Darkness. Total darkness. The people there cannot open their eyes or move a single muscle. But they are all alert, as if in some state of semi hibernation. They feel the wires attached to them but can do nothing about them. All they can do is listen and listen they do. They hear the humming of various machines that seem to come from all around him. Beeping noises that sound like they coming from nearby monitors. And an automated voice that suddenly begins to speak.

"Checking status of subjects now. Life signs are all at optimal levels. Vitals are within standard parameters. Checking process of operation. Operation has reached 97 of completion. Proceeding with final stage now. Subjects shall fully awake in approximately 11 minutes. Initializing pre recorded message."

"Testing. Testing…1, 2, 3" A new voice. A female one that sounds very serious and yet warm and comforting at the same time. Almost motherly like.

Nightfall. A city located somewhere. Seven people walk together in absolute silence.

"Hello there. As you are hearing this you are not yet quite awake. That is okay as you will be soon enough. For now just relax, and listen to the sound of my voice. I wish that I could be here to do this in person but circumstances beyond my control have prevented this. The world is a very fascinating and wonderful place. It is hard to believe that man rules over this planet considering how frail and weak our bodies are compared to other species here. And yet we continue to grow and evolve at an incredibly fast rate making technological advances more and more astounding. Yet, despite all of this, most people do not realize just how amazing the world really is. Many of the powerful elements in the world remain in secret and for good reason. I am talking things like demons, mutants, magic, and so much more. The stuff of make-believe does really exist and has a global influence on all things. However, sadly many of these things are also chaotic and very dangerous in nature. And that's not even counting the regular stuff like crime. As such to ensure the prosperity and continued growth of our society, a certain level of control must be taken over them. That is where all of you come in…"

As the night continues, the seven reach a desolate part of the city. The bad side, if you will. As a cool breeze sweeps over the area, they calmly look over the old decaying buildings and empty streets.

"You will serve as moderators of sorts. You will observe the chaotic influences in the world and when necessary you will intervene to stop them from getting too out of hand. It is your duty…no your destiny to accomplish this. The desire to do so is in your blood, quite literally I'm afraid. To aid you all in your mission, several tools have been left been left at your disposal. These include access to a wide variety of information sources, homes spread across the globe to serve as bases, several false identities with pre established background stories, and most importantly many high interest paying bank accounts to effectively fund everything. You will be able to go to any part of world, intervene in whatever situations necessary and disappear once again without anyone even knowing you were there. I know this all sounds a little bit overwhelming right now, but you will adapt in time. Please note that despite all of this, you should not consider yourselves to just be tools. No. First and foremost you are all human beings. And even more importantly, the seven of you are all family."

Nodding their heads in agreement, the seven spilt up and head off to various parts.

"Now then, I suppose I should give you the rundown on what your abilities are. Don't worry; I'll put it in laymen terms so it won't be that confusing. Any people that witness your powers will more likely assume that you are mutants of some type. That is not the case. While you do have some genetic modification in you similar to mutants, your powers are a culmination of several different types of research making you all one of a kind. A more correct term would have to be energy incarnate. Each you can access a special type of energy in your body and manipulate it in a different sort of way. Also for the sake of creativeness, I have coloured coded your powers, along with your appearance. Hopefully, you won't get too upset at that. I will now run down thru each of your abilities starting with the eldest."

"Please no more! I beg of you!"

The man that is begging is not the type you would think. A large muscular bald man, he seems more the type to pick fights. However he is now on the ground begging for his life as he is covered in bruises and is sporting a black eye.

His opponent, a tall and even more muscular man walks over to him. However those are the only features really visible as the figures is covered head to toe in a golden sheen of light. The pulsing light is a clear contrast to the black night, shining so brightly that the man is nearly blinded by it. The golden warrior just stares down at the thug as a small grin forms on his face.

