Suddenly, all he could see was black.

He had been holed up in a cage in a tunnel for what seemed to be months, although in reality it was only two hours, but then he had heard a metallic screech and found himself covered in some heavy substance that made him collapse onto the floor. Even when he tried to use his newly found powers to break free, he couldn't escape the effects of the tar and was stuck to the ground, writhing in pain. He was unable to stop the transformation that occurred, turning him from an imprisoned citizen of Empire City into a Reaper conduit.

After what felt like hours of lying there, another Reaper opened the cage and tossed him a gun and a tattered yellow hoodie to get into. "Get up," came that rough voice, and he decided to obey if only to see what was going on. His memory was fuzzy now–after such a strong psychological torture and sudden mutation, it was a wonder he wasn't a vegetable–so he decided to ask his companion what his name was.

"Name?" The Reaper scoffed, but he paused to think about it. "We didn't bother learning your old name, but I guess we can call you a new one."

The newly made conduit grinned (although you wouldn't be able to tell because his hood was up) and asked, "Ooh, how about "The Amazing Deathbringer"?"

The guy just stared at him, remaining silent.

He sighed. "Okay, fine. How about . . . Ron?" He nodded. "I like the sound of that. Ron!" He struck a dramatic pose with his arms outstretched, sparks shooting from his fingertips. "He can shoot lightning from his palms and cause mass chaos before disappearing in the blink of an eye!"

"Shut up, Ron." The red Reaper continued down the tunnel, shaking his head at the energetic conduit. "And call me Keith."