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Futuristic Arcadia: Heroes World Brave

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"Alpheum has it. Does that count?" Lynne gave Henry a pointed look, then sighed through her nose. "Necromancy... isn't all it has, though. The Ars Goetia and Ars Almadel are also part of it. If you're investigating that big sludge thing from the news, that might be why Mr. Carlisle wanted it, but even then..."

Lynne clicked her tongue. "Honestly, the whole thing's weird. This book's supposed to just be a work of medieval occultism, something you read about online when you're fourteen, but Mr. Dandy was convinced he had a twenty-five hundred year old manuscript. And I mean, I couldn't really date it myself, but from what he showed me..."

"Well, it doesn't matter right now."
 
Akiko half listened as she settled underneath the blanket Sasha had placed on her. The Key of Solomon sounded familiar but her brain was in a fog, sleep beckoning earnestly. That was until her phone beeped three times. She had thought to ignore it but something inside of her told her to look and it wasn't the ghosts this time. She begrudgingly pulled out her phone, hidden in a compartment on her belt, and glanced at the screen. Akiko immediatley sat up and unlocked the screen where a notification of a new email sat waiting. Her work email. The same work she had been suspended from.

Watch me with the speaker on.

The sender's email was "ITSupport@AlpheumFoundation.aus". She gulped and then played the video, quietly at first but as she put the phone up to her ear, its audio suddenly boomed from the speakers. The video showed the Alpheum grounds with a cheerful, smiling woman with black hair and a streak of bright blue. She had heavy light blue make up and was wearing a similar color schemed dress with gloves made of latex.

"Alpheum Foundation is known for its many contributions to society! Each corporation funds its local hospitals, clinics, and provides plenty of citizens, both super and non-super, with various life and health policies!"

The video cut through showing each Alpheum location and its local hospitals, clinics, and footage of the cities in general. It then cut back to the young woman who was put her face on her fists, pouting as she looked at the camera.

"But it sure would be a shame if some heroes decided it was worth risking people's lives just because they were upset!"

The video then cut to footage of Henry, Akiko, and Lynne in Alpheum. The footage jumping to close ups of each of their faces as various article headlines zoomed by. "American heroes destroy Australian foundation." "Disruption to local services due to hero attack." "Local hospitals unable to provide life saving care due to hero sabotage." The woman was smiling now but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She was looking directly at the camera, wagging her finger at it.

"So you better keep quiet! Loose lips sink ships and in this case, the ships are cities worth of people. Including Melvin, your friends, families..."

The woman smiled again and waved goodbye, saying, "Be good!" before the video stopped. Akiko was paler than usual, looking through her apps for her messaging apps before sending a quick message which immediatley got a response back. She breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through her hair before peeking up at the others.

"I'm assuming you all heard that?"
 
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"After today, I'd say Alpheum having it is definitely a concern..." Henry's brow furrowed as he heard the broadcast from Akiko's phone. "That complicates things...I've got video and audio evidence of Alpheum's human experiments." Henry held up his phone for Sasha and the others to see. "If they just wanted to frame us if we post it, that would be fine by me. Let's see them talk their way out of this evidence. However...they also do legitimate medical work as well. Whether it's just a cover or not, they are actually helping people. And for them to just take that away..." he gripped his phone and placed it back into his pocket.

"And by the time someone actually investigates, I'm willing to bet they would have covered up so much that it's like it never existed..." Henry shook his head.
 
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"With large companies like this, illicit activities is usually leaked at least in some way or another," Sasha said, frowning. "But that is not the case with Alpheum. There are rumors, yes. But that is not the same. Akiko & this other rider are not the only ones whom Alpheum has experimented on. I can only assume that they've taken great pains to control any other riders they may have, as well as those underneath them. Such as the mist girl I encountered. And then there was the way their staff acted. Like a hive mind."

Sasha sighed. "We need time to revisit this. Alpheum knows we're aware of them now. They'll be more on guard. They might think they'll be ready." Sasha allowed himself a small smile. "I have a feeling they'll be surprised."
 
Lynne stared at the VTOL ceiling as the others spoke around her. Alpheum, human experimentation, occultism, ghosts, riders... Things were complicated for sure, and the weight of the core in her pocket was like an anchor dragging her down deeper into the whole mess. Things were only going to get more and more complicated, more and more dangerous, and this lot were sailing full tilt into the thick of it. Bringing her with them, for better or worse.

She looked over at Akiko, bundled up in one of the seats beneath a blanket. She seemed to be at the center of all this stuff with Alpheum right now. If she hadn't bumped into Lynne at the restaurant, would she even be here right now? Maybe. They seemed to have the same client, after all. But then, maybe not. Lynne's mind drifted back to the flickering transparent image of Arthur Dandy in the lab, and the woman singing from behind plastic curtains.

