish of the ally, orange eyes still trembling. Whatever was happening, the spirit was clearly exerting a mighty will to fade...

[Poncho]

(Dwayne)

 

Dwayne had been halfway through his latest murder mystery book at the station when the siren went off requesting the ambulance. Like anyone in the emergency services field, he had a hair trigger response to the specific siren of his station, and he had the book closed and was on the ambulance before a minute had passed; the ambulance was blaring and rushing down the street before the the bell had rung a fourth time, Dwayne and his partner dipping through traffic. 

 

It was their ambulance, the Freedom City Special, that pulled up, flashing lights and siren, onto the curb near Jack and the unconcious man and his family. 

 

"Everyone step back please, give hte patient some room."

 

No matter what, Dwayne Devon Davidson was calm and focused; in his blue with yellow highlighted EMt suit, he and his partner left the ambulance and moved to the patient.

 

"Alright, can anyone tell me what happened?" he asked as he flashed a light in the man's eyes, checking his reactions. "Sir, how are you feeling?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I.... I dunno...." said the manm clutching his head and his stomach. 

 

Pulse high, blood pressure low. Dwayne palpated the man's abdomen - causing wincing. Pupils reactive to light. Pale, clammy skin. Disorientated. 

 

Diagnosis? It would need blood tests and scans to be sure, but looked like the man had moderate concusion and internal bleeding. 

 

"Something... something kicked me. Head. In my guts. Feel like I been in a boxing ring... ugh... feeling faint. You know, musta been kicked super hard... it looked like a shadow, or something.... must be going crazy...."

 

As far as Dwayne could see, the mans concussion was only moderate. It was plausible the man was hallucinating, or misremembering, but it was unlikely. Still... what else could have been? 

[Jack]

Jack slowly returned to the man on the ground and the EMTs, leaving Sunshade to its own devices, hopefully it wouldn't follow, it seemed off and not as happy as Jack expected.

 

"I vas valking by and tree men were assaulting this man and his family. I told dem to leave and they decided it vasn't  worth dey time to bother me or the man anymore..." Jack said to the EMTs by way of explanation. He was leaving out Sunshade and hoping his presence would go unnoticed. Simpler that way, Jack figured.

[Poncho]

Dwayne frowned at the large... highschooler? He was a burly guy, probably a football player or something, barely a few inches short of a foot taller than Dwayne. Even if Dwayne had been standing up he'd be dwarfed by the teen.

 

"Really? I guess that does make sense." He wasn't a fool; he knew what went on in Freedom City. But he also knew the rules. So he gently helped the man up. He could help here in his own way, sort of.

 

"Alright Sir, it seems you have a moderate concussion, maybe some internal bleeding. I'd like to take you to a nearby hospital so they can check you up if that's alright with you? Your family can come with us too, we'll take it nice and slow, you don't seem to be in any significant danger right now, but things like this can cause issues; so I'd rather you get checked out now then have issues later." He smiled, then he looked at the big teen.

 

"And you. You did the right thing calling us in. We'll take care of these people. You make sure you don't get into too much trouble, okay? Especially since we're leaving you alone here where those thugs were; don't be afraid to call the cops or flag down a hero if you think you're in danger." he warned him, being very specific in his wordings; if the kid was a Hero, he was letting him know he was going to have the all clear.

 

"So be careful out here."

[Jack]

Jack nodded and flashed the EMT a confident smile. "Da, vill be okay. Do not believe thugs come back." He looked at the family. "Glad yous be okay. I live in dis neighborhood if yous ever need help again." He nodded again and took a few steps back to allow the EMTs space to do their work.

 

His bear spirit seemed interested in the EMT, which Jack took as a sign the man was either powerful in some hidden way, or a challenge to the bear....actually it might be both. It didn't seem to be the time to inquire more, so Jack just let it be. If the EMT was local he'd likely see the man again around town. And Lynn had warned him to be careful about his identity as a hero being secret.

[Supercape]

GM

 

As the EMT left (with injured bystander in ambulance), Sunshade once again reformed from the shadows. 

