Ciem: Inferno

Ciem: Inferno is a story in the works for the Cataclysmic Gerosha universe of The Gerosha Chronicles of Dozerfleet Comics, focusing on the life of Candi Flippo before she officially becomes Ciem. Taking place in October of 2015, the story was first proposed in real-life on September 28th of 2015. While not an origin story per se, it does provide a glimpse into Candi's life before Sodality - even helping to set the stage for Sodality. It's events also coincide with the events in The Gray Champion: Shaken Dust.

Synopsis
When a misunderstanding by local law enforcement lands Candi in Madison Correctional, the Hebbleskins send Lava Tigre to work with local gangs to stir up trouble around Gerosha. However, their working with some of Clyde Spendelworth's associates invites the wrath of the Purge-Flare to Gerosha. Desperate, Miriam and Danny join forces with Chris Kennal to take their city back - while Candi tries to find a way out of her legal predicament long enough to help.

Plot
A 16-year-old Candi grabs the diary that she was given at her birthday party, and begins writing down things in her journal. A re-cap of everything important that has happened in her life - from the founding of SCALLOP to the deaths of Stan and Shalia Flippo, to her assistance in the discovery of Remotach, to the point her powers manifested when she was being raped by Don the Psycho, to her life since then.

She leaves off stating that she is in joint custody between her sister Erin and godfather Imaki. She mentions her Centhuen Prototype abilities, and what's going on in the world pertaining to the Hebbleskin Gang - which she's being trained to combat. She expresses her concerns about politics in Washington, but also discusses her longing for a boyfriend in spite Erin banning dating in the home. And her struggles with her budding sexuality, as she wishes to "replace" her traumatic experience with Don with a more-positive one. But is not fond of the fact that she may have to break a few rules to do so.

She also discuses that there are rumors of the "Pyro Panthers" loose in the streets of Gerosha, and how she wants to work with Imaki to subdue them so police can stop their crazy arsonist antics and learn what's behind it all. She writes down that her sister Miriam, who has adopted the online alias of "Sniperbadger," also wants to be a part of the operation. Marina, however, is really into her banjo. Candi wonders if "maybe, perhaps Marina has the right idea."

The story cuts ahead to Candi in high school, have to deal with all the pressures of peers (and faculty) that are constantly pushing this or that sexual agenda on her. She does her best to blow off most of it, though an angry lesbian named Jenine does try to start a fight with her. Daniel Loffin, a boy Candi is crushing on, sticks up for her - at risk to himself. The two begin talking after school, when Candi reveals that both Imaki and Erin are out of town for several days. They begin talking politics, religion, and views on destiny. Daniel is surprised by how interested Candi is in those topics.

However, their get-together is cut short when Miriam calls Candi with a lead that some Pyro Panthers may be about to attack Erin's house. Candi asks Miriam why she doesn't simply call the police, and she claims there may be a Meethexo man-tiger with them, shouting something about death to all Flippos and their supporters. Also, Miriam voices her concerns that police might want to do a search and learn about Miriam's activities as Sniperbadger - a compromise Candi warned Miriam could come back to bite her. Candi promises to get back with Daniel, but has to go home.

She grabs hold of a pack of Zeran teleporters, and pulls out a crude centipede heroine costume that Imaki promised was "only a prototype" of what he planned to make for her. She manages to fight off several Pyro Panthers, but is confronted by a Meethexo calling himself "Lava Tigre." He proves surprisingly strong - and resistant to her centipede venom. Police begin arriving near the house, so Candi flees indoors and asks Miriam to hand her the laptop. Both girls are concerned about the fact that Candi's centuition alone cannot guarantee that they know the Panthers' next move. So Miriam must use her skills at hacking and online espionage to find any stretch of any lead. Both girls know the risks: if Miriam's backchannels and proxies fail, it could mean hard time for either or both of them. Lava Tigre also retreats. However the Panthers noticed how effective he was at protecting them from the centipede-masked vigilante. They begin to wonder what his deal is.

Miriam objects to Candi if the latter is seen with that laptop and stopped, it could be Candi that goes to jail for Miriam's online acts of espionage. Candi flees the scene with Miriam's laptop anyway, leaving Miriam to deal with police. Miriam tells officers that a mysterious vigilante showed up to deal with some of the Pyro Panthers, but that a man in a tiger mask was fleeing the scene. They decide to inspect the house, but Candi remembers to confiscate her diary and flee before they find it.

