Omega Chronicles

By Nathan Burton

Omega Chronicles revolves around Team Omega, a group of budding young superheroes, struggling to make their mark on the world. Suddenly, they find themselves thrust into an adventure concerning corrupt businessmen, an ancient prophecy and the re-emergence of a villain long since presumed dead to history.
Join The Vixen, Knight, Beast and The Captain as they embark on a journey to save the world and prove they are the heroes that they believe themselves to be...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melrose Books
• Release date: Aug 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781911280156

Book preview

Chapter 1

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

July 17th, 2025 – 07:58 New Detroit

The bright, orange light of the dawn beamed intensely down on the Obsidian Building – a complex considered by many to be the jewel of New Detroit, due to its amazing contributions to the city’s refurbishment. It was a skyscraper which truly lived up to its name, with over 65 floors, each devoted to its own form of scientific research. Plastered across the building was the company slogan Obsidian: For those who dare to dream. On any other day there wouldn’t be much activity coming from the building this early in the morning, but this was not one of those days.

A small boom echoed through the complex, immediately followed by the sounds of ringing alarm bells. Suddenly, two figures could be seen leaping from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to escape the building, casting long shadows from high above the metropolis. Both of them were African-Americans in their late teens, and were dressed in some form of grey uniform with the Greek Omega symbol emblazoned across their chest. The smaller of the two was in the lead, naturally being faster than his more muscular counterpart. He turned his head to his partner.

Well, that didn’t go very well, did it?

Gee, I never noticed, replied the larger one, struggling to catch his breath.

They stopped running and hid behind a water tower. While the slimmer boy peeked his head round the corner to look out for trouble, his partner took a seat on the floor, panting heavily.

What is it, Beast?

Have you noticed that we’ve known each other for two years and we still don’t know each other’s real names?

The Captain sighed.

I don’t think this is the time to talk about this, Beast. We’re already in enough trouble with Deshawn as it is.

Man, I ain’t afraid of no raggedy-ass old man–

As Beast continued to mutter incoherent ramblings, unbe-known to the both of them, a group of figures were approaching from above.

Look, Beast… The Captain interjected. We need to keep our head in the game. This was supposed to be a routine stake-out and we’ve already drawn too much attention to ourselves. Not to mention the fact that I can’t get in contact with any of the others. Truth is, maybe Deshawn deserves to–

The Captain abruptly stopped, prompting Beast to follow his line of sight. Less than ten feet away from them, twelve shadowy robotic figures had landed on the rooftop. They slowly rose up.

Halt! You have violated Obsidian territory. Prepare to be apprehended!

The two youngsters let out a heavy groan. They were not in the mood to tangle with Obsidian Enforcers first thing in the morning.

Well, Captain? Got any ideas?

How about… Groundpound?

A sly grin crept out of the corner of Beast’s mouth. Oh yeah! I’m down for that.

With Beast’s approval, The Captain executed a stylish flip onto his back before they both began to emit a dark blue aura. Before the Enforcers had a chance to react, the pair disappeared in a spectacular flash of light. Despite their advanced design and programming power, the Enforcers still lacked the common sense and ingenuity that humans possessed. Otherwise, they would have noticed that their adversaries had only teleported a mere twenty metres above them.

After materialising in the air, The Captain released his partner, plummeting towards the robots like a human cannonball. If he hadn’t shouted out his favourite catchphrase, UNLEASH DA BEAST, the robots would never have looked up in time to see him. Unfortunately, it still did them no favours as Beast slammed his fist into the bots, instantly pulverising them. The Beast chuckled gleefully to himself.

When the smoke clears … only Da Beast is left standing!

I’ll tell you one thing, Beast: You certainly aren’t graceful. The Captain remarked, brushing off oil and dust from his uniform.

Hey, if you want graceful, go learn ballet or something.

Before the pair could continue their conversation, a damaged yet functional Enforcer charged at both of them. Just as they were about to react, a flash of dark blue light breezed straight past them and sliced the robot in half with expert precision. Standing in its place was a figure that the pair was as equally unenthusiastic to see as the robot itself. A tall, slim, Latino boy, dressed in the same uniform as The Captain and The Beast, slowly placed his sword back into its sheath. He turned around and grinned towards the pair.

You know, sometimes I wonder what you two gringos would do without me!

The Captain sighed. Typical Knight! Shows up after the battle is done and yet still manages to take the credit.

Man, we had this situation under control. If we need advice on how to make fajitas, we’ll give you a call! The Beast whined.

The Knight rolled his eyes. There were many times when he and The Beast would engage in a little game they liked to call ethnic banter.

Always with the fajita jokes, he replied. But hey, as long as it makes you comfortable with the fact that I saved your sorry ass!

The Beast, in an attempt to soothe his ego, was about to make a comeback before The Captain interjected.

Enough, guys! Knight, what information were you able to pick up?

Nothing much, mi amigo. A few secret projects here, a couple of missing dollars there, but nothing concrete.

Right, of course. After all, it would be too much to ask for something useful after a disastrous mission. Anyone hear from The Vixen?

The Beast and The Knight shook their heads in unison. As The Captain began to scratch his head, contemplating what to do next, a titanic shadow suddenly cast itself over the three boys. They all looked up to see an armoured flying vehicle of some kind, with a very familiar pilot in the cockpit.

Hey, fellas! shouted the long-haired, mixed race female. Anybody want a ride?

The three boys instantly smiled.

Heyyyy, Vixen! They dreamily called back.

The trio wasted no time in entering the vehicle and speeding away from the site of their failed mission. Whilst in transit, The Vixen turned towards the boys.

So… who’s gonna tell Deshawn about this?

I vote The Captain, The Beast said with no hesitation.

I second that motion, compadre! added The Knight.

A good captain is supposed to go down with his ship, The Vixen said, with her eyebrow raised.

The Captain sighed.

Perfect, he thought. This is gonna be a very long day.

July 17th, 2025 – 10:30 Omega Island

It was a simple mission.

Deshawn had repeated this statement to the team three times whilst they were lined up in the assembly room for debriefing.

Infiltrate, observe, document… Maybe even take an item or two. It was a simple mission.

The entire team rolled their eyes and sighed. The Knight leaned over to The Beast and whispered, Make that four times…

Deshawn gave The Knight a steely gaze, which instantly wiped the smirk off his face. You are Team Omega. You are the best of the best. An elite team, with honed skills to take on any task. He then proceeded to address them individually.

Knight. You are the swiftest of them all. Your swordsman-ship is unparalleled by anyone. You are courageous, arrogant, and sometimes a little too flirtatious… but your heart is pure.

Beast. You’ve truly earned that name. You are the strongest man around. Period. Not to mention your head is just as thick as your fist.

Vixen. Your invisibility and cat-like reflexes make you some kind of, well, superspy. You do a very good job of playing den mother when these idiots bicker amongst themselves.

Captain. You have a range of abilities that you have yet to fully tap into and master, but your teleportation is very good for getting everyone out of truly sticky situations. This, along with the fact that you naturally care for the wellbeing of others, is why you are placed with the responsibility of taking charge of this team… You truly are your father’s son!

The other three members of the team looked towards their captain. Now and again they had to remind themselves of the pressure that he had taken on himself, not to mention the fact that he had to live up to the memory of his father, after whom the team was named.

You are dismissed. Training begins at 07:00 tomorrow, Deshawn barked.

YES, SIR! came the reply.

They all began to filter out of the room, except The Captain. Deshawn noticed, and slowly approached him.

What’s the matter, Captain?

Beast raised an interesting point out on the field. He said that even though we are all a team, we don’t even know our true names. I mean, you know my name but that’s different… and so, it got me thinking…

What is it, Tyson?

Whenever you talk about my dad… like you did back there, you’ve never mentioned his name. Come to think about it, even my mum doesn’t say his real name. All anyone ever refers to him as is ‘Omega’, or ‘The Harlem Hero’. So please can you just tell me, what was his name?

You mean you still haven’t figured it out? Deshawn crossed his arms. His name was his greatest legacy. The gift which he said was the greatest one he had to offer to mankind…

The Captain had a puzzled look on his face.

But you always said that he thought I was his greatest gift to mankind?

Precisely! Deshawn said, and placed his hand on The Captain’s shoulder. He then gathered up his things and left the assembly room.

Tyson, The Captain whispered to himself, once he had reached his epiphany. His name was Tyson!

Chapter 2

SHOW ME WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF!

July 18th, 2025 – 07:00 Omega Island

Omega Island. Once the headquarters to the greatest superhero of all time. Now a training school to the next generation of superheroes, particularly those affected by the radiation from the Meteor Event of 2012.

Deshawn walked towards the training room for his session with the team, casually sipping a warm cup of hot chocolate as he strolled down a hallway dedicated to his friend’s honour. He couldn’t help but reminisce about the times that he and Omega had barely been able to scrape enough money together to buy hot chocolate.

I only wish you could see this crazy world, he thought to himself.

His peace was shattered as four speeding teenagers barrelled past him in an attempt to reach the training room before him. He let out a sigh as he observed the remains of his hot chocolate on the floor.

On second thoughts, Omega… maybe you’re better off where you are. With any luck, I’ll be joining you there someday.

Alright ya lazy, dim-witted, rat bag, toad scum! FORM UP!

Team Omega formed a line, knowing they would be fools to wait to be asked a second time.

We’re gonna be trying something a little bit different in today’s session, Deshawn announced. Normally we focus on team effort and joint attacks, but for today we will specifically work on the skills of… The Captain!

Puzzled by this statement, the team turned towards their fearless leader, who was scratching his head in surprise.

Me?

Yes, you. As I mentioned yesterday, there is still a lot of hidden power within you which you’ve yet to unlock. Power which can be very useful to the rest of the team. Now, Beast, Captain. Come out in front and stand opposite each other.

The two teammates complied with the order, although rather reluctantly.

Captain, Deshawn continued, hit Beast as hard as you can! Full force.

The Captain gave Deshawn a look similar to one you would give a lunatic who’d escaped from a mental asylum. Beast couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Yo, Deshawn? You don’t actually expect The Captain to hit me, right?? C’mon… we all know that’s suicide.

What’s the matter, Beast? The Knight interrupted. You ain’t afraid that The Captain’s gonna knock you on your ass, are you, hermano? He couldn’t resist taking a jab at the big guy’s ego.

That’s enough! barked Deshawn, Go on, Captain. Take your best shot at him!

The Captain nodded. He drew in a deep breath, pulled his fist back, and exerted it with full force at The Beast’s chest… and then immediately regretted it. The Beast barely moved an inch, but The Captain knelt to the ground clutching his hand in agonising pain.

Oww! he moaned.

The Vixen attempted to cover up her laughter by putting her hand over her mouth. The Knight, however, made no such attempt.

Haha… ohh man, you gringos crack me up!

Well, that was educational! Deshawn interjected. Let’s try that again, but this time I want you to charge up your aura in the same way you do when you teleport, and instead of teleporting, try focusing that energy into your fist and then strike The Beast!

Hey, Captain. Don’t push yourself too hard. We don’t wanna break that hand of yours! The Beast jeered.

The Captain ignored the insult and began to charge up his aura, a process which he was more than used to by now. He pulled back his fist and made the conscious effort to move the aura into it instead of allowing the energy to teleport him.

Just a little bit more… he thought, concentrating intensely on the task at hand. NOW!

What happened next shocked everyone in the room. The Captain released his aura-infused punch onto The Beast’s chest as he had before, but this time the resultant force sent The Beast flying several metres back onto the floor, creating a shockwave which rocked the entire room. Deshawn, The Vixen, and The Knight watched in awe.

The Beast stood up from the crater he left in the ground, and repeatedly blinked his eyes in disbelief. There was no visible injury minus a few grazes on his face, but it was clear that he was in a state of shock. No-one had ever hit him that hard since the day his powers had been awakened. The Captain remained in the same position he had been when he threw the punch, fist outstretched and heart pounding inside his chest.

Daanng! Deshawn exclaimed.

Guess I was right. You did get knocked on your ass! The Knight shouted, uncontrollably exploding into laughter.

The Beast attempted to form a sentence but words failed to come to his aid.

How… what? I don’t–

Yeah… me neither! The Captain concluded.

Deshawn cleared his throat and decided to take charge of the situation.

Well done, Captain, but don’t think that that’s the end of today’s training. Next up: You and The Knight!

The Knight’s raucous laughter came to a sudden, abrupt end. Uhh, come again?

You heard me. Stand beside The Captain!

Listen, boss… I don’t mean no disrespect but I think you’ve gone loco! There aint no way I’m going up against a guy who made The Beast look like a chump.

The Beast scowled at this last remark. Man… it was just a lucky punch. I’m still Da Beast! The strongest guy around!

Second strongest apparently! interrupted The Vixen, cheekily grinning to herself.

Relax, Knight. You’re not gonna fight The Captain; you’re gonna race him, Deshawn explained, with a cruel smile on his face.

"Ohh well, I ain’t got a problem with that. See, unlike my amigo, The Beast, over here, I