"Really? Are you sure you can't go for a few more rounds?" He asks eagerly. "I was just getting warmed up"

Panic finally overtakes the man. Scrambling to his feet, he runs off screaming the whole time. The gold person sighs at this and relaxes a bit. As he does, the light starts to fade from him starting at the top and slowing working its way down to the bottom. As it fades away, it reveals a well-toned man looking to be in his mid twenties. Despite the cold weather, he is wearing quite little in the form of a pair of black shorts and matching boots. He runs a hand thru his mid length golden blonde locks and comments one word on the situation.

"Bummer"

"Velocity. My oldest boy. You are gold and a fighter plain and simple. You power is that you can summon your energy around your body like a protective barrier. Not only will this make you more invulnerable, it will also increase your strength and agility. You are the strongest of all and as such your duty will be to handle the toughest opponents that you come across. Your power and skill is sure to grow as you face stronger and stronger foes."

Rummaging through a trash dumpster is a wild animal. But it is not your typical animal simply due the fact that is over six feet tall, standing on two legs, and covered head to toe in coarse grey fur. Simply put, it is a werewolf.

Letting out a low growl, the beast continues to hunt for some food amongst the trash. He stops thou as his sensitive wolf ears pick on a noise. Turning around the beast stares at the figure in front of him snarling and opening his jaw to show off his razor sharps fangs.

"At last I have found you lycan!"

The person standing before the beast looks like he has just stepped out of the middle ages. With the exception of his head, every part of his large body is covered in black plated knight armour. His face is one of pure seriousness. A red goatee matches perfectly with the bit of red hair visible on his shaved head. He stares down the werewolf without a hint of fear.

"Foul beast, for too long you have terrorized the innocent people that dwell here. But you shall no more. On my honour as a noble warrior, I vow to slay you and put you down like the dog you are!"

The knight pauses as he reaches behind his back and grasps the handle of his sword. Puling it out, it is revealed to be a very large broadsword with the metal blade itself pulsating a bright blood red. The man quickly lifts the weapon with both hands over his head and gets into a fighting stance.

"Now come and taste the cold steel of my blade, you vile knave!"

Despite being a creature of pure animalistic nature, the lycan can only look on in confusion as the armoured man charges at him.

"Paladin. My second son. You are red and like Velocity, your speciality is combat. However your focus shall be on dealing with the more demonic threats. When you awake, you shall find an ancient sword by your bed. This sword was used for slaying demons in the past and with your powers you will be able to infuse the sword with your energy making it stronger and that more deadly. Once you master your blade, demons everywhere will learn to fear you."

"I'm sorry," a blonde haired girl cries out panicking, "that's all the money I have."

Inside, a dark alley, the ski mask wearing thief growls in annoyance He quickly throws the nearly empty purse to the side and shoves the girl causing her to fall back to the ground. He pulls out a knife and points at the young lady causing her to cry even more.

"Fine then. Maybe you can give me something else then."

The robber reaches out with his free hand towards the girls dress. However before he can reach it, a black pulsating hand reaches out of the shadows and latches on to his.

"What the…"

"I don't think the lady wants that."

The speaker is revealed to be a young adult dressed for the shadows wearing a long black trench coat and matching shades. However the focus is purely on his hair, which is short, spiky, and in alternating strands of black and white.

The thief struggles to get loose from the strange black hand. However he can't seem to break the stranger's grasp. Worse yet, the thief seems to be getting to be getting weaker. The knife slips out his grasp at the man stumbles to his knees. Finally, after a few more moments the trench coat man lets go smirking a bit as the thief collapses unconscious.

The black glow on the hand fades instantly. The red hair girl just looks on in fright not sure what to make of the newcomer. Saying nothing he goes over and picks up her purse, tossing it back to her along with some money.

"Take this, call yourself a cab, and get out of this place." He states in a monotone voice while walking away in the process.

"W-wait. Aren't you going to stay with me until it arrives?"

The mysterious man stops but does not bother turning around.

"No," he replies sounding a bit annoyed. "Jeez lady, who do you think I am? Superman?"