Officers tell Miriam to "watch yourself," before leaving with as many Pyro Panthers captured as possible. They also inform her that if the Pyro Panthers aren't under control soon enough, a state of emergency could be declared. This could mean bad news for anyone caught out after the new curfew that would be enforced - carrying risks of jail time or worse, rather than a simple fine for minors. Miriam takes notes of this, but forgets to remind herself to inform Candi and Marina.

Meanwhile, Marina arrives home with Anthony Wellings from school, who wants to get Marina a chance to tour with an indie rock band. The other two girls do their best to play innocent, while Marina informs them that she gets to try out for the touring position.

The girls get to their homework, but begin discussing the rules of the house concerning dating, agreeing that self-control will be an issue but that they need to play things smart for the time being. Candi admits that she has a crush on Daniel, but has no idea if he's right for her or not. She discusses privately with Miriam after Marina heads off to practice her banjo that the memories of Don still haunt her. Miriam suggests that Candi talk to the pastor and get some counseling. However, Candi reminds Miriam that Erin and Imaki are against Candi discussing anything that could lead to the Hebbleskin Gang learning which one of the sisters is the "Gifted Flippo."

Meanwhile in Japan, Imaki is counseling a young girl who is a recent convert to Christianity, but who is discovered to be a Marlquaanite Elemental with air-manipulating capabilities. The meeting is interrupted by a Hebbleskin associate, who attacks Imaki and ridicules Imaki's faith. However, a series of highly improbably events happen that sabotage the would-be assassination of Imaki. Imaki taunts back that "if this will not convince you He is listening, nothing will." Before leaving, the leader of the would-be assassins lets slip that "Lava Tigre" will burn Gerosha to the ground while Imaki is in Japan. Imaki and Yumi head to a safe location, and Imaki contacts Miriam for any information she can get about "Lava Tigre." He also wants to know how soon Erin will be returning from her trip to Tennessee, where she is aiding Meredith Stefflin in coordinating a function at a children's hospital.

The girls say prayers and head to bed a few hours later, with Candi taking a while to drift off due to feeling morally conflicted inside given her desires for Danny. Miriam awakes early, and heads downstairs with her laptop to continue her Sniperbadger activities. She manages to capture a live feed of a transmission, and learns some unpleasant truths. She discovers that Clyde Spendelworth is up to his old tricks; which the Hebbleskins only permit provided that none of his abducted victims are under 15 years in age. A representative of his, Frank Morvel, meets with the Pyro Panthers and offers to assimilate them with the Hebbleskin Gang. The Panthers would get equipment upgrades - along with Lava Tigre as a tool to distract police and any Centhuen Prototype heroes with - provided they swore allegiance to the cause and engaged in as many kidnappings of young women for the sex trade as they burned buildings. The Panthers agree to work for the Hebbleskins after Lava Tigre demonstrates his tolerance for heat from a regular fire - as well as his ability to punch through a wall and stop a bullet with his hands. His ability to shoot fireballs with his hands seals the deal.

This causes Miriam to research Clyde some more, and she learns about the Sleet Mountain incident. She finds it interesting that Chris Kennal went rogue and killed several of Clyde's men, as well as finding a random news article about a fake Extirpon calling himself "Purge-Flare," rumored to exist and vowing to destroy Clyde's entire Gleeful-N'-Young network. She immediately begins bookmarking her progress, vowing to herself to find a way to contact the Purge-Flare in case Candi can't handle the Panthers' new alliance on her own. Unbeknownst to Miriam at the time, Chris had bugged Frank Morvel's van some time before Frank arrived in Gerosha. The Purge-Flare was already planning to visit Gerosha and bring his special brand of "justice." However, Chris' comm support Bobby Pellet is discovered and assassinated mid-connection by one of Clyde's associates, leaving Chris to have to "fly blind" while carrying out his mission in Gerosha.

''The following synopsis was extracted from DeviantArt. Exact layout of sentences may change.''

When they discovered what was going on, the two teens fled. Daniel and his brother Roger went one way; Candi went another. Police were getting frustrated that so many of these juvenile arsonists kept getting away. They saw Candi, and the cars encircled her immediately. She was mistaken for a Pyro Panther, and arrested immediately on the spot.