"Are you really alright with this?" Lynne asked Akiko, propping herself up on one elbow. "Leaving them to all the stuff they were doing back there?"
 
Klaus listened as the others spoke about their experiences in Alphenum. The new addition to their group seemed to be in over her head now, and for that, he felt sorry. He had hoped they would be able to keep collateral at a minimum, but here they were, a young woman fleeing with them and a man's blood on Klaus's hands. He hadn't had the chance to even tell them about his failed investigation and his theories about what was coming for him. He knew he needed to, but for a man in control of and created from time itself, he would wait until it was too late for explanations and ask the others' forgiveness, assuming he stuck around long enough for them to be dragged into his mess.
 
Akiko contemplated Lynne's words, rolled them around in her head and her heart. The sheets were up around her face and the need to burrow underneath was pressing but she pulled them down lower instead. She sat back up and let the sheet drop down to her lap. Akiko fidgeted with the edges, lips pressed together, brows come together in contemplation. She opened her mouth once, took a breath, closed it, and then tilted her head in thought. She wet her lips and still looking down, spoke, slowly, tentatively.

"I... When... I really do-... I mean..."

She let out a short huff of frustration and her hands balled up into fists as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. Akiko shook her head and took a deep breath, hands relaxing.

"Alpheum and I.. we have history. Like, this was something my parents were involved with," Akiko said with a small sigh. She suddenly felt a lot more tired and it showed in the slump of her shoulders, the small crack in her voice. "When I became Shinigami, there was this whole thing. Like, I don't remember the whole thing. Melvin, my friend, said that there was this big explosion. A lot like the Triple 9 incident but even bigger or at least, it felt bigger cuz they were smaller then. Not like tiny but, you know what I mean..."

She looked down at her hands, opening and closing, remembering the little she could.

"It was mostly him explaining what happened cuz I didn't remember a single thing after... After..."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she cleared her throat.

"...After I became Shinigami. I saw the clips after. Of the heroes who had swooped down into Alpheum's lab. They rescued me after I apparently beat the crap out of a few of them. One superpower crazy ghost hero versus like 15 heroes, well, the odds weren't in my favor."

There was an attempt at a laugh but it came out as a weak chuckle.

"My main thing is, Alpheum had their labs raided that day. I took their best work. They should have been shut down that day but they're still here. So no, I'm not okay with it but I'm also not okay with all of us being turned into Triple 9, into my parents. I'm not okay with my loved ones being threatened and thinking, well the best I can hope for is that Alpheum kills them. I wasnt expecting to see what I saw today but Alpheum has their damn hands everywhere and us releasing that clip can't compare to a literal raid of their labs that did nothing. We... I... can't rush in without a plan and it sucks, believe me, it sucks but I mean, I don't doubt Alpheum would kill hundreds or even thousands of people just to make a point."
 
Henry let Akiko's response linger for a minute before responding, "Then we plan. We know what they're capable of. What they're willing to do to protect their image. And a decent idea of the scope of their operation. We can attack them on two fronts. When we have a solid plan on how to take them down, we take the fight to them. In the meantime...they aren't the only ones with deep connections. George may be able to push back against their foothold in the medical field. "

"If we can't free patients from their grasp, we could have George's people work on funding non-compromised medical facilities to rob Alpheum of potential subjects. You have the resources to stand up to them now in ways you couldn't before," Henry smiled confidently at Akiko. "You don't have to fight this fight alone!"
 
She didn't return the smile. If anything, Akiko looked baffled and distraught at Henry's proclamation.

"Henry, this isn't... "

The words got caught in her throat. There was buried frustration rising and memories of thwarted efforts. Sakinder's family and the lax attitudes of the board members. The stream of heroes who had fought Alpheum and lost. These things kept coming up like a wave and with how Henry made it sound so simple, the bitterness in her rose like bile in her throat.

"Toss away your morals, your ideals...when dealing with Alpheum there is no other path."

Was that really the only way? The hesitation and conflict showed on Akiko's face as she struggled to articulate her doubts but Henry was right on one point. She and Sakinder, they had both been fighting alone. Her parents had fought alone, the detective agency refusing to get involved. Local authorities and super organizations hadn't backed up their heroes who had announced their opposition like Triple 9. Fighting alone was less risk but perhaps that was why every attempt had failed.

Perhaps, perhaps, Akiko could allow herself to trust that The Brave was capable of being that final piece in Alpheum's destruction. They had escaped today after all, even if it wasn't unscathed. And while it was agonizing knowing Alpheum would continue their work for now, it would hopefully not be for long.

So whether it was from exhaustion or an actual sign of trust in The Brave, Akiko sat back and nodded.

"Yeah, we got this. Alpheum is going to go down. Maybe not today or tomorrow but soon... hopefully."
 
Three Hours later, Aboard The Bedivere...
The VTOL had landed back at the submarine an hour ago. Enough time for the Brave to make themselves home and recharge. Lynne had been guided to the lab wing, where the orb containing the soul of Arthur Dandy was housed in a reinforced display case. Laser scanners constantly shot forth across the orb, analyzing the materials and composition it was made from.

"Don't think standard security will be enough to house this on the off chance he, uh, breaks loose again. But I'm gonna call in a few people, have them place wards around the casing. It'll protect against this sort of thing," Henry informed Lynne. "I know a few experts in the field as well. They can't....help in finding a cure per se, but they can assess the situation, at least. Provide an accurate diagnosis of his exact condition, at the very least. And when she's feeling better, Akiko can try and talk to his spirit."

"What are you gonna do in the meantime?" he asked. "If you don't mind me making a suggestion, the offer stands to join The Brave. I don't think anything we do will impede your normal duties, especially since we have the same employer more or less. But it's up to you. Same thing with the orb. Arthur Dandy's your friend, so I don't want to hold him here if you feel more comfortable taking him with you or have your own ways of finding him help."
 
"Did you gain weight?" Sasha asked Albert, smiling as he looked at his companion.

"Shut up," Albert frowned. "The food's good here, but you weren't gone that long."

"I honestly thought you'd have left," Sasha said after a moment, quietly.

"Eh, well I was going to, but then George asked me to stay put," Albert said, shrugging. "Said to give it a minute." He frowned. "Oh, that reminds me, weird message came in for you. I took it cause, well, no one else was here. Said his name was, what was it... Ra-something."

Sasha's eyes narrowed. "Wrath?"

"That's it, guess you do know him," Albert said, nodding. "Said he wanted to meet but I told him you'd gone to investigate Alpheum."

"Did you," Sasha said.

Albert saw Sasha's expression and swallowed. "Uh, I guess I shouldn't have but I figured anyone who could get through the lines down here was an ally. My bad."

"It's not really important," Sasha said, waving a hand. "He would have found out one way or another, I assume. Was that all?"

"Well, he just said fascinating and hung up," Albert said, still eyeing Sasha apprehensively. "Who is he?"

"An interesting problem for another time," Sasha said, turning back to his food. "I doubt Wrath means any harm, from what I know of him. Perhaps he is wanting to join the Brave himself."

***

Joseph stretched and yawned, the rumble of the jet landing awakening him. The curators of the Phoenix restaurant would probably think unkindly of him stowing away, but he couldn't help himself after seeing their abilities firsthand. He rubbed his hands together. Following the Brave to Australia had taken more time than he'd liked, and he'd missed them entirely. Still, the fight between the two clans had drawn his attention, and now his curiosity was well and truly piqued.

This is like a new faction mission in an RPG, Joseph thought. I can't even imagine what I'll unlock for completing it. Still, he would need to take his time. He'd let them settle in, and introduce himself when the time was right.
 
The first thing Akiko had done when they had arrived was scurry off to her room and throw herself into the welcoming embrace of her sheets. The belt was pulled off but she hesitated on throwing it in the corner like she usually did. If anything, she felt even more like smashing it into pieces. But instead, she simply placed it on the chair beside her. Akiko was about to place her phone next to it but hesitated, unlocking it one last time.

The background was of her grinning next to a dark haired, green eyed man who looked incredibly irritated at her attempt to take a picture of the both of them. There was no new message notification and Akiko stared at the background a little longer before locking the phone and placing it next to the belt. She let out a long, slow exhale as she let the exhaustion completely wash over her. Her eyelids drooped and within seconds, she was fast asleep.
 
"That's-" kind of you to offer, Lynne started to say, but she cut herself short. Henry was right, this was likely the best place for Arthur Dandy right now. She had no idea how to even begin helping him, and even less of an idea of what Alpheum had done to the man in the first place. Leaving the core in their hands was the appropriate thing to do in this situation. With him safely stored away on the Bedivere, Lynne would be free to pursue the Key in earnest.

But...

She also couldn't bring herself to just leave. The Brave were on a path she couldn't define, full of secrets she never knew existed. But more than that, they trusted her. And they seemed trustworthy in turn. Lynne would likely be able to find the Key on her own, but with others, with a team... who knows what she could uncover?

"I'd be happy to," she answered.
 
Anthem City, Nevada: March 25th, 2:00am

  • Outskirts of Anthem City, Nevada...

    "Hey guys, what is UP!!! It's your boy, Icon of Win, here for another WICKED livestream! Today, we're checking out the old Anthem City Heavy Industries factory, waaaaaaaay out on the outskirts of the outskirts of the city's industrial zone."

    Icon of Win, yet another Online Personality variation of Superhero, who's claim to fame was spying on suspected 'villain groups', and drawing attention to their secret operations. Sometimes, he actually tried to save the day. Other times, he was accused of staging it all for content.

    But today, everything was very real.

    Cool desert wind blew specks of sand and dried plant life across the relatively low area that surrounded the factory. Fortunately for Icon of Win, there were plenty of mounds of dirt and sand, and old trenches dug for piping and possibly internet, to hide in and behind.

    "Now, this factory has been abandoned since the last economic downturn... Whatever that is. But in the last two years, it was bought up and brought back to life. And it's all been very, very secretive who actually bought it. Well, a friend of mine, who shall not be named, but it's probably Chrysalid, has told me it's some big criminal organization!" He followed this up with dramatic, overly expressive gasps.

    "So, we're gonna take a look inside TOGETHER, and see what they've got cooking up! Meth? Superheroes? Superhero Meth? Who knows, but we're gonna pop the lid off this mystery tonight! FULL SAIL! WOOOOO!"

    He abruptly covered his mouth, realizing he might need to tone it down to avoid drawing too much attention to himself by security.
 
March 25th, 2045​




  • Richard Mackenzie Title.png​

    Malibu Canyon, LA, March 25th, 2045 - 6:47am

    The roar of the Datsun engine, and the vista of Santa Monica mountains in the distance helped keep Richard's mind at bay. Bad dreams, bad thoughts, he just needed some time get away from that. He felt a strange mix of wanting to be around people, but also totally separate from them. It was a weird mix of feelings he wasn't quite sure how to interpret.

    Fortunately, here in the hills around LA, there were far more easily understood feelings he slipped into. A sense of calm, joy, and awe at the beauty around. It was hard to keep his eyes from wandering to the looming green spaces across the valley, but he remained focused on the road, instead letting himself soak in the peripheral beauty.

    As LA came into focus once more, the thoughts from before started to return.

    The other members of The Brave had involved themselves in some intense events as of late, both with the sea monsters attacking France, and the bits and pieces he'd heard about Alpheum, though the later was still something he was very much uninformed about.

    ................................................................................................................................................................................​


    Yet Another LA Cafe, March 25th, 2045 - 8:00am

    Richard yawned in exhaustion as he swirled the spoon around in his coffee. Why had he spent nearly the entire last hour thinking about what happened in NWT? The whole thing with Atomwaffen? It didn't seem like a relevant memory, he was just... Replaying stuff from the past.

    Was he trying to understand something from it all? And if so, what? Did he feel guilty? For shooting a man in the face who frankly deserved it?

    Of course, he knew his share of bleeding hearts who'd say something about imprisoning the guy.

    Then again, maybe it wasn't the killing that Richard was dwelling on.

    Maybe it was the fact that he realized he had been enjoying that for a long time.

    He took a moment to regard the patrons of the cafe. There was a cute, mousey girl in line with glasses, who'd looked over his way a few times. A 20 something year old mom and her young son, bribing him with hot chocolate so she could have some time out of the house. An old man and his wife, sat across from each other in leather chairs, each reading their own book, periodically setting them down to make conversation with each other. A homeless guy, possibly an addict, who kept making pleasant conversation with anyone who sat close to him, maybe making some a little uncomfortable, but evidently just yearning to find someone willing to hear his stories, and maybe tell him some of their own.

    It was like a moment frozen in time. Superpowers didn't exist. Beasts of Decay. The Eldritch. The evil. The bigoted. Just people being people. Even those news reports of a factory explosion just seemed to melt away into nothing.

    "Good morning, I'm Patt Williams with MSNBC News. We have a breaking story out of Anthem City Nevada. Since about 2 o'clock this morning, reports have been trickling out of the city of explosions and gunfire on the outskirts of the industrial zones of the city. Initially, the government explained the situation as a potential factory explosion, or possible gas leak. But as more and more evidence has surfaced on social media, and News Reports have caught glimpses of what's going on street level, the White House and Department of Defense have been forced to address the situation publicly. Anthem City is under attack."

    Richard looked to the television to see scenes from Anthem City, as memories of the other day's events at the cafe, and scenes from his past, all came crashing together.