"Shift. You are a little bit of a paradox as regards to what you can do. You have two colours: black and white. White because using your left hand you have the ability to transfer energy from yourself to others in order to heal them of their wounds. And black because you can do the opposite and drain energy from people in order to make yourself stronger with your right. As such you have the capacity for both a savoir and a destroyer. It will be up to you to find the proper balance between these two roles."

"Come on. Where is this guy?"

A black haired man taps his foot impatiently and glances at his watch. Under his arm, he holds on to a tightly wrapped package that he is waiting to exchange. He glances around from the corner he is standing on trying to see if anyone is coming. However, had he happen to look up, he would have spied a purple comet of light floating directly above him. The comet, about a foot in length and height, gracefully floats down directly behind him.

- Flash -

As a bright glow of glow of purple light flashes behind the man, he whirls around and looks. And then does a double take at the sight before him.

A beautiful teenage girl with curly violet hair and matching eyes stands in front of him. The man takes a moment to check out her body, admiring her long legs, and the short jean shorts and white tank top that she is wearing. The girl smiles brightly which highlights the few freckles on her face.

"Hi there cutie. Is that package for me?"

"Umm…yes" the man finally manages to stammer out.

"Great. Thanks a lot."

The girl quickly reaches in and grabs the package while giving the man a light kiss on the cheek. Then she smiles once more before another bright flash of purple occurs. When it fades, the man is shocked to see the girl gone and the purple ball in its place. It quickly flies up into the air and away leaving the guy staring in disbelief.

"Man, I really got to lay off the narcotics"

"Assistant. My oldest daughter who is represented by purple. You have the ability to transform into a ball of energy itself and move at incredible speeds while in this form. You can also transport a few objects and or people with you although this will slow you down a small bit. You will be most helpful when high-speed travel and or spying is required and will be able to greatly assist your brothers and sisters. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun."

"This ought to be fun."

The speaker is a chubby 15-year-old boy with long blue coloured hair falling behind his neck. He is fashionably decked out in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with the image of Darth Vader on it, and a pair of goggles over his eyes. He rubs his hands together in anticipation as he stares over at his target. A set of three very expensive looking cars parked side by side in a lot.

Holding out his left palm, the youth begins to concentrate. A faint blue glow is visible under the goggles as he does so. A ball of blue light forms in his hand and starts to expand. It keeps growing until it is about the size of a baseball. The teenager then moves his arm back looking like he is going to throw it. However he stops. Taking a look at the size of the ball, he concentrates once more. This time the orb grows to the size of a basketball. Smiling in satisfaction, he hurls the orb directly at the middle car.

-KABOOM-

The second the orb collides with the car a huge explosion occurs hurtling the vehicle a good ten feet up into the air. As the car flips over in midair and comes crashing back down, the gas tank explodes causing shrapnel and flames to collide with the other cars. Amidst the noise of the burning vehicles and blaring car alarms, the chubby youth whistles in delight.

"I love my work"

"Boom. My youngest son. Your colour is blue and as you can probably guess from your name, your powers are destructive in nature. You can form orbs of energy that will explode on contact with any other object. The amount of power you put in them will determine how explosive they are. Your main task will be absolute annihilation of things when it is necessary. However, I hope that you do develop a level of restraint when doing so."

"Get out our way punks."

The leader of the punks in question, a seedy looking fellow with a mohawk who is currently smoking a joint looks at the people in front of him. Two young girls who look to be around the age of twelve are standing there. He forms a quick grin at his buddies before laughing out loud.

"Or what? You're going to cry for your mommies?"

The first girl in question growls at this comment. Wearing blue overalls, a black t-shirt, and a black baseball cap with a small bit of orange hair sticking out from it, she has a look that is all business. Glaring at the punk with her orange irises, she continues to get angrier and angrier.

"No. If you don't get out of our way, we'll make you move. Got it stupid?"

