Futuristic Arcadia: Heroes World Brave

[obscured_light]

"She can't put you on her policy. Ghosts don't get life insurance," the receptionist replied to which it was Akiko's turn to get annoyed. The ghost hero sighed and reached down to her waist where her belt materialized.

Pointing at it, Akiko explained sullenly, "It's the first of it's kind."

 

[PiePillager]

Henry stared in disbelief, first at the secretary's antagonistically reflective statement and then at Akiko proving the voice of reason. He frowned and looked thoughtfully at the belt for a second, realizing he never quite thought of the origins of the device. So, it came from Alpheum...? Henry figured whatever happened between her parents and them also tied into them.

At that moment a door on the side of the secretary's desk opened and a man of Indian origin with dark short hair and beard and a lackadaisical expression emerged from it, approaching Akiko. "Come on, get up," he stated, raising up an arm. "The Board is ready to see you now." His eyes briefly flickered towards the belt, and then at Akiko studying her for a moment before turning around, expecting her to follow.

 

[DarKnight36]

"Muna," her companion said as the two watched Sir Brandon leave. "Don't you think there's something odd about that old man?" Suna's eyes narrowed. "Suspicious, I mean. Call me crazy if you want but he... smells strange."

***

Sir Brandon hummed a small tune to himself as the nurse left the room. He looked about and nodded. There was even a small bathroom in here. That would be more convenient. It was almost time...

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko frowned and looked down at the belt as well, contemplating if she should put it away. If only it wasn't the reason she was even here in the first place. She closed her hand into a fist before releasing, looking up at Henry and Lynne with a half-hearted smile.

"I'll catch ya'll on the flip side," she said, taking a few steps forward before pausing and turning to them again. "And be careful."

Then she was off. Two people in suits came forward once she was gone with a bright smile. They paused at the reception desk and whispered back and forth with the receptionist who barely spared them a glance. The two suits still looked chipper however, turning to Henry and Lynne with gusto.

"So folks, what we deciding on today? Lobby or tour?" one of them said, clapping their hands together in anticipation.

~*~

"You heard Ken," Muna said as she tugged on her ear with a small smile. "I trust his judgment but I do have to admit, his heart sounds resiliently strong. A little too strong for a man so close to death."

She clasped her hands behind her head, tilting slightly towards Suna as her rabbit eared jacket rose up slightly.

"A man able to trick one of our own would certainly be interesting, would he not?"

~*~

There was a knock at the door before a bright eyed, bushy tailed woman walked in with a clipboard of her own. She tucked back a strand of brown hair as she looked over the man before her.

"Hi there! What's your name?"

 

[DarKnight36]

"It would be a first, I'll grant you that," Suna said quietly. "All four of them are strange, but I've never heard of anyone being able to change their chi."

***

"Brandon, good lady," the old man said, bowing slightly. "And it's Doctor...?"

 

[PiePillager]

"You too..." Henry commented as Akiko left. Leaning back in his chair, he sighed and looked back over to the receptionist and then at Lynne. "Well, I don't know about you but...I'm taking the tour. This place makes me restless.," he stated, loud enough for the receptionist to hear as well.

***
As the door shut behind them, the man turned around to make sure Akiko was following and placed his hands in his pockets. He seemed to keep halfway turning around as if he wanted to ask something but he simply continued walking down the hallway in silence for a minute. Eventually, he glanced out the windows as they walked past and asked, "They've been looking for you for some time. You know that?"

***
Back at Lin's restaurant....The larger of the two hooded figures, kicked his feet atop the table and leaned back while the smaller lurched forward and spoke first. "Everything's cold to us, old man. But don't play dumb, you knew that already." He smirked as he and his brother removed their hoods, revealing pale faces with plain white eyes. Matted black hair and mustaches.

The two were enforcers of a rival mob family, the Zhao Brothers.And they were undead. Jiangshi. Much like how Lin's family's mastery of chi influenced Alpheum to bring the family into their fold, so too did the dark magic and necromancy of the Zhao Brothers patrons. Only, one of the groups had an edge. An edge the Zhao Brothers apparently thought unfair.

"Seems you got a good deal going with Alpheum..." the larger one, Hen Xin Zhao noted with a snarl. "Shame you didn't let us in on the take like you promised."

 

[druidquest]

Lynne sat back with her hands folded behind her head. This whole experience was certainly turning out differently than she had expected, though she couldn't say she'd have been able to expect a prototype belt full of ghosts, or whatever the detective's deal was.

She looked over at Akiko's friend as he spoke, pursing her lips as her eyes pointed back forward toward the opposite wall. The tour seemed like a good idea, yeah. She needed to get to her seller's office, and Dandy hadn't seemed important enough to work in this building. "Tour sounds nice, yeah," she drawled, staying still for a long moment before flicking her gaze over to the receptionist. "Do we still gotta wait here for that, or can we just head on over and meet the guide there?"

 

[obscured_light]

"Doctor Oskollo," she said with a soft click of the door behind her. She looked down at her clipboard and made a small note before looking up at Sir Brandon, hugging the clipboard to her chest. "Brandon, nice to meet you. Have you filled out the paperwork?"

"Oh!" she added with a small chuckle. "Or you can talk to me about your condition as you fill out your paperwork. We like to see what we're working on for each patient to treat them correctly. Alpheum is really good about customizing treatment plans and I'm afraid I haven't been told much besides you being admitted on special circumstances. Even that's kind of vague."

She shrugged but grinned, "Not a problem though! Alpheum's care is quality no matter what so you're in good hands."

~*~

Akiko didn't respond. Her fists were balled up in her pockets and her mouth was pressed into a thin line. She was also looking out the window but her gaze was far away even as her steps brought her closer to the board of directors. The easygoing, confident stroll of hers had been replaced by a hunched, almost stomping march akin to that of a sullen child.

"They should have stopped looking," Akiko finally responded, tearing her gaze away from the window to look at the back of the man guiding her. "What's it to you anyway? You one of the board too?"

~*~

"Too bad we handed him over so quickly," Muna sighed, reaching out to touch Suna's arm. "Maybe we should go ask dad? I mean, I don't know if he would know anything but we can see if he noticed anything."

~*~

The receptionist ignored both Henry and Lynne. Instead, their representatives spoke up, in unison at first before abruptly stopped and after sheepish apologies and a small laugh, the man continued.

"We can both accompany you to the guided tour. All guests must be escorted at all times if going about any part of the property unless you have an appointment with someone specific," he explained as he ushered them towards the door.

~*~

"Hmph," Lin said with a smirk. "My children and I were well suited to the task already. We didn't need bumbling hands ruining this rather lucrative opportunity."

He placed his hands on the table and rose to leave, "And I have no patience to discuss such a pitiful complaint either. If you'll excuse me."

 

[DarKnight36]

"I'm very glad to hear that, Doctor," Brandon said, smiling. "Let's talk about my condition first. Would you mind... turning around so I can undress? It would be best to show you properly."

***

"You worry too much what our 'father' thinks," Suna said, scowling. "Though he reminds us daily of our debt to him, I have no claim to enjoyment on what we are doing here."

 

[obscured_light]

"Oh! Of course," Dr. Oskollo said as she turned around to look at a delightful chart of the different stages of life treatment at Alpheum.

~*~

Muna pouted, "And you don't worry enough. We don't have to enjoy the work if we can enjoy the reward aka the money it brings."

 

[druidquest]

"I did have an appointment," Lynne muttered softly as she strolled back through the door.

 

[DarKnight36]

"Thank you Doctor, you're most kind," Sasha said as he squeezed a pressure point on the doctor, sending her eyes up into the back of her head. He caught her before she could hit the floor, and laid her on the bed. He worked quickly, a cadaver of Brandon forming itself as Sasha stepped to one side. Picking up the cadaver, which was still warm and would appear as if Brandon had died of his ailments, Sasha slipped Brandon into the bathroom, face down.

Turning back to the Doctor, Sasha considered his options. He could transform himself into the doctor, but copying memories and such was difficult and risky. It would almost certainly be necessary here however. Sasha looked upwards and smiled. There was a vent. With any luck, this would work just fine.

***

"We haven't seen any of the money, Lo-Muna," Suna said with obvious displeasure. "Not a dime of it. And there's plenty of other options for people of our talent."

 

[PiePillager]

The man guiding Akiko looked back at her, studying her once again. "One of them?" he nearly spat, guiding Akiko up towards an elevator. " Couldn't imagine anything I'd hate more...." he commented, pressing a card key against a scanner, causing the elevator doors to slide open. Walking inside, he held the doors open for Akiko to follow. Once she was inside he continued to glare at her on occasion as the elevator went down.

"Might as well just give up now," he spoke as they descended past the basement. "This is one fight you ain't gonna win."

***
"Yeah, sure," Henry shrugged, checking the time on his phone with a bored look on his face. "How long does this tour take anyway?"

***
"For what it's worth, I agree," Ken replied, joining his siblings and patting them both on the shoulder. "For so long, we've been focused on securing the future of Lin's legacy and not our own. I think when we get back to dad, we should have a long talk about what we do going forward."

***
"Whoa, whoa, where you goin', old man?" Chao Nong Zhao protested, slapping the table. "We traveled a long way just to get here! The least you can do is let us get a few things off our chest..." the jiangshi cackled as a dark orb launched from his chest into and through Lin's back, lifting him in the air.

"You know there are those in the underworld who call you, 'soulless' Lin? " Hen Xin Commented, leaping up and stomping on Takai's head, pinning it on the table. "Pretty soon they won't know just how much that rings true..."

 

[Wing06]

Klaus looked at the mirror, annoyed, as the attorney took a seat and presented his card.

"Mr. Bonson, you understand that asking you anything will get me nowhere," Klaus started, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "I'm here for answers, not to hear you say those answers are protected by attorney-client privilege. I need to understand his motivations for this attack and the events that led to it. I'd like to know his current mental state and how he's being treated here. Who else has spoken to him aside from the detectives and yourself, questions I cannot trust you to answer honestly. Please, grab your client and let's all have a chat, he has much to answer for, and the least he can do is hear me out."


----------------

Yamato grinned, seeing the two undead men make their move, "Finally, something exciting!" He lept down from the rafters and landed beside the table just as the dark orb shot through Lin's body and lifted him into the air. Yamato's fist collided with Hen Xin's knee knocking his foot off Takai's head. "All right, that's enough from you two. If it's a fight you want, I'll give it to you.

He held up his fists and smirked, "Lin may be Soulless, but you two don't have half a brain between you if you think you're walking out of here."

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko studied the man closely. His obvious displeasure at the accusation of being part of Alpheum's inner circle had piqued her interest. If he wasn't one of them, why was he assigned to escort her in the first place? He hadn't seem phased at the belt so he knew a good deal already. Then again, the receptionist hadn't seem surprised either, if she had even been paying attention really. Perhaps Alpheum had relaxed their hold on top secret information or these people were just freaks.

She contemplated this last thought even as she realized that this situation seemed remarkably familiar. Not that elevators themselves dug up old memories but being escorted to a projected doom situation which she found herself in quite frequently. His words though, drove a cold spike through her, the familiar ache now a painful throbbing. As much as she regretted agreeing to the meeting, Akiko had known all along that the tour wouldn't have yielded much information even with sneaking off from the main tour. Alpheum was open about their business but they weren't stupid. They would however, be distracted with their original prototype dangling in their reach.

"Pfft, yeah right," Akiko scoffed weakly, leaning against the back wall of the elevator. She tilted her head up to look at the beige ceiling to allow herself more air, her chest feeling like it was about to crack open. "I'm getting back to my friends whether any of you like it or not. I'm not staying here like whatever sad sack you are."

~*~

"One hour, just about, for the tour you all apparently signed up for," one of the representatives explained as he ushered them into a small go cart and drove on over to the visitor building. "Please also know that all other tickets purchased are now invalid and non-refundable as per the terms of service on our site on the alpheum foundation dot com."

The drive itself took about five minutes as they passed various buildings on a special trail that ran through the middle of the entire property. Benches had been set up on some of the greenery and there were even some staff in suits or lab coats or business casual attire walking on the same path. They waved at the go cart and the representatives waved back amicably.

The guest building was the same one Lynne would have seen when she had arrived for her meeting with Arthur Dandy.

"Ah, Agent Fenghuang and his customer service representatives phoned ahead for this crew," one of the nameless representatives said to the receptionist who studied Henry and Lynne closely. He had a friendly smile on but it didn't reach his eyes that seemed to take in every visible detail on them. There seemed to be special interest in Lynne as he stared at her for much longer than he had to Henry. The receptionist typed something quickly and then glanced back at them with a small nod.

"Highest package and a special note from Setsuko," he said, his smile straining now. "Lovely."

The nameless representatives bid their goodbyes as the receptionist dialed for the tour guide. He still stared at the two even as an old man came forward in a crisp, red and gold suit with a thick white beard and gold rimmed glasses. This wasn't a frail man either. His muscles bulged even from under the layers and he had a firm grip when he shook their hands. A couple more people came by in velvet green suits to hand both Henry and Lynne large goodie bags that included snacks and expensive Alpheum branded merchandise, including a jewelry box that contained a thick, stainless steel bracelet with "Life Eternal" branded on it with tiny blue sapphires.

"Now folks, what can I call ya while we go on this tour?" he asked as he directed them to the back of the room where there were three elevators. He hit the button for down and the doors instantly opened before he beckoned them to go inside.

~*~

"ShIT," Muna cursed as Ken snuck up on the two, whirling around to face him so the three of them were in a tight circle. She gave a small sigh and shrug since it had been weighing on her mind as well. There was more hope of a beneficial resolution for her however.

"Yeah, fine. You both make valid points. Let's go talk to dad."

~*~

Lin gritted his teeth, looking at the two Jinagshi in disdain.

"I will not be losing my soul tonight," he growled as his fists began to glow. "But you two will be losing your lives."

~*~

Bonson laughed.

"Guess it is pretty predictable huh?" he asked as he made a small, wave at the mirror. The door opened with a small gust of wind and a few moments later a large, burly man was brought in, clothed in an orange jumpsuit. He was handcuffed but there were also gloves on his hands and large, thudding boots on his feet. A bag was over his head and the officers had to direct him to his seat and pull it out for him to sit.

"There's your Triple 9," Bonson said with much gusto as he turned back to Klaus. "Now what are your questions?"

 

[PiePillager]

The man shot Akiko an angered look for a moment, his hand seemingly reaching for something behind him when the elevator rang. Turning to face the door, his expression relaxed as he announced, "We're here." They had finally arrived—several floors below what the public recognized as the facility's basement.

***
Henry retained his mildly annoyed look as he and Lynne took the cart from one Alpheum facility to the next. He raised an eyebrow at the...overly friendly greeting between the scientists in lab coats and the representatives driving the cart. Something about this place was unnerving. Eventually, they reached their destination, which Henry was glad for. Those five minutes took forever, it felt like. It didn't take long for them to meet their tour guide, who appeared to be some kind of fighting game final boss cosplaying as Santa Claus.

And not too long after, he and Lynne were showered in gifts. For the most part, unwanted gifs, but he supposed it was par for the course for these kinds of tours. "My name's Austin," Henry lied in response before he drew out an Alpheum-branded baseball cap and placed it atop his head with a shrug.

***

"Oh, we didn't forget about you, feather face?" Chao Nong grinned as his right arm opened like a container around his elbow, revealing what appeared to be a tommy gun. He held his gun-arm with his other arm to brace himself and began to fire at Yamato. "Brother, take over for me!"

"No problem!" Hen Xin commented, nodding, turning to face Lin. "It's time you smartened up, old timer...neither of us has got lives to lose!" his white eyes widened as he went to tackle Lin with his arm extended in a clothesline.

 

[druidquest]

"Meryl," Lynne answered without missing a beat. She politely declined the souvenir box.

"Austin and Meryl!" the tour guide repeated jovially, clapping his hands together in front of him. The noise reverberated heavily off the walls of the large room. "Pleased to meet ya! Call me Emmett. I'll be your tour guide this evening as you get to know the place we Alpheumites call home - when we aren't really at home, that is!"

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko raised an eyebrow. Alarms were ringing in her head and the belt around her waist suddenly felt so much heavier. She rubbed the back of her neck, asking, "The bigwigs relocate or something?"

~*~

Lin ducked at the last second, turning around to slam his palm into Hen Xin's back to shoot him forward into the wall.

 

[PiePillager]

"Right....so can we get on with this tour?" Henry sighed. "I think both of us are kinda on a tight schedule today," he said, gesturing to Lynne.

***

"They like to be closer to the 'real work', I guess..." the man shrugged, as he walked across the carpet floor and swiped his card across the scanner, which opened the large wooden doors before them.

 

[DarKnight36]

The trio drove back to the bar, Suna's arms folded as he watched the city's lights pass by. "Meaningless," he muttered, almost inaudible.

 

[obscured_light]

The board room was a spacious, circular room with a round, mahogany table in the middle. The walls were a rich, dark blue with symbolic portraits associated with death and life, various beliefs across different religions. One had an ornate, golden frame and sat at the back of the room, featuring a small group of people in a circle. They had dark robes and large hats with glowing staffs, a roaring bonfire in the middle. There were specks of glowing blue and green among the backdrop of a night sky with a full moon shedding light on all of it. In fact, the fire also glowed as though lights had been embedded in the painting itself.

At the table, sat five people. Businessmen by the looks of it as they turned their chairs to face the two. In the chair directly in front of the painting of a ritual, was a Hispanic woman with long black hair and one side of her head shaved. She had silver piercings with chains connecting them on the upper part of her ear and multiple, long chain necklaces with tiny gems hanging from them. Silver ring bands decorated the long fingers that now interlaced themselves on the table as she smiled at them, wide and friendly.