This would have been all-well-and-good; but Imaki being out of the country meant there was no one to pay Candi's bail. Miriam feared to get involved beyond calling Candi on the phone, since she feared they'd get suspicious and confiscate her laptop. If they knew Miriam was Sniperbadger, she feared she'd be tried as an adult. Thankfully, they didn't know that Candi was the unnamed, masked vigilante that looked like a centipede.

Miriam decided to continue her online crusade against the Pyro Panthers, however. And made certain to hide at Imaki's house - in spite needing to break into the house because Imaki didn't leave Miriam a key. Erin's house was a target of the Pyros. And with Candi in jail, Miriam had few allies left that would defend her. Marina was off with the band, so they didn't worry about her. Miriam contacts Imaki, and does her best to inform him of the situation. This leads to her managing to break into a live session of Clyde Spendelworth talking to Frank Morvel, who is trying to forge an alliance of the Pyro Panthers with Gleeful-N'-Young and the Hebbleskin Gang.

Miriam immediately informs Candi of this, particularly of the fact that a monster called "Lava Tigre" has been traded to the Panthers as a way to seal the merger. Candi's trial is set for 8 days later, and she's confident she'll be acquitted due to lack of evidence to link her to the burning of Daniel's house. Miriam gets in touch with Daniel, and the two of them join forces to both find someone to advocate for Candi and alert SCALLOP about Lava Tigre. However, Candi receives word that she's being transferred to the Madison Juvenile Center, just over 2 hours away from Gerosha. They'll keep her there until her court date.

Little does Miriam know this, but she wasn't the only one spying on Frank Morvel's conversation. Frank's van was bugged. The other listener was none other than Chris "the Purge-Flare" Kennal - still bent on destroying Clyde over the events that happened at Sleet Mountain in 2009. Chris has a new outfit, and many have mistaken him for the superpowered vigilante serial killer known as Extirpon.

The Purge-Flare's initial attempts to take down Lava Tigre and the Pyro Panthers is less than successful: police chase him away thinking he is Extirpon. They are more concerned with catching Extirpon than they are with Lava Tigre! Chris proves super-hard to catch, as always, and remains at large. But he won't let one defeat stop him. Yet, he somehow feels he'll need help. He discovers his tablet being paged by a strange caller, which turns out to be Sniperbadger. Miriam informs Chris that she saw on the news what he was doing, and that their interests currently align. She tells him to lay low for about a week, and that help will arrive.

While this is happening, word makes it to SCALLOP headquarters in Houston that Gerosha police have taken alarm to the physiological anomalies discovered when they did a medical exam on Candi. It's revealed that her being a Centhuen Prototype is the reason they transferred her to Madison Juvenile Correctional with such haste: they feared she was simply too dangerous to be kept elsewhere, given her centipede powers.

Inside she meets Nancy Hizra and the two of them quickly become allies. However, repeated issues with Amirah "Flintirah" Rose lead Candi to suspect that there may be more to her than just "angry, evil bitch." When one of the guards says some trigger words and Amirah flies into a rage, she loses control and reveals herself to be a fire elemental Marlquaanite. She threatens to kill everyone in the facility, as security is left dumbfounded. However, Candi intervenes and saves everyone. They fight for a bit; but Candi is able to get Amirah to confess the real reasons for so much of her anger.

She persuades Amirah to request SCALLOP intervention, as it is clear that the staff at Madison cannot help her. Amirah warns Candi that this will get SCALLOP involved in everyone's life, to which Candi counters that they already are. Candi's victory confuses the other children; but it also causes them to advocate for her release, insisting she doesn't belong there.

Candi goes to trial and is acquitted rather easily, with even some of the captured Pyro Panthers defending her by admitting she isn't one of them. However, the celebrations are cut short when Candi learns that several of her classmates have been abducted. Miriam gets her up to speed on everything that's been happening. Little do they know, however, that the Purge-Flare has grown tired of waiting.

Candi, in her proto-Ciem suit, must free the hostages. Little does she expect Purge-Flare's help, however, in taking down Lava Tigre.

Readers are then informed that Candi's adventures are "just beginning," and to stay tuned for Sodality when things really heat up.