The second girl nods her head in agreement. She is identical to the first and yet different at the same time. She has the exactly the same size and shape as the first girl but instead of her eyes being orange they are a bright green. Also she seems to have a kindler gentler attitude, as she is more calmed and relaxed. This is further reflected by the fact that she is wearing a white sundress.

"You really should listen to her buddy," she says giggling a bit "We're very serious."

This comment just makes the punk and the rest of his buddies laugh even more.

"Yeah right. You'll make us move? Ha! You and what army, brats?"

The two girls just look at one another knowing what the other is thinking. The green haired girl steps forward as she forms a serious face. She stares directly into the lead punks eyes just before a green flash of light expands from her body blinding everyone. When it clears all the gang members gasp in shock, as the petite girl is gone and in her place is a man looking to be identical to the head punk straight down to the cloths he is wearing.

"Finally we come to my twin girls. Clone, your colour is green and you have the powers of a duplicator. By simply looking at someone you can instantly take on his or her form. But more then that, you will also gain any skills or powers that they have. As such the people you face is the only limit to your power. Sadly though, you cannot permanently retain a form of someone. Therefore you will to observe a person a second time if you want to become them again.

"What…How…how did you do that?" the punk yells as his joint falls to the ground from his gaping mouth.

"Oh this?" The punk replicate asks mimicking his voice perfectly. "This is nothing. Watch what she's doing…"

The gang member's attention turns back to the first girl whose body is now completed shrouded in an aura of orange light. Suddenly the aura of light expands a bit and then splits into two separate auras. And then those two auras spilt apart again. And those spilt apart again. There are now eight separate areas of glowing orange light. Slowly each of them fades away to reveal eight identical tough looking girls wearing black baseball caps.

"Now then, what were you saying about an army?" the eight say as one causing the gang members to gulp.

"Copy, on the other hand is orange. Your skill is that of a multiplier. You can create copies yourself and other objects that come in contact with. Your skills will be needed most in situations where sheer numbers are required. The amount of time that these duplicates can last depends on both your concentration and the complexity of the object and number of duplicates you create. Try not to annoy everyone else with this ability too much."

The seven of them meet up once more and head off from the area.

"That's basically it. I know that this doesn't fully answer all the questions you have. Every memory prior to your waking up from this is going to be blank and I am sorry for that. There was just no way to prevent it. I figured I would be there to guide all of you, and inform you of these things. But that's not going to be the case. While setting all of this up, I made quite a few enemies…and well I am more then likely dead by the time you hear this. Still, I believe that in my heart you can succeed with it me. I love each and every one of you deeply and know that you will make me proud. Stay strong, work together and always remember that you are a family and that a family always looks out for one another. This is Professor Phoebe Christina Bowers saying hello to her children for the first and sadly last time."

"Pizza. We should definitely get some pizza." Boom declares happily as the seven of them walk away.

"Ah, we always get pizza," Clone moans slightly. "I want Chinese"

"Chinese is stupid" Copy says back to her twin. "Japanese is way better."

"No way. I can't stand that raw fish stuff. It's gross."

"Why? Is the little baby too chicken?"

"I am not!"

"I have a suggestion," Paladin butts in trying to break up the argument. "Perhaps we should choose a more healthy alternative and get some nice salads?"

Everyone ignores this suggestion.

"I got it!" Assistant suddenly cries out. "Let's get Canadian!"

"Ah sis, I don't think Canadian is a food type."

"Sure it is."

"Actually I think Canadian can be a pizza type…"

"We're not getting Pizza!"

"Enough!"

Everyone quiets down and looks over towards Velocity.

"Now I am the eldest and I am in charge. Therefore I get to decide what we eat. And my decision is…that we go get some fried eel dipped in mayonnaise and barbecue sauce! Doesn't that sound wicked?"

"What?"

"Well, that's certainly different."

"Double Gross!"

"Hey genius, where do you expect to find that at 2:00 am in the morning?"

"I don't know. The 24 hour fried eel shop?"

As the food debate continues, Shift just shakes his head in disbelief.

"Why the hell couldn't I have been adopted?"