"Welcome!" the woman greeted them though Akiko didn't smile back. In fact, she was sulking. "Sakinder, thank you for escorting Ms. Bong here. You can stay, go, I don't give a damn. Ms. Bong, you on the other hand, can have any snacks or drinks your little heart desires. I have a feeling it's not either of those you want however."

Akiko mumbled something that forced the woman to put a hand up to her ear.

"I beg your pardon?"

"...An apple juice box," Akiko said louder, reluctantly. The director paused and then burst out in laughter as she snapped her fingers. In came a meek looking butler pushing a small cart that boasted an array of juices including different brands of apple juices.

"Sakinder, you too?"

 

[PiePillager]

Sakinder didn't answer at first and sighed. He leaned down to pick up a juice box before lobbing it at Akiko's face before replying," I just want to hear your endgame with all of this. Pretend I'm not even here," he offered his hand, gesturing for the sullen looking woman to speak further as he turned around and leaned against a wall.

 

[druidquest]

Emmett chattered jovially about the company around them as he led “Austin” and Lynne along the tour’s predetermined course, periodically interrupting his scripted lecture on the Alpheum’s history and mission statement to assail the pair with anecdotes from his many long years with the company. The man was clearly… passionate about his work, making their brief time together fly by so quickly it seemed as if the walk up to the third floor of the visitor’s building had taken hours instead of minutes.

They stepped off the staircase from the previous floor to find themselves on the balcony hanging over the entrance hall, flanked by a stainless steel railing on one side and a row of offices with blue doors on the other. The offices had clear glass fronts, offering a clear view of the inside. The hour meant most were empty now, but a few industrious individuals were still hard at work at their computers. The one closest looked up as Emmett and his guests appeared, offering them a little wave before going back to what she was doing.

“Now this is where the real magic happens!” Emmett announced, throwing his arms wide. “Alpheum’s researchers may be at the top of their field, but it’s our hardworking agents here, the men and ladies with their boots on the ground, who really bring those breakthroughs to the people! Working with Alpheum’s clients firsthand, listening with care and attention to their needs and finding just the right policy for each person who comes through their door. Yes sir, it’s these fine folks in the offices right here who make Alpheum what it is!”

Lynne looked up at the skylight on the roof of the building, pretending not to notice the office that had been cleared out on the opposite balcony. The pale light of the crescent moon reflected softly in her eyes. “What kind of policies does Alpheum offer?” she asked.

“A great question!” Emmett replied with a beaming smile. “I’m sure our representatives would be more than happy to walk ya through that at the end of the tour, if you’re willing to grant us a little of your patience.”

 

[Wing06]

Klaus leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table with hands covering the lower half of his face. "I need to know what I'd be up against in there, inside Alpheum," He began, his eyes narrowing as he tried to imagine Tripple 9's facial expressions under the bag. "Friends of mine saw the risk you took yesterday and want to take up your cause, but we need to be smarter about it, expose them for the liars they are. Brute force is not an option, and if you can give me anything, my partner and I," He gestured to Liz, "will do whatever we can to get you out of here, heroic reputation intact."

----

"Tch, you assholes bought a Tommy gun?" He grits his teeth, eyes darting around the restaurant and the innocent patrons that had been unable to ignore the fight. "Everybody out!" He shouted before lunging for the gun.

 

[PiePillager]

"You say that's where the real magic happens, but where are the labs?" Henry questioned, raising a hand. "The pharmacists and the manufacturers. Where they at? ...Is that on the tour?" He figured if he was being forced to go along with this tour, he might as well try and see the limits of what alpheum was and wasn't willing to show. And from what little he knew of Lynne, it seemed like she had somewhere to go as well.

***
Chao Nong smirked as Yamato charged at him. "Bold move, birdie..." he snarked as he leaped into a backflip to kick Yamato in the chin as he approached.

Hen Xin was land in the wall, hit hard enough to leave a human-shaped imprint on the wall. Peeling himself off he laughed and landed on his feet. Cracking his knuckles and his neck, he....well he would've done something assuredly since he had cracked it too hard and his head remained lopsided. Sighing he placed a hand on the side and snapped his head back into place before resuming to laugh. "Don't know my own strength sometimes..."
He then leaped into the air, maneuvering his body so that when he reached the ceiling, he could kick off of it to launch himself at Lin, spinning around to land an Axe kick upon Lin's shoulder.

***
Ken, Muna, and Suiken finally arrived back at the restaurant....only to see tons of people fleeing the doors. "Soon as we leave to take care of father's "business" and all hell breaks loose. Figures..." he mumbled, leaping out of the car and heading into the building, taking care to avoid the fleeing customers.