IUSTITIA NOVUM

Three rules. Drilled into him since he decided to put on the Halo and join his family and friends in their fight against crime, corruption, and the enemies of Church. Three rules that defined not only what it meant to be a hero, but also formed the very foundation of his family's values. Three rules. Superseded only by the main doctrine of their faith: "Follow the Lord in all things." Three rules, that had always been the bedrock of his family's mission. Three rules, that didn't seem to make much sense anymore.

RULE 1: Do Not Kill. 

The most important rule and not just because murder is a sin. A hero who killed was no hero at all. This rule was about holding oneself to a higher standard than the criminals. The focus it took for a hero to control their powers or strikes, and the determination required for a hero not to give into righteous fury, were akin to the faith that hero had in the Lord. Their faith was meant to be unshakable, and so too was their adherence to the first rule. The Lord was merciful, and a hero should always be the embodiment of that mercy. The Lord was not spiteful and so a hero shouldn't be either. All people are beloved by the Lord. 

RULE 2: Always Be Aware Of Your Surroundings.

It was important for a hero to be aware of what was happening around them at all times. Heroes needed to be attuned to all that the Lord had created and be aware of the Lord's presence in their lives. This not only protected the hero, but also helped them defend the innocent and their allies alike. It also helped limit damage to the city or destruction of Church property. Situational awareness was key to a hero's success. Constant awareness of the world around a hero allowed them to do the most good. Constant remembrance of the Lord's love strengthened a hero's resolve and purified their mission. All people are beloved by the Lord. The Lord is always with us. 

RULE 3: Always Think Ahead.

It was important that a hero trust that the Lord would guide their actions. It was not enough to simply be aware of the present. A hero needed to use that awareness to inform their next move and be ready to either execute that move without hesitation or instantly adapt. The Lord would guide a hero's decisions, but that hero must always be prepared to act on them. There was no room for doubt. A hero needed to put their faith in the Lord to be ready for whatever an enemy threw at them. All people are beloved by the Lord. The Lord is always with us. Through the Lord, all things are possible.

Nimble Jack had believed fully in all three rules until recently. His grandfather, the original Gazelle, had been one of the first heroes to fight corruption within the church and crime within his city. His grandfather had been defined by the three rules, and the heroes that came after followed his example. His grandfather was an ordinary man, who even without powers, accomplished extraordinary things. Nimble Jack wasn't sure if the world was different or if he was the one who was changing, but at some point, the rules had lost their meaning. 

These days, awareness in his surroundings just made Nimble Jack realize how bad things were throughout the country and how they seemed to be getting worse. It was hard to preemptively come up with his next actions, and trust in those decisions, when no matter what he and his fellow heroes did, it didn't seem to improve things on a larger scale. What was the point of showing an enemy mercy when they immediately returned to wrongdoing or inspired others to sin. 

Nimble Jack was a third-generation hero. His grandfather had trained his father. When his grandfather had retired, his father had given up his Gazelle Boy codename and taken up the mantle of The Gazelle. Nimble Jack's mother was also a hero. She had taken over for her mentor, the first-generation hero Quick Hand, and donned the codename Lady Reflex. All of Nimble Jack's friends were heroes as well. Being a hero was the fabric of his identity, and the three rules were the threads that comprised that fabric. Unfortunately, the three rules seemed to be a product of a different time. 

When his grandfather had decided to become a hero, his goals were to stop petty crime and to fight corruption within the Church. The Gazelle and his comrades, the first generation of heroes, had fought evil without powers and were still able to make a difference. Now the fight against crime and corruption was left to Nimble Jack and the other junior heroes while the second generation of heroes dealt with supervillains and threats against the Unified Catholicity of the Americas. 

No one was quite sure why people had suddenly begun to be born with superpowers. Some thought it was a result of the San Andreas earthquake that had decimated the West coast. Those who subscribed to this theory believed that a mutation causing gas or virus released from deep within the Earth had led to the development of superpowers. Others agreed that the release of gases or a virus was the cause but thought the source of those gases was the eruption of Krakatoa that had destroyed Australia and the islands of the South Pacific. 

The Church leaders of the Unified Catholicity of the Americas however, believed that superpowers resulted from the fallout from the nuclear strikes on Europe and Russia. The Unified Catholicity of the Americas had turned the emergence of superpowered individuals to their advantage. Whereas the first generation of heroes were vigilantes acting on faith and with the the nation's best interests in mind, the second generation of heroes became state sponsored defenders of the Lord. Now as a third generation of heroes was coming of age, the second generation of heroes was tasked by the Unified Catholicity of the Americas to handle threats against the country. They were often called abroad to fight against rogue factions from the Coalition of Islamic Oligarchs and the Shintdi Empire as well. That left the lesser domestic threats and ordinary crimes to Nimble Jack's generation.

