Futuristic Arcadia: Heroes World Brave

[druidquest]

"Of course!" Emmett laughed, clapping his hands together. The sound reverberated across the open floor plan and left the railing vibrating. "What good would a tour of Alpheum be if it left out half of what makes Alpheum so great?" He broke his posture in the next instant, throwing his hands up and scoffing at his own comment. "Pretty amazing, actually, but I'm sure ya get my point."

His gaze met "Austin"'s for a long moment, his smile never faltering. "Well!" he exclaimed finally. "I was hoping to spend a bit more time getting to know things around here, but I see that glimmer in your eye, and I won't make you wait longer than necessary. What say we move on to the next stage of the tour, huh?! Come on gang, back down the stairs!"

Lynne cast a final glance toward Arthur Dandy's scrubbed office before falling into step behind their guide. She wasn't going to find what she was looking for here.

The receptionist watched the trip from his desk as they came back down to the ground floor, tapping one nail against the polished surface. Emmett directed his guests toward the same sliding glass doors they'd entered through earlier, a bounce in his step as he strode across the lobby. He winked at the receptionist as they passed, receiving a sullen glare in return before the receptionist went back to glowering at "Meryl" and "Austin", eyes never straying from them until the pair had vanished back into the courtyard.

Emmett ushered them both into the back of a golf cart before hopping (literally) into the driver's seat and speeding off toward another building. He expounded enthusiastically on the history of the facility's lands and gardens as they sped merrily along Alpheum's cart paths, getting waves from the occasional faculty member loitering on the grounds.

"Really, we owe all this beautiful landscaping to Miss Trina, actually. Six years as chief groundskeeper, and you'd never know she'd held the role for so brief a time! The woman's a miracle worker for sure. Like this-" He directed their attention to a grove of blue flowers on their left. "Blue spider lilies! Can you imagine!"

Emmett brought them to a stop in front of Alpheum's northwest building, Swinging his legs up and rising to his feet while bringing his hands together in front of him with another reverberating clap. "Well, here we are lady and gent! Alpheum's incredible, show-stopping pharmaceutical development wing. You two are in for a real treat here! On the other side of this door is where all your favorite over-the-counter and prescription meds get their start. It really is a fascinating process, and I cannot wait to get this leg of the tour start-"

His smile twitched just once. He had spun on his heel, full of vim and vigor and fully expecting to see a pair of bright and cheery faces hopping out of his gold cart, only to find himself alone.

His grin tightened into something pale and razor-sharp. "Well, now," he mused to himself, adjusting the sleeves of his jacket. "Who doesn't love a surprise."

 

[obscured_light]

"Fair enough," the director responded as the board members turned to Akiko who was glaring at Sakinder. She stabbed the juice box with her straw and an awkward silence followed as she sipped her juice. Slowly. Very, very slowly.

One of them cleared their throat. He was an older, balding man with square glasses and a bit of stubble that matched the salt and pepper of the hair he did have. He looked uncomfortable as Akiko slurped the very last dregs the box contained.

"Director Leicht," he muttered with some distress, eyes on the director who also seemed somewhat put off.

"Ms. Bong. Actually, Akiko, if I may?" the director said to which Akiko shook her head. "... Ms. Bong. We're glad you decided to visit us today but I would like to get to some business."

"I only came because I'm going to expose all of you," Akiko responded to which the board members laughed. ".. It wasn't a joke."

"From what I've heard, you do like to make them. Though your parents were certainly not joking either," Director Leicht said pointedly, watching carefully as Akiko's face turned into a scowl and crushed the empty juice box in her hand.

"Don't you dare-"

"Then let's get down to business. I don't want to rehash this either," the director cut in, slamming a hand on the table. "We need the belt. Your friends are here. I think it's pretty clear what needs to be done."

"Keep your corporate money grubbing hands off my friend and acquaintance."

"I'm only going to give one warning," the director said, raising up one finger. "The longer they are here and sniff around, the worse it'll be for them. We were generous and allowed the book seller to go but when Lin informed me he had granted her access because he wanted to secure you, I wasn't pleased. Him and Arthur should have known better since she seems persistent just like how Triple 9 was."

"Sales people usually are," Akiko pointed out. "Seems a little much to threaten to kill her for it."

"Arthur was on company time conducting a private deal with a seller not authorized by our organization who he then invited onto our property with no prior authorization," Director Leicht listed with growing irritation and volume. "And this happens right when we have to deal with the Triple 9 situation that had our full attention? Not only that but this book seller then insists on coming back to the point that she tries to enlist the help of one of our brokers?"

Silence filled the room once more as the director took in a deep breath, sitting back down in her seat after having risen in anger with her last line.

"...Well when you put it that way, it does kinda seem sus," the ghost hero admitted with some reluctance.

"Kind of yes."

