Futuristic Arcadia: Heroes World Brave

[PiePillager]

"You got him...?" Henry trailed off as he realized what Lynne had pocketed. The core. So Dandy was...residing within it? Interesting but foreboding technology...if it could even be considered as such. The sounds of the footsteps approaching growing louder as they increased in proximity did not escape him however, and he quickly broke from his thoughts to resume hotwiring the elevator. First the doors and then.
"Going up..." Henry noted, just as something slammed hard enough against the elevator doors to dent it considerably. "Not gonna take us too far....seventh floor sounds good as any.

As soon as the elevator stopped, a beeline was made to the staircase....as more footsteps could be heard marching down the stairs. He put a hand to his ear again. "Hey Cobalt...seventh floor! Uh...window facing the pavilion! Enemies in pursuit!" Henry raised his blaster and shot it at the wall above the aforementioned window, reducing it to rubble that fell towards the ground below. "Gonna make a quick landing. Wouldn't mind a makeshift staircase!" he said as he jumped out, figuring Lynne could either follow suit or fly herself out.

It didn't take long for Klaus to arrive and freeze the rubble in place, allowing Henry to use them as platforms to descend down to the ground level. Henry instantly tapped the communicator on his ear again. "Akiko, Sasha....either of you reading this! Lynne and I have made our exit, where you at?"

 

[obscured_light]

"Out and about with the enemy," Akiko said into her ear piece as she glanced at Sakinder. "But out on the grounds looking at the exit. Should I..."

She trailed off, looking down at the belt that had let her down, literally, just a few minutes before.

"Should I hobble back to ya'll or uh...?"

 

[DarKnight36]

"I've got you," Sasha said to Akiko, appearing next to her and scooping the self-proclaimed detective up into his arms. Giving Sakinder an appraising look, Sasha leaped forward, out of the exit and back towards the city proper.

"Rendezvous back at the jet," Sasha said. "We've got some things to talk about."

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko stiffened and clung onto Sasha for dear life but the sky was nothing new to her. It was different when someone else was in control however. A half formed protest and a strangled exclamation of surprise died on her tongue as the day's events settled into her bones. She hadn't known Sasha long but she had known him long enough that Akiko was certain she wasn't going to be dropped. So she just clung to him with a half mumbled thanks as she waited for their landing.

 

[PiePillager]

"Well...we're headed back to the VTOL, it looks like," Henry shrugged at Lynne. "I don't know how yet, but if there's any way your friend can be...cured, then we can give it a shot. We've already got a ghost expert on the team. What do you say?"

 

[druidquest]

"I don't-" Lynne looked over her shoulder as crowds of Alpheum employees filled the hole they'd come through. She didn't really have any other escape options at present. "I guess that's fine?"

She looked between the three people standing in the courtyard. Who was the young guy? "Where's Sir Brandon?"

 

[PiePillager]

As the heroes left, Sakinder sighed and places his hands in his pockets before walking back inside. This was a mess, but...it could be spun to his advantage. Wondering just how many Akiko had with her, Sakinder wandered back inside. He mused on how rare it was that any so called hero could successfully breach Alpheum unscathed. Though, those that did, tended not to stay lucky in that regard for long...

***

"Works for me!" Henry nodded. "Cobalt Clock can cover our escape route. I can guide you back to the jet!" He explained as he lead the way out. "As for Sir Brandon uh...well I'll let Koschei explain that one to you.." Henry scratched the back of his head with a chuckle. There wasn't much buzz coming from the outside for once. The press normally covering Alpheum was now gathered in front of the wreckage of Lin's restaurant, trying to piece together the reports of a "zombie attack".

The Brave would not hear much of what was said to have gone down u til later, their focuses solely on their findings from Alpheum. Before long, Henry, Lynn, and Klaus were able to reach the helipad where the VTOL had landed.

" Glad to see everyone's no worse for wear..." Henry sighed, before taking a second glance at Akiko. "Well, more or less. You okay? What exactly went down in there?"

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko was starting to doze off in the chair Sasha had set her in, looking up at Henry through half lidded eyes.

"I got my ass kicked and I found out I'm not unique," she said weakly as she adjusted to look at them all better. In fact, "Wait, Lynne? Henry, did you kidnap Lynne??"

 

[druidquest]

"Yes."

 

[DarKnight36]

Sasha sat down next to Akiko. "Yes, there are a few pieces of key information that would have been good to know before we arrived at Alpheum, but hopefully no lasting harm done. I've certainly learned a few things." Sasha eyed his ghostly companion for a moment, obviously concerned, before turning to the others.

"Did you find your book seller, Ms. Lynne?" Sasha asked.

 

[druidquest]

"Eh?" Lynne was taken aback that this guy would know why she was here. Had Akiko told him? They certainly seemed... friendly. "Uh. Yeah, something like that," she replied, hand going to the core sitting in her pocket.

 

[PiePillager]

"Ms. Aster, Sir Brandon. Sir Brandon, Ms. Aster" Henry gestured to both, back and forth to Lynne and Sasha, before his face turned serious. "There's a lot to talk about, yeah. But fortunately...I think we've got a decent amount of evidence to bring whatever Alpheum's doing to light.," he smiled assuredly at Akiko. "That said, there may be another issue. Something Lynne could use some help woth, if you've got any idea, Akiko."

 

[obscured_light]

"Are we just ignoring the fact we have kidnapped a civilian?" Akiko asked, trying to sit up even though every part of her felt like tenderized chicken. Her head pounded with fatigue and every time she blinked, it got more and more difficult to keep her eyes open long. She certainly seemed more awake now though she wasn't sure if it was from the shock or the fact that in her tenderized body, the souls of the damned seemed restless. "Henry, you have to put her back."

At the word, "back" the lanterns appeared around her waist and jingled weakly as though adding to Akiko's concern but she was fairly certain it wasn't for Lynne.

"Oh no," Akiko muttered more to herself than anyone else as she looked them over. "I lost one."

 

[DarKnight36]

"An alias I will not be using again," Sasha said, waving a hand. He glanced at Akiko. "Oh, right, your lantern. I have it. Are you... well enough to have it returned?"

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko frowned, "PErhaps keep it for now. After I nap, should be fine."

She curled up in the chair, eyes half closed.

"There's another rider," she said as she fought the fatigue, her tongue feeling heavy. "I fought him and lost. Alpheum wants my belt but seems like they're doing pretty well without it. I mean my belt doesn't compare anymore..."

 

[PiePillager]

"Well, best not to dwell on it," Henry assured Akiko. "Rest up, while we return to the submarine. Well..." Henry turned to Lynne. "Ultimately, it's up to you what you wanna do as far as taking care of your friend. Our base might have facilities capable of housing the....core or whatever you'd call it, though we'll need Akiko's expertise once she's feeling a bit better."

 

[druidquest]

Lynne studied the ground passing beneath the VTOL, her face pensive. It was true she didn't have any other leads on how to help Arthur Dandy, and Detective Bong's unique circumstances would likely be vital in that endeavor. But even so, she wasn't sure how long she would be able to spend with this group. She had her own work, after all.

"I still need to find that manuscript," Lynne said quietly, fiddling with her thumbs. "With Mr. Dandy... incapacitated... I've lost my only real lead without incentive to keep it from me. Most likely I'll need to come back here at some point, or try to track its movement between Alpheum facilities if they take it somewhere else, and I'm not really looking forward to either option." She sighed, laying back on the floor of the VTOL with her arms outstretched. "I'm gonna have to tell Mr. Carlisle about this, too," she muttered, squinting at the ceiling in distaste.

 

[PiePillager]

"Uh, wait..." Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. "You don't happen to mean George Carlisle, do you?"

 

[druidquest]

Lynne turned her head to look up at Henry. "You know him?"

 

[PiePillager]

"Yeah, he's the one funding us!" Henry folded his arms and laughed as he leaned against the VTOL. "Don't think any of us could afford a submarine, even with Liz's clout. Are you one of his field researchers or something?"

 

[druidquest]

"No?" Lynne dug around in the pocket of her jacket before raising her business card up to Henry without getting off the floor. "I'm a rare book acquisitions agent."

 

[PiePillager]

"Huh..." Henry leaned over to take a good look at the business card. Scratching his chin, he nodded, "Guess that would be pretty useful depending on the book in question. What was he having you look for, exactly?"

 

[druidquest]

Lynne's hand hung in the air for a long moment, letting Henry read what was written on it for the second time that day. When he was done, she shoved it back in her pocket.

"The Key of Solomon," she answered, folding her hands under her head.

 

[DarKnight36]

"Necromancy seems an odd thing for George to be interested in," Sasha said, pulling out a blanket from one of the VTOL's compartments and draping it over Akiko. "Although the original I'm sure would fetch quite the price."

 

[PiePillager]

"Well, honestly..." Henry leaned back in thought. "We have even more of a reason to convene on The Bedivere. The Brave was founded originally to research the origins of the Beast of Atlas City and conduct a counterattack against future events similar to that. We may have branched out a lot, but that's still the mission of utmost importance."

He shrugged, "So, far it's been difficult finding the next piece of the puzzle but we'd definitely try and lend you a hand in completing your search for this book if it's in any way related. Or even if it isn't, if it poses any danger to the Earth if it falls into the wrong hands."