At the beginning of the first generation of heroes, the entire world had been at war. Four diverse nations fought to prove that the God they worshipped was the supreme being and their nation followed the one true faith. The war ended when the Coalition of Islamic Oligarchs nuked the Allied Protestant Nations, turning Europe and most of Russia into a nuclear wasteland. The remaining three world religious states signed a peace treaty and the Unified Catholicity, after so many years of brutal fighting, adopted a more peaceful interpretation of the scripture. The Unified Catholicity abolished its death penalty, built multiple large prisons, and implemented strict rehabilitation programs. 

The heroes captured the criminals and the church sentenced them. Then the criminals were supposed to be rehabilitated and brought back to lives free of sin. However, as far as Nimble Jack could tell, the rehabilitation programs were not effective and prison sentences weren't a deterrent. Upon release, criminals went right back to their old ways. Escapes and early paroles were both common as well, with many criminals never serving their full sentence. To Nimble Jack, the prison system felt like a revolving door.

While listening to his parents and grandfather tell stories of their past adventures, Nimble Jack always got the impression that although the fight against crime and corruption was always ongoing, it was at least possible to win small victories. Since becoming a hero in his own right, Nimble Jack felt that he and his comrades weren't achieving victories. Instead, it felt like they were just doing their best not to lose ground.

Nimble Jack's faith in the three rules had already been wavering. Now the latest attack by Agent of Chaos had shaken his beliefs to their core. Agent of Chaos was a mysterious and international criminal who had been active for decades. Most superheroes and supervillains wore Halos, electronic devices that disguised the wearer's identity by superimposing a hologram over their face, but not Agent of Chaos. His face, though horribly scared after decades of battles, was always on display. Yet, no one was sure of his true identity. He'd appeared toward the end of the first generation of heroes and had wreaked havoc across the Americas. He'd done battle with nearly all the major heroes and had been captured many times, but always managed to escape.

Agent of Chaos was an enigma. Some thought he was the first individual born with superpowers, though they couldn't agree on which power he possessed. Some thought he was immortal while others thought he could clone himself. Both would explain why he'd been active for over two generations. Others thought the original Agent of Chaos had died and been replaced, possibly by one of his followers. Some thought he was an anarchist and others thought he was an operative working on behalf of the Coalition of Islamic Oligarchs or the Shintdi Empire. No matter which theory they subscribed to, everyone agreed he was the most dangerous man on the planet. Agent of Chaos had killed thousands upon thousands of people and injured or traumatized thousands more. His schemes and attacks were always aimed at breaking up the natural order or disrupting normal life. He was known for upping the ante with each attack, and his newest plot was his most diabolical yet.

There existed a drug known on the street as Devil Dust. It was a powerful stimulate that made those who took it feel invincible. Agent of Chaos had developed a super strain of Devil Dust and converted it into an aerosol. This new strain caused anyone who inhaled it to go into a fit of uncontrolled rage. Those on the drug did great harm to themselves, oblivious to the pain or damage they were doing to their bodies. They would attack anything their drug warped minds perceived as a threat, be it property or another person. The one exception to this was those on Devil Dust never attacked each other. Something about the new strain made them focus on those who had not inhaled the drug. A person under the effects of Devil Dust would die if they inadvertently over-exerted themselves. In these cases, the drug fried their central nervous system and over-stimulated their heart. If the drug was allowed to run its course through a person's system, the chances were good they'd survive. Unfortunately, while on the drug they wreaked havoc on those around them and there was always the chance they would over-exert themselves in the process. 

Agent of Chaos had targeted the Afra District in the city of Omstaddon. His henchman had inserted cans of the aerosol Devil Dust into the air conditioning systems of the Afra School and several housing developments. The air conditioning systems distributed the drug and soon hundreds of people, including all the children in the school, were tearing their way through the District. The second generation of heroes, all members of the state sponsored Vindices Catholicus of the United Americas, were engaged in other parts of the nation. So, Nimble Jack and some of his comrades from the Junior Vindices Catholicus, had been sent to Omstaddon to deal with the Agent of Chaos' attack. 

Nimble Jack, Tom Ton, Tonbelina, Whip Gal, Caiman Girl, Dynamo Junior, Snow Princess, Kid Virtuoso, and Nic the Goth had spent hours trying to subdue the citizens of the Afra District who had inhaled the Devil Dust. Nimble Jack had quickly come to the realization that this task was nearly impossible, especially when the three rules were applied to the situation. Being aware of his surroundings just made Nimble Jack realize that he was fighting children and innocents who were not in control of their actions. Thinking ahead was useless against unpredictable opponents who he was trying not to harm while still trying to protect himself and his friends. The first rule was becoming the hardest to obey. Seeing all of this, how could he not want to kill Agent of Chaos?