More silence as Akiko thought it over. Another board member, a broad chested man with curly black hair and deep red eyes took his turn to clear his throat, adding, "And you don't even necessarily have to hand the belt over. We need the data and a thorough examination of you."

"Listen, I already know what you freaks do," Akiko spat, feeling unusually hostile today. "And that ain't happening. You're not making more heroes bound to this corporation."

Akiko put a hand on her belt, the lanterns materializing in the air. The board members' eyes widened, fascinated, as the belt announced, "LIGHT ON. SHINIGAMI GRAY, AWAKEN." They clapped politely at the transformation, even as Akiko raised her fists.

~*~

Triple 9 said nothing, his expression unreadable underneath the cloth sack they had over his head.

"I would ask that you refrain from implicating my client in terrorist activities until the trial is finished," his lawyer spoke in his stead, adjusting his glasses. "What he has seen inside that building is also under contention."

~*~

Lin pivoted his body to dodge Hen Xin's foot, using the momentum to spin in a full circle and aim a kick for his opponent's head.

~*~

"Dad," Muna whispered as she started running in even as the sound of bullets began to sound.

 

[DarKnight36]

"Be careful not to break the bar like last time!" Suna called after Suiken and Muna, climbing from the vehicle and stretching. "Repairs aren't cheap!"

"Who am I kidding?" Suna muttered to himself as the other two entered the bar. "Yamato's probably already wrecked the place."

***

Sasha morphed his way through the vents at a pace that would have dizzied anyone who noticed him. Honestly, it wasn't that he was crawling per se - in fact, very little motion went into the movement. It was more a practice of magnetizing his skin and, well, the specifics would probably bore the average person, so best just to move on.

It didn't take long for Sasha to find what he was looking for - the records room. It was almost pitch black except for the few lights that were attached to the servers, and a few low-power emergency floor lights. Sasha slipped open the vent, and remained there for a few moments. Was there an alarm?

He didn't give it much thought, however. The truth was, alarm or not, he was going to access Alpheum's information. His talent and training demanded nothing less.

Sasha landed catlike on the floor, and approached the nearest access pad. It was password protected, but Sasha bypassed that easily. Encryptions broke at his fingertips. He wasn't hacking - hacking took too long. No, this was a unique talent of assimilation. It was perhaps the most complicated thing Sasha could do with his powers, and it had taken him many years to improve it. Sasha had always claimed that his molecular powers only affected his own body, but this was a half truth. Sasha could indeed manipulate molecules outside of his physical self, but he had to be touching and he had to understand the molecules at work.

Regardless of the details, Sasha browsed through the medical records - pretty standard stuff at first. Alpheum had a lot of clients after all. Sasha dug deeper. Another firewall - this one was harder to eat. Stung a little.

These medical records indicated procedures - they didn't detail what the procedures were, only if they were recommended, and then whether they succeeded or failed.

"Brain cognizance compatible for structure 1, 'x' recommended for procedure A," Sasha read. Procedure A was recommended for about 80% of the patients. Procedure B was noted for the rest.

"Failed - 'x' went into cardiac arrest shortly after, unable to be revived," Sasha frowned. This was the most common note. There were others: "Failed - procedure induced seizure caused brain hemorrhaging and liquidation, 'x' unable to be revived. The hell?"

Whatever these procedures were, they were extremely dangerous - it was at least a 50% mortality rate. However, the procedures did seem to have better luck as time went on. There were no notes on what the results were, other than "Successful." A quick tally of successes gave him a number - 8,105 people had successfully had the procedure done.

One last firewall - this one hurt. Whoever's records were past here, they didn't want anyone finding. Sasha frowned. There were only about 30 patients listed. Most of them were deceased, as he might have expected. But the procedure was actually named here.

"Rider," Sasha muttered. A name caught his eye. "Akiko Bong."

Sasha paused. "Well, shit."

 

[obscured_light]

"You were our first," Director Leicht said with pride to Akiko before she turned to Sakinder, "But certainly not our last."

 

[PiePillager]

"This place is terrifying," Henry mentioned as he and Lynne made their way through a door just to the side of the pharmaceutical labs and quickly down the spiraling staircase. "How anybody makes it through this tour and doesn't leave creeped the hell out, I don't know." After getting a considerable distance from their overly enthusiastic tour guide, he turned to Lynne and asked. "Know idea where we are, but just looking down that hall....some elevators are nearby."

"I figure security will be on us soon, so where you headed? You had someone you wanted to find here, right?" Henry asked. "I'll help you if I can, but....my main goal is to find out what this place is really getting up to." He sighed and glanced at Lynne, his eyes almost seeming to flash with light for a split second. "...then again, you might be fine on your own," he shrugged. "But yeah, what's your play here?"

