Chapter Text
The Warp gives and the warp takes.
52 years ago an eldritch being beyond human understanding stepped briefly into our universe. The rift (otherwise known as the warp) in our reality created ripples through space, on Earth Its impact was dramatic. Millions of humans gained what would could only be called 'superpowers', abilities that could be explained by any known discipline of science. With this came the Void Entities. unknowable creatures that menaced humanity without thought or mercy. This, combined with the actions of those who would use their newfound powers for ill and the persecution that came from the sudden divide between the humans affected by the warp (known collectively as the Warped) and those who were not led the majority of humanity to one conclusion.
The warp was a menace and had to be stopped.
It was thought an impossible dream. The warp existed deep in space. Deeper than humans could dream to travel. Its existence was only learned because of the warp bestowed to a single hero, called The Omniscient. The Omniscient was bestowed the knowledge of the warp and knew that sealing it was possible but knowing how was beyond even her. It would take decades to unravel that mystery. And a decade more to set a plan to seal it into action.
One year ago, the plan was set into action and thanks to the efforts of numerous heroes it was successful. The warp in our reality was closed and the effect was felt immediately. The Void Entities vanished altogether. The superpowers granted to humanity vanished with them. The world then set up on the plan to restore stability and normality to the world.
But this is not a story of the world. This is a story of 3 former Warped heroes and a day of their mundane lives.
It was the end of the school day at Second Sunlight Academy. The school was founded over 4 decades ago as a charter school for young Warped. Originally a way to allow powerful young Warped to study on a schedule that would allow them to patrol late at night (When the Void Entities were most numerous) it now had to adjust to a world without either. A year later, only one class has graduated from the school but the school faced serious questions about what criteria they would use to admit students in the future.
"So, what are we all doing this afternoon?" Maria Burke asked her two friends and former teammates. She started asking this every day (excluding the days she skipped class in favor of training). On the surface it seemed like the sort of small talk that warrants small answers; but in Maria's case it was a way to test her friends' wellness. Everybody was adjusting to a world post-warp in their own ways, some better than others. For her part Maria had taken the loss of her powers well, better than well in fact. She had dreams for her future and had grown up fearing her warp would be a hindrance to them. As a hero she was Crimson Blaze, a hero who was bestowed with the powers of super strength and durability. her costume was designed to resemble the gaudy ring gear of a professional wrestler because that's what she had wanted to be since she was young enough to want things. She came from a family of wrestlers, an offshoot of a family that had cut their teeth in the Mexican tradition of lucha libre.
"Not playing Helldivers that's for sure. Gotta twiddle my damn thumbs for an hour because of server overload." The answer from Alexis Bailey didn't surprise Maria at all. She had been a terminally online internet addict and video game nerd for as long as Maria had known her and even longer than that. Maria usually couldn't understand the mindset of people who would just isolate themselves in their bedrooms and live off digital entertainment but in Alexis' case there was a very clear reason. She was a wheelchair user. She wasn't paralyzed, nor did she have some manner of wasting disease that would render her body feeble. Her left ear canal didn't develop properly in the womb leaving her both deaf in that ear and incapable of developing equilibrium. She could not stand up without immediately getting incredibly dizzy and falling over. She insisted she didn't mind, that having a wheelchair made her feel in some ways unique and special but Maria never believed her.
"So what game will you be playing?" Maria asked. She knew it would be another game. Alexis hadn't thought that far so she simply shrugged. She had options.
"Yeah I won't be playing Magic either. I was all looking forward to building a new Commander deck but my card order didn't come in today. So screw it." Lily Windham was addicted to card and board games, especially Magic the Gathering, like Alexis was addicted to video games. The two were childhood friends and shared each other's interests, but took a sharp divide on what they were truly passionate about. Maria sometimes felt out of place on 'Team Victory', the name Lily and Alexis gave themselves when they grew old enough to become Warp heroes. Maria had broken off with her previous team due to interpersonal conflicts and decided to take part in the school's mentorship program to help younger teams thrive and survive in the field. When she met Lily and Alexis she immediately felt like they wouldn't get on. But Maria quickly started to find them delightful in their own ridiculous ways; they were like the little sisters she never had because she the youngest of 5 siblings by a significant margin in her own family. For their parts the pair saw Maria as a strong and reliable partner and wasted no time deferring to her in the field. Off the field they still looked up to her as a big sister type and a best friend. Even if they seldom hung out outside of school or the field.