MisoraUni MisoraUni DarKnight36 DarKnight36
 

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Sasha shut his phone and returned his eyes to the news channel. Most of the others were already in the lounge area. "We probably need a better way to learn of these things other than the news," he muttered to himself. "Richard texted, seems like he's heading on site."

Sasha glanced around. "I assume Akiko is still in bed. I will go check on her. Albrecht, we may need you on this one."

Albert nodded slowly, looking to the others as Sasha left the room. "The entire city's turned into a warzone. Anthem City's never been a favorite of mine, but this is a mess."

***

Sasha walked down the hallway to Akiko's room. He listened at the door for a moment before knocking. He almost didn't expect an answer.
 
"It is kind of an oversight that we don't have any emergency alert systems in place," Henry put a hand to his chin. "I think some of us are sufficient enough in tech and surveillance that we can design a proper emergency network."

He nodded at Albert. "We appreciate the help. You seem more familiar with Anthem too, which'll be good because..." Henry walked over to a table in the lounged and pressed a button on its surface which became something akin to a massive touchscreen. "Area map. Anthem City, Nevada," Henry registered aloud as a holographic map display hovered atop the table. "First priority should be getting civilians to safety. Then containing the threat so it doesn't spread any further...that one might be a little easier, honestly."

"Anyway, can't afford to stand around. We can gather in the VTOL and wait for everyone to get ready. I'll get George on the communicators," Henry nodded, doing just that and linking everyone's comms.
 
Sasha was going to leave, but frowned. Maybe he should check on her. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking, and quickly unlocked and entered her room1. Sasha didn't figure anyone would complain that he could unlock their doors, but still, best to be careful.

The room was pitch black but that didn't bother Sasha. He could see her belt hanging on the chair. For once, the souls were silent. Maybe it was because he'd separated Balthazar from the rest of them.

"How troublesome," Sasha muttered, then moved towards Akiko's bed. She'd been sleeping for over twelve hours now, which probably wasn't unusual. But he was concerned.

"Akiko," Sasha said quietly, then shook the mound of rumbling covers. "Akiko, wake up."
 
Underneath the mountain of blankets, a hand popped out. It flailed about on the bed, searching for something, before finding nothing and withdrawing back into the sheets. A few more moments passed before Gray's lantern chimed loudly, flying up, and kept chiming and flashing around the bed. Akiko groaned and the pile of blankets began to move as she cautiously stuck her head out. Bleary eyed and confused, Sasha's face came into her view.

"So this is your fault," she grumbled as she stuck a hand out and snapped her fingers. Gray's lantern quieted and came down into her hand. Akiko stared at it in disgust for a few moments before letting it drop down on the floor. She turned back to Sasha, blinked at him in annoyance and continued confusion, and then slinked back into the covers.

With a loud, resigned sigh, the covers all came tumbling off the bed as she stood up on the mattress in a bright yellow tank top with orange and red shorts. Akiko pointed at Sasha with one hand as she rubbed sleep from her eyes with the other.

"What.... is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
 
Akiko raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"You pass but if you ever pass into this room uninvited again, I will call security," she muttered as she yawned, big and loudly. "You're lucky you have a recognizable voice."

She hopped off the bed and immediately regretted it. Her body felt like a collection of glass pieces clinking together in a bag, scraping, with worrisome clicks everywhere. Everything seemed to ache and she was certain that there was a bruise blossoming on her back. She could feel the pull of skin on her healing stomach and was grateful that Sakinder had treated her, if somewhat sloppily, bullet wounds. The liquid he had given her had also gone a long way in speeding up the healing process but it wasn't a pain reliever.

It hadn't wiped her memory either as the events of... yesterday? Last week? A month?

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked with a small grunt as she tried to stretched her muscles a bit, looking up at Sasha with some suspicion. "And what was so important you entered my kingdom?"
 
"Not extraordinarily long, 13 or 14 hours," Sasha said, reaching out a hand to steady the detective on instinct. "I was... worried about you. You took a beating."

He paused. "And not just physically I'm sure. I know what it's like to..." He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be intrusive."

The irony of that statement was not lost on Sasha as he had entered Akiko's room without permission.
 
Akiko studied Sasha's face closely, her expression unreadable. For a few tense moments, the detective said nothing as she scrutinized him, her eyes boring into him. Then, a flicker of hesitation, of doubt, broken and wiped away with a large, almost forced grin. It was then promptly replaced by a look of concern when her brain fully registered what Sasha had said.

"Ah, sorry for the rude awakening then," Akiko said sheepishly despite the fact it was she who had been awakened. "I'm more used to a scolding when I wake up like this. But uh, you know what's like to what now?"
 
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