Heroes

 * Candi Flippo:


 * Miriam Flippo / Sniperbadger:


 * Marina Baret:


 * Imaki Izuki:


 * Danny Loffin:


 * Roger Loffin:


 * Chris Kennal / Purge-Flare: A seemingly mythical vigilante that is very hard for police to capture. Six years prior, he was a Sleet Mountain employee.  But he learned the truth about Clyde, and betrayed him.  Regretting various criminal actions he'd done for Clyde, Chris now makes it his goal to wipe out Clyde's entire operation piece by piece, member by member.  He uses a custom suit that allows him - at least at night - to look like Extirpon.  He uses this ruse to strike fear into his victims, as they think it's Extirpon attacking them.  He is skilled in building various weapons, but also in theatrics to compensate for not actually being an Emotion Battery Marlquaanite like Extirpon is.

Madison staff and children

 * Bruce Almin:


 * Amirah Rose / Flintirah: A 17-year-old at Madison Juvenile, who was convicted of nearly murdering a boy in her neighborhood three years ago because he tried to rape her. Initially willing to kill everyone in the facility when a guard bullying her goes too far, Candi battles her briefly and then talks her into requesting SCALLOP intervention.  She suffers from severe anger issues, and believes no one can understand her.  While initially a bully towards other girls, she begins to lose her mean streak when she cannot subdue Candi.


 * Nancy Hizra: A 15-year-old at Madison who is in for overdosing and killing a dog with Benadryl, then running away. Insisting it was an accident, she feels her punishment is excessive.  She also finds it infuriating that Candi is there without having gone on trial first, and believes Candi's account of things.  She quickly befriends Candi, intrigued by her discussions about SCALLOP and contemplating joining when she is older.  Candi warns her that they might look down on her because of her record, but Nancy is undeterred.


 * Cassidy Yarn: A friend of Nancy's that is unsure of Candi; yet fears Amirah.

Villains

 * Julie Saffins: One of the resident alpha girls at Gerosha High, who is frequently plotting and scheming with other girls to ruin the Flippo triplets' reputations or manipulate them into sexual situations. Candi is frequently tempted to betray her secret Centhuen Prototype abilities to exact revenge on Julie for her antics.  Miriam, likewise, is tempted to use her Sniperbadger hacking network to ruin Julie's life out of revenge; resisting the urge at Imaki's insistence.


 * Antonio Frenze / Lava Tigre:


 * Pyro Panthers:


 * Frank Morvel: A former Gleeful-N'-Young associate, unaware that he is being stalked by the Purge-Flare. He introduces the Pyro Panthers to Lava Tigre, and convinces them to work for the Hebbleskin Gang.  He promises them that Lava Tigre will protect them from police while they go about burning buildings - if they agree to also abduct prostitutes and other young women for Clyde.  The women can either submit to this, or be handed over to Duke Arfaas and company to be experimented on.  Unbeknownst to Frank, his van has been bugged.  Chris hears the entire conversation.


 * Clyde Spendelworth: The former CEO of Sleet Mountain, who has since been reduced to a pimp working for the Hebbleskin Gang. He wants Lava Tigre and Frank Morvel to start up a new Gleeful-N'-Young in the Gerosha area, but warns Frank to keep an eye open for Chris.

Other

 * Anthony Wellings: A talent agent for the Starboard Crickets indie rock band, that wants Marina to tour with them given he is impressed by her banjo-playing skills.


 * Randy Lapborn: A SCALLOP agent sent to explore into Candi's case when word gets to Darius that Candi has been arrested. He later informs her that she's been added to the SDCPM.


 * Judge Ricky Deckinson: The judge put in charge of Candi's case, who decides to keep Candi at Madison's for a week before the trial due to the anomalies found during Candi's physical exam. While he cannot find evidence to support police claims that Candi started the fire, he doesn't believe Candi to be completely innocent.  He finds her nervous tics amusing, even though the prosecutor claims it's contempt of court.


 * Erin Flippo: Older-sister-by-reason-of-adoption to Candi, Miriam, and Marina; and official legal guardian of the latter two. She has joint custody with Imaki on Candi.  She is very strict regarding the girls' ability to date, but also appears to be gradually suffering from deteriorating mental health.