Maria really wanted to see the two outside of school again but her attempts to learn Lily's favorite games ended in horrible failure and Alexis only ever seemed to want to talk online once she got home.
"You two sound like your evening is free." Maria beamed. Both of them grunted and rolled their eyes in agreement. "So...um...I know it's not your scene but do you want to go to the gym with me."
"Sorry Maria but I'd rather do...I'll figure something out." Lily said, thinking she was being tactful.
"Maria why the hell would I ever want to go to the gym?" Alexis wasn't afraid of being blunt, but she really didn't understand how rude she could come off as sometimes. "My arms get enough of a workout every day and my legs...what's the point?"
"Little twig legs will scare off the boys." Maria knew Alexis' weak point. She was boy crazy but had been overlooked and ignored by them to this point in her life.
"Do I look like I want a thigh pervert?"
"It's not about perversion. It's about first impressions." Maria continued to plead her using, using what she knew about professional wrestling psychology to state her case. "People instinctively make snap decisions about people they encounter. It's why wrestlers have big bombastic entrances or personas. We want to come off as larger than life and we have to make a strong first impression. "People who get to know you better will look past something like that but you're creating a hurdle where there doesn't need to be one." Maria had one more trick up her sleeve. "Besides, don't you have exercises to do to avoid deep-vein thrombosis?"
"You sound like my dad..." Alexis conceded. "Still don't have a pool there?"
"Sorry no. Ma don't got that kind of money." Maria's parents owned the gym she trained at. Maria's mother Gail was also the promoter of the Alvarez Lucha Libre Club or the 'ALL Club' as it was called by the enthusiasts and the gym served as the venue for the (usually) biweekly shows she'd run.
"Yeah I know..." Alexis pondered. "Fine, I'll go anyway. Still have no idea what I'll do though."
"I mean I'm training. You can watch me get the hell out beaten out of me. You should probably hit up the bikes or something though."
"Yeah maybe." Alexis said, resigned.
"Ok, I'm coming too." Lily replied. Maria knew that Lily would likely gravitate to the crowd and she just needed to get Alexis on board. Maria though Lily could use time at the gym anyway. She was a bit on the hyperactive side and had a lot of energy to burn. Maria always found it odd that she favored sedentary hobbies. "So what's your training like?"
"First we start with bumps. Learning how to fall correctly so you don't get hurt is super important in wrestling.."
"You can fall and not get hurt?" Lily asked as if Maria was describing a miracle.
"I mean not get hurt badl..." Maria was interrupted by Lily impulsively deciding to trip her to see how it worked. Despite being taken by surprised Maria was able to execute a rolling bump, distributing the force through her body. She had to drop her school bag in the process however.
"Lily what the hell was that?" Maria asked angrily as she picked up her bag.
"I wanted to see." Lily replied innocently. After all, there's nothing wrong with tripping her if she doesn't get hurt.
"In the RING Lily. It works better in the ring. If I hadn't dropped my bag I would have fallen on my face!" Maria said, still rather hot.
"Oh. Oh sorry. You didn't tell me that part."
"You didn't give me a chance!"
"I did the thing where I acted without thinking didn't I?" Lily's voice become more apologetic.
"When don't you?" Alexis dryly replied.
"Shush you. Anyway...apology hugs?" Lily was concerned that Maria was going to stay mad at her and sought to defuse the situation.
"APOLOGY HUGS!" Maria enthusiastically replied. She know who the girls were and loved them for it. She also made sure to crush her tiny friend extra hard just to get a small measure of revenge.