 

Wheras he had a solid, pitch black form just moments before, when he reformed now he seemed more wispy, translucent, less firm - less real. More ghost than flesh. 

 

"I hate doctors! And nurses! And paramedics! So professional, so nice, so focussed... bleh! Sour, bitter souls. No sustenance. How to explain it to you, my bear... it would be like chewing on rat bones. Bleugh!"

 

The Orange eyes and orange smile flickered a little. 

 

"No. I need Fury, I need rage. And I need it controlled. That delicious grind between your animal side, trying to crush bones and rend flesh, and the human side, which puts the brakes on. It is that war of the soul that sates my appetite. And you, my bear, are a prime steak. I cannot remember a meal so delicious in thousands of years! You are yummy, aren't you?"

[Jack]

Jack trudged down the alley, his footsteps heavy with the weight of recent events. The chill in the air lingered, a reminder of the power he'd unleashed to intimidate the thugs. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog of anger that still clouded his mind.

 

"So, you're gonna stick around, da?" Jack muttered, addressing the entity that had latched onto him. He felt ridiculous talking to a ghost, but Sunshade's burning eyes were too vivid to dismiss.

 

"I'm not just some tasty treat for yous to feast on," Jack grumbled, his brow furrowing. "Vhat's in this for me, anyway? You just show up, say yummy, and expect me be okay with it?"

 

He paused, leaning against the cool brick wall of the alley. The rough texture grounded him, a stark contrast to the ethereal nature of his new... companion? Parasite? Jack wasn't sure what to call Sunshade.

 

"If gonna be stuck together, I need to know what dis means," Jack continued, his voice low and gravelly. "Yous said yous not gonna eat my soul, but what exactly do you vant? just to hang around and eat?"

 

As he pushed off the wall and continued down the alley, Jack's mind raced with questions. Was Sunshade here to help him control his powers? Or was this some kind of test? The uncertainty gnawed at him, mixing with the lingering anger from his confrontation with the thugs.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Stick around? Yes. Stuck? No..." said Sunshade, his orange mouth smiling. "I can leave when I want. And you can go as you please. Its just that I will follow you? Can you blame me? The feast of a century! The feast of a millenium! Would you walk away from a delicious... wait, what do you eat. Steak? Yes, Steak? Would you walk away from a Steak?"

 

The words of Jack did make him pause...

 

"You know.... nobody ever asked me what I want. I didn't even ask if for myself. I... I cant quite recall how I... birthed? Ages ago... it seems I have had been given one purpose. To feed..."

 

Sunshade looked genuinely reflective. It soon passed. 

 

"But what does anyone do? We all feed, in one way or another. My dish is anger, repressed. It creates... a flavour I cannot resist. You are so very very flavoursome. All that rage, seething, controlled. Wonderful! And yet your rage is dying down... this makes me sad. And hungry! Oh! Addiction! Yes, that is what you could call it. Now... how to make you angry again..."

[Jack]

Jack shrugged his giant shoulders, resigning himself to the strange new reality of having a spirit hitching a ride in his psyche. He'd faced weirder things in the Siberian wilderness, after all.

 

"Fine, you vant to stick around? I guess I can't stop yous," Jack muttered. "But listen here, Sunny. If you're gonna feed off me, nobody gets hurt, da? I'm not your personal buffet for causing trouble."

 

"Besides," Jack continued, a wry grin tugging at his lips, "you probably von't have to vait long for next meal. Seems like there's always someone looking to cause problems in this neighborhood."

 

His mind drifted back to the thugs he'd encountered earlier. Their sneers, their threats – it made his blood boil just thinking about it. Jack clenched his fists, feeling that familiar surge of protective anger rising within him.

 

"Those punks vant to keep harassing people? They'll learn quick not to mess vith Arctus and his new... vhatever you are," he growled, addressing Sunshade. "You like anger? Stick vith me, you'll get plenty. But ve use it to protect, not hurt innocent people. Got it?"

 

As he continued down the street, Jack's eyes scanned the area, alert for any signs of trouble. He may have a strange new passenger, but his mission remained the same: keep his new home safe, just as he'd protected the wilds of Siberia.

 

"Velcome to the neighborhood, Sunny," Jack muttered under his breath. "Let's see vhat kind of team ve make."

 

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Protect people? Are you kidding me?" said Sunshade, scoffing. "I am an immortal spirit born from the age of the serpent people, born of human sacrifice and slavery, nursed by the cult of the yellow sign, driven by the will of the one of whom we cannot speak, and you are asking me to protect people! Ha...! I haven't had such a laugh since... since.... hmmmm.... what happened to the... time? Hmmm.... asleep?"

 

Sunshades confusion added a note of vexation to his voice. He lashed out. 

 

"Look... look you ursine oaf!"

 

Scuttling around the shadows of the pavement cracks, he pointed...

 

A parked car, a middle aged couple inside. The woman was punching the man... hard. Not your normal slaps. The womans red face was contorted in fury, and her fists were pounding his ears, his eyes, his teeth. He already had two shiners and was spitting blood. 

 

Two laughing teenage girls were taking a video of the scene, ready to post on social media. 

[Jack]

Jack surveyed the scene before him, feeling the anger rise. How could people do this to each other. He felt a growl rise up within him. He set his present for Lynn down in a safe place before moving to the side of the car where the man was. 

 

Jack knocks then attempts to open the door and pull the man out to safety instead of taking his anger out on the women, but he could feel it seething within him. The bear was on edge with him, but not as fired up yet as he had been.

 

"Vhat ist going on here?!" He asked with an edge to his voice.

 

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Nice..... mmmm....." came the spectral voice of Sunshade. 

 

Now that Jack knew what Sunshade looked like, he could spot the spirit, a shadow underneath the car, gorging himself on the supressed anger. And - yes, Jack could see it. The more the creature fed, the more solid it became. 

 

Hungry, it was like a faint haze. 

 

Feeding, the eyes and mouth grew orange, like burning embers, and the flesh of the thing - it became solid. 

 

"Get lost!" screamed the woman at Jack, and took her anger of him out on her husband, smacking him right on the nose. There was an awful crunch - breaking bone, tearing cartilidge, and the man started bleeding profusely. 

 

"Karen..." he said, trying to stay cool. "Please, don't hit me...."

[Jack]

"I think it tis yous vho ist lost Miss Karen." Jack said suppressing his anger and addressing the woman directly. "If yous needs someone to hit dat badly, yous can try and hit me instead." Jack attempts to pull the husband out of the car and away from the abuse. He glanced at the two girls filming this travesty, disbelief at the whole situation plain on his face. Why weren't they helping this man? What was really going on here? 

[Supercape]

GM

 

Karen turned around and lowered the window. With a red face, livid with apoplexy, she leant her head back and then spat an impressive ball of saliva at Jack. 

 

"Get loss, %$*£*!" she screamed. "Mind your own business!"

 

She raised her fist at him. It was a knobbled, knuckled fist, and the woman was in fair shape - presumably a lifetime of tension  and puncing had given her a slice of strength. But against Jack? It would be like an 80 year old man going up against Mike Tyson. 

 

"Go on! Wow!" said one of the girls, still filming him. 

 

"Please, sir..." said the Man, holding his nose. "No need to get involved. We are fine. Its just one of those... things, you know?" he said, with a weak smile. 

 

Below the car, Sunshade's smile was so broad it nearly severed his shadowy head from his shadowy body. His voice was an oily whisper, infused with pleasure. "mmmm.... Jack, keep a lid on it. Please. You have no idea how delicious you are!"

[Jack]

"Protecting peoples from abuse ist my business, miss." Jack said, a slight undertone of a growl at the woman's upright fist. The bear inside him was furious over this blatant challenge and wanted to mark it's territory.

 

"If yous need to punch someone to feel better then..." He spread his arms. He looked at the broken man. "Dis ist not one of those things...she ist no better then the gang I stop from hurting the family."

 

He looked to the girls filming them. Jack was not tech savvy by any means, but he knew enough that this was not normal social media clips. "Ist dis entertainment to yous?"