The explosion was merely the tip of the iceberg. As Kelly regained her footing behind some obscuring debris, she looked up just in time to see a great jagged tower rise from the ruined building, the surface glistening like milky amber. More enormous shards of the jewel-like amber rose around the tower stopping just shy of the tip of the greater tower in the centre. As the clouds of dust settled she could see the structure in it's full glory before the ground below her gave way and she fell into the unknown.
Justin made it to the scene only to find Marek waiting there looking quite cocky. "Makes ten in a row! Running beats flying any time!" He chuckled.
Justin retorted wryly, "Maybe over ground, but just wait till we need to go over water!"
"Then you'll have a hard time beating me!" a voice called out. Justin turned to see Mitchel and Patrick landing in the X-treme machine air-type, Patrick's personal air vehicle. Justin knew it had to be ocean-hugging Mitchel who made the remark.
"We'll have time to find that out later!" quipped Patrick looking toward the amber tower, "we've a possible super-villain situation here"
The lone figure had been stood in front of the structure ever since it started growing. He was swathed in a hooded cloak. The face was obscured under the hood aside from two golden antennae that jutted out, bobbing like flotsam on a sea of black.
The heroes decided to wait for the figure to make the first move.
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity to the boys, the figure stirred. The figure's arm extended from the cloak holding what seemed to be a gun.
The heroes were prepared to counter the imminent danger, only for the figure to aim it at the structure.
All at once the structure reverberated with a high pitched tone that could have deafened the heroes in the vicinity. Patrick had activated his suit's sonic dampeners just in time which kept the heros' ears from blowing out, but nearby civilians weren't so lucky. Their faces went slack as they seemed to become attracted by the sound and congregated towards the figure.
The figure finally uncloaked himself in a dramatically drawn out fashion. Pirouetting as it threw aside the midnight covering, our heroes purveyed an entomological countenance. s far as they could tell, he was dressed up like some well-to-do Texan with a fashion deficiency. Diamante cowboy boots, a ten-gallon hat, golden lame shirt, jet-black waistcoat and necktie held by a bejewelled clasp.
However, resonant with the initial explosion, a deeper look would reveal spindly legs, another set of arms extending from the sides of the waistcoat below 'his' usual arms and finally 'his' head. The nose and mouth were the most human looking features if not for the unnatural golden complexion. Around the chin and mouth the sideburns extended into muttonchops that extended even further, curving into the shape of huge mandibles. The eyes were covered by bulbous visors completing the look of some humanoid ant.
"Come one, come all!" chirped the anthropoid a huge door creaking open from behind revealing an intense light, "all enter and gamble away your souls and bodies to me! You can't resist me, the Gambling Bug, soon you will all be bitten by me!"
None in the congregation argued, shuffling into the structure like moths and disappearing into the light.
The heroes looked dumbfounded, they couldn't act with so many innocent civilians in the way, now they had some kind of hostage situation and to top it off one of Patrick's gizmo's started to flash. "My emergency sister alarm!" He cried, "you guys go on ahead, I'll catch up!"
The others nodded and shot off into the light completely forgetting that they'd left the shelter of Patrick's sonic dampeners...