Alias: Beleg
Race: Human
Age: 15
Physical-
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Forest green
Height: 5" 7"
Skills/superpowers: Beleg's main weapon is the ability to create a laser bow and arrows to shoot from it.
Short History: Brandon and his twin brother were born in a tiny town called Fall Springs in Montana, the oldest of six children. Brandon fell in love with archery, learning to shoot a bow with great accuracy before he was eight. Their father died in an accident when he and his brother were eleven and, at the age of twelve, they had to go to work in a nearby factory to keep their family from starving. Several months after they had begun working, Brandon and his brother were goofing around and they were locked in the factory. That night, a group of protesters broke on of the windows and threw a bomb into the room where the brothers were sleeping. Amazingly, the twins survived. After their release from the hospital, Brandon began to realize that the bombing had effected him in more than one way as he began to exhibit strange powers.
~*~*~
Real Name: Brian Croft
Alias: Turin
Race: Human
Physical-
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Sky Blue
Height: 5" 7"
Skills/superpowers: Turin's ability is much like his brother's. Only, instead of a laser bow, Turin can create a laser sword. It can deflect almost anything and he wields it expertly.
Short History: Brian, the younger of the twins, was born in Fall Springs, a tiny town in the heart of Montana. Brian loved swords from the time he was a child and stories of heroic characters from Lord of the Ring only made his desire to use one stronger. His parents eventually allowed him to take lessons and he quickly learned as much as he could. At the age of eleven, a tragedy occurred in their family...Brian's father was killed in an accident. A year later, the twins had to begin working in a factory to earn money for the rest of their large family. A few months after they had begun working, Brian and his brother were goofing around and they were locked in the factory. That night, a group of protesters broke on of the windows and threw a bomb into the room where the brothers were sleeping. Brian and Brandon survived, though they spent several weeks in the hospital. When they awoke, he and his brother began to discover that they had new powers, each of them specializing in the area they loved most.
Past Story for Beleg and Turin:
Brian crouched beneath a conveyor belt, laughing softly as he heard his twin brother, Brandon, searching for him.
"Come on, Bri," Brandon called, "Mom will be getting worried about us."
"I'll leave as soon as you find me, Bran," Brian responded.
Brandon zeroed in on where his brother's voice had come from. He pounced on him.
"Got'cha!" he cried.
Brian rolled away and darted off across the factory room, ducking under conveyor belts. Brandon scrambled to his feet, chasing after his twin. Brian reached the exit and grasped the handle, pulling with all his strength. Brandon tackled him, then saw his twin's scared expression. He stood quickly.
"What is it, Bri?" he asked.
"The doors are locked, Bran," Brian responded softly.
Brandon's eyes grew wide as he tried the handle himself. He forced a smile for his younger brother's sake and answered him calmly, "Then we'll just have to sleep here tonight."
"What about the protesters, Bran?" Brian asked.
Ever since it had opened, the factory had been set upon by environmentalist protesters, who sometimes turned violent. Brandon listened for a moment, for you could typically hear the protesters chanting and yelling. Everything was silent.
"They're gone, Bri," he comforted, "Let's get some sleep. We'll still have to work tomorrow."
The twins curled up in a corner on top of some sacks with several more piled on them to keep warm in the cold factory.
Jeremy and a group of his friends sneaked up to the dark factory. They pulled out cans of spray paint and began to paint slogans on the concrete walls. Jeremy stepped back to admire his work.
'Smoke destroys our atmosphere!' he had written, complete with a picture of the earth gasping for air as smoke filled its surface. One of the protesters, a new guy, picked up a rock and threw it at a nearby window.
<<!!CRASH!!>>
Brandon and Brian sat up, eyes wide with fear.
"What was that?" Brian asked.
Brandon's gaze caught on the broken window. Brian felt his twin stiffen beside him and he followed Brandon's eyes to the window.
"Bran?" he asked again, hoping for some sign of encouragement.
Brandon forced himself to act normal as he responded, "It's all right, Bri. It was probably nothing."
Brian didn't look convinced.
Jeremy heard something click and turned just in time to see the new guy throw what looked like a bomb though the broken window.
"What are you doing?!?" he demanded.
The man, Jeremy couldn't remember his name, smiled coldly, "You wanted to take action, my friend. Now I suggest you run."
Jeremy stood for one second longer before running for safety. The other protesters followed, leaving only the man who had thrown the bomb. He retreated to a safe vantage point, waiting for the explosion.
"Did you see something?" Brandon asked.
Brian's gaze wandered around what could be seen of the room.
"No, Bran, I didn't see anything," he answered.
Archery had trained Brandon to note the slightest movement and he knew he had seen something come in the window. He approached where he thought the object had landed. Brandon's eyes widened.
"Run, it's a bomb!" he shouted to his brother.
Brian was on his feet in an instant and the twins raced toward the door.
*Three...two...one...* the man counted down expectantly.
He looked up from his watch as the building exploded magnificently. He watched the flames burn for a moment before dialing a number on his cell phone.
"Fire department, Susan speaking. How may I help you?" a bland female voice said.
The man forced panic into his voice, "The factory! It's in flames!"
"Slow down, where are you?" the lady asked.
"At the Dreymos factory. Those protesters blew it up!" he explained.
Susan's voice became more interested as she asked, " What is your name?"
The man hung up and settled deeper into the trees to wait for the firemen's arrival.
Seth Border jerked upright as the klaxon sounded, calling the firefighters to action. He stumbled out of his cot and pulled on his uniform before running to the fire engine. They roared out of the station and toward the fire. When they reached it, Seth stared in horror at the wreck that had once been the Dreymos factory. The engine halted before the flaming ruins and Seth leapt off it.
*Thank God no one was in there when it blew,* he thought.
Then he saw something-no, someone move among the leaping flames. Without a second thought, Seth passed into the flames. Even inside his protective gear, the heat was almost unbearable. Seth hardly dared think what it was like for the person trapped inside this mess. His heart twisted when he saw two young boys unconscious and bleeding on the floor. At least he hoped that they were merely unconscious. The children had obviously been in the room hen the bomb blew and it was unlikely they had survived.
Suddenly, the dancing flames caught the young fireman's eye. Over one boy there hovered a flame that looked like a bow and arrow and over the other was what seemed to be a sword. He blinked and they were gone. He put them down to a fanciful imagination before stepping toward the boys. He gently turned them over, checking for a pulse. They were still alive!
He lifted the two and carried them out of the building, leaving themin the care of newly-arrived medical workers.
*I hope those kids will be all right,* Seth thought as the ambulance pulled away.
Reclining on a hotel bed, the man who had blown up the factory watched the news. The reported briefly sopke of the bombing before going to a live interview with Todd Dreymos, head of Dreymos Incorporated, and Zeth St. Claire, owner of St. Claire Enterprises. St. Claire offered Dreymos his condolences for the loss of his most important factory. Despite the two companies' fierce rivalry, St. Claire offered all the resources at his disposal to help Dreymos rebuild from his losses.
The man snorted in disgust and turned the television off. His cell phone rang and he quickly answered it, for only one man had his number.
"Talon here," he said.
"Congratulations," a cold voice said, "You pulled off the bombing perfectly. No one suspects who really did it."
"Thank you, sir," Talon responded.
The person on the other end of the phone asked, "What of the twins who were in the building?"
"Alive, sir."
"They bear watching. I may find a use for them in the future," the other man ordered.
"Yes, sir," Talon answered.
The man hung up with out saying another word. Talon replaced the cell phone in his pack before turning the television back on. It looked like he would be here longer than he had thought.
Several weeks later...
Brandon sat upright in his hospital bed, Brian still asleep in the bed next to him. He leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes. He imagined gripping his bow, the wood smooth beneath his fingers. It was warm from the friction caused by shooting the arrows. Suddenly, his hands began to tingle. Brandon opened his eyes and started when he saw a bow lying in his hands. It was made of pure light that flickered like dancing flames. He carefully closed his fingers around it and it felt as solid as a real bow. One of his hands dropped to his side, the other still grasping the light bow and wished he had arrows. A shaft of light grew in his empty palm, slowly forming itself into an arrow. Brandon smiled, fitting the arrow to the bow and pulling it back. A pitcher of water sat across the room from his bed. Brandon aimed at the center of the pitcher and released the arrow. It shattered the pitcher, sending glass and water everywhere. He heard steps nearing the room and the bow vanished from his hands. He laid down and pulled the covers up, closing his eyes. A nurse entered the room, looking around to see what had happened. All she saw was the sleeping twins and the broken water pitcher. She swept the shards up before she left the room.
Brandon sat up and glanced over to find Brian watching him intently.
"How did you do that, Bran?" he asked.
"I just imagined it," Brandon answered.
Brian's eyes sparkled. He closed his eyes and pictured the sword he had always wanted. An instant later, a tingling feeling spread through his fingers and Brian opened his eyes. In his hands he cradled a sword of shifting flames. The twins exchanged delighted grins and Brandon, who had always loved reading comic books, spoke first.
"We're superheroes!" he exclaimed.
"But we're also like the heroes from Lord of the Rings," Brian responded.
"What should we call ourselves?" Brandon asked.
"Some famous duo from Middle-earth?" Brian suggested.
Brandon thought for a moment, "You know them better than I do, Bri."
A grin spread across Brian's face.
"I know!" he cried, "Turin and Beleg! Two of the greatest heroes of Elvish and Edain legends!"
"Which one of us is which?" Brandon asked.
"Beleg was an Elven archer, so you're Beleg. And Turin used a sword, so I'm Turin," Brian answered. He raised his sword to the ceiling and cried, "Amarth na yal len fennas!"
Brandon looked over at him, "What was that?"
"It's Elvish," Brian explained, "It means 'doom is at your doorway.'"
Brandon grinned and his bow appeared in his hands.
"Amarth na yal len fennas!" he echoed.
Epilogue
Brandon and Brian recovered fully from their injuries. On a visit to the hospital to check on them, Seth Border, their rescuer, met the twins' mother. A year later, he married her. Brandon and Brian never had to go back to work in the factory. Instead, the two devoted all their spare time to practicing with their new weapons. They waited for the time when Turin and Beleg could reveal themselves as heroes of the people. But that time would not come for several more years.