Exposure to the Devil Dust caused the children to rip apart their parents. Nimble Jack watched as those who had not inhaled the drug resorted to lethal violence in a desperate effort to protect themselves. Injured and scared people were all around him. How was he supposed to concentrate on what was around him when he was surrounded by suffering? How was he supposed to think ahead in a situation in which it was impossible to protect everyone? Even if the Junior Vindices Catholicus were able to prevent those exposed to the Devil Dust from hurting innocents, some of those people could still die before the drug had run its course. How could he obey the three rules when he was filled with anguish and fury over what the Agent of Chaos had done?

The struggle against those who had inhaled the Devil Dust wasn't Nimble Jack's only source of internal conflict. Throughout the day the only thing that had calmed him was knowing that Dynamo Junior was fighting at his side. Nimble Jack was in love with Dynamo Junior, but homosexuality was forbidden by the Church. On a normal day it was all Nimble Jack could do to suppress his feelings for Dynamo Junior. Today, surrounded by pain, fear, and suffering he found himself at a total loss. He was struggling with his beliefs even harder than he was struggling against the people who had inhaled the Devil Dust. Suddenly, spotlights illuminated the sky above a warehouse at the end of the District and Agent of Chaos' voice boomed through an old PA system attached to the building.

"Hey there young heroes! I've got the solution to your drug problem. Come face me if you want the antidote. Or don't. I'll have a good time either way."

The Junior Vindices Catholicus knew it was a trap, but they all realized they had no other choice but to confront Agent of Chaos. Caiman Girl, Snow Princess, Tonbelina, and Kid Virtuoso all had powers that made subduing the people influenced by the Devil Dust easier, so they stayed behind. Nimble Jack, Dynamo Junior, Tom Ton, Whip Gal, and Nic the Goth all went to face Agent of Chaos. The five heroes fought their way into the warehouse through Agent of Chaos' henchmen. At the back of the warehouse they found Agent of Chaos standing alone on a platform, half cloaked in shadow. The heroes rushed at him together. Dynamo Junior was the fastest and reached Agent of Chaos first. Dynamo Junior punched Agent of Chaos, knocking him off the platform.

Agent of Chaos had allowed himself to be punched. As his weight left the platform it triggered a death trap. Two automatic rifles affixed to the ceiling and hidden by the shadows began to fire. Dynamo Junior, following the second and third rules, had been ready for such a trap and was already moving out of the way as the bullets started to fly. On the other side of the platform from him, Agent of Chaos rolled to his feet and drew a gun. He fired at Dynamo Junior, who spun for cover behind a nearby stack of pallets he had noticed while running at Agent of Chaos. Dynamo Junior rounded the edge of the pallets and set off a motion sensor that triggered a hidden bomb. The resulting explosion engulfed Dynamo Junior in flames and the blast threw him across the warehouse. 

Distraught, Nimble Jack rushed to help Dynamo Junior. Meanwhile, Whip Girl used her whip to disarm Agent of Chaos and the gun skittered across the warehouse floor. Tom Ton knocked Agent of Chaos to the ground and held him down while Nic the Goth cuffed him. When Nimble Jack reached Dynamo Junior, he found his beloved had been killed by the explosion. Nimble Jack's head spun. He'd just lost the love of his life. Dynamo Junior had been killed while following the three rules. He'd been ready for an ambush and was ready with his next move before the trap was activated, but it had not saved him. 

Overcome with grief, Nimble Jack walked over and picked up Agent of Chaos' gun. With tears in his eyes turned to Agent of Chaos and said, "I loved him."

This was the first time Nimble Jack had ever uttered those words out loud. Instantly, his feelings felt validated and his belief in the scripture and conviction to the three rules faded away. Nimble Jack pointed the gun at Agent of Chaos and fired. The first bullet entered Agent of Chaos' eye and burst through the back of his head. The next bullet struck his forehead and blew off the top of his skull. The other three heroes stood in shocked silence, unable to move, as Agent of Chaos' body slumped forward. Nimble Jack walked up to it and emptied the rest of the clip into Agent of Chaos' prone form to ensure that the villain was dead. 

Nimble Jack dropped the gun and looked at his comrades and they stared at him in turn. Whip Girl glared at him admonishingly. Tom Ton's look seemed to convey begrudging acceptance. Nic the Goth smiled at Nimble Jack before walking up and patting him on the shoulder. 

"Well done," Nic the Goth said. "It's about time we changed the rules."