***
Sakinder, who had been, leaning against the wall, observing the conversation up until he was called upon, shrugged his shoulders. "I hope you're not too attached to this office," he told the board members as he glanced at Akiko, the look on his face appearing, in some ways, disappointed. As a belt too materialized around his waist, he held what appeared to be a small jagged object, like a broken off fang or claw from some animal.

His belt, similarly to Akiko's began to light up and sing a jingle, though one in a far more visceral tone than hers as a large spectral creature began to dance around him. "QUAKE IN FEAR, HEED THE ROAR. AWAKEN THE D-D-D-D-DINO-SOUL!" The spectral figure enveloped him, forming an armor that appeared to be metallic fossilized bones. "SPINO-SAW-RUS!"

On his head, the skull of a dinosaur rested over massive orange eyes and similarly, the skeleton of this dinosaur had formed like a carapace over dark purple armor. On his back rested a massive sword, sheathed vertically with saw-like ridges sticking out in a similar pattern to the ridges of a spinosaurus. Drawing the sword, he let it slam onto the floor creating a small crater on impact.

Without another word, he lifted the sword with a massive, quick swing at Akiko's side.

 

[druidquest]

Lynne was silent for a long moment, hands in her coat pockets. "I guess I wanna save Arthur Dandy. He's probably around here somewhere, I think. He's not dead." She sighed through her nose. "And I should probably get that manuscript, too. I guess he wasn't lying about it."

 

[obscured_light]

Akiko immediately went Incorporeal as she reached out to grab Violet Dancer's lantern...when suddenly the room became a blur. Pain radiated out from her back as she slid down the wall onto the floor. She looked down at the belt that so clearly had a gray lantern embedded. Down at herself who she could clearly see through. She looked back up at Sakinder and then at the wall of the room that only had a small dent from where she had collided with it. Four lanterns in the air still. None of them gray.

"Oh! Good, that did work," Director Leicht said with obvious pleasure as she and the board members entered a secret opening in the back of the room. "Sakinder, try not to kill her. We still have tests to run."

The panel closed behind her as she walked down the hallway, multiple screens on both sides showing the recording of what was happening in the room. The director stopped by one, watching as Shinigami shakily got to her feet. Her movements were slow however as though she was still dazed from her collision. The board members paused to look back at the director as she turned to them with a small, gleeful smile.

"So," Director Leicht said as she clapped her hands together in joy, fingers barely touching her chin. " What do you think her headline should be?"

 

[PiePillager]

"Huh. Must be some manuscript," Henry scratched his chin. "Well, if they're keeping him holed up somewhere it's probably on these lower levels away from the public, I figure," he stated. "Might as well stick together until you have a lead...." he stated, looking down the hallway at the sound of footsteps. Thankfully none were headed anywhere near the staircase.

***
As Akiko sat up she felt a foot stomp on her neck to press her back down to the floor. It was Sakinder, or Dino-Soul as the belt named him, who leaned on his knee to further weigh Shinigami down. "Thought it'd go right through ya, huh? You've been doing this how long? The world of the corporeal and incorporeal. The flesh and the spirit. The Shinigami Riders occupy both."

"I told you to just give up," he shook his head. "Would've gone better for you and your friends that way. Alpheum isn't easily beaten," he stated in a bitter tone, pressing his foot down even harder.

 

[druidquest]

"Yeah." Lynne stared at the fading sound of footsteps for a long moment. He was right, she figured. If Alpheum hadn't killed him, they were probably using Arthur as a test dummy in one of their labs. She wasn't sure where they'd be keeping the manuscript, if they'd gotten their hands on it, but it was a safe bet where Dandy would be.

"What should I call you, anyway?" Lynne asked, her head snapping back forward as she started toward the elevator. Actually, was it even safe to take the elevator? It was probably fine. She pressed the button to call it back up to them, hearing it chime and the faint whirr of machinery hauling the box toward the surface. "Austin isn't your real name, right? And Hardy sounded like it might've been made up, too."

 

[obscured_light]

Her hands clawed at his boot as she felt his weight bearing down on her, her airway being squeezed. The Shinigami Riders. How many were there?

Darkness creeped into the edges of her vision and Akiko reached her hand out, a lantern practically smacking into her hand. In one fluid, quick motion, she shoved it into the belt, it announcing, "SHINIGAMI WITCHFINDER, WITCH FIRE, I'M ON FIIIIIIIRE, BUAHAHA!" in a sinister tone, the jingle sounded like her battery was running low. Energy coursed through her and she yelled as fire burst from her that threw Sekinder off of her. The table and chairs caught on fire, with the wallpaper burning away, revealing a metal wall that had been placed to contain two riders at once.

Shinigami stood up, breathing raggedly. The rage and hatred she felt were as suffocating as Sakinder crushing her windpipe. The same rage and hatred she had kept locked inside like her name in the little glass sphere around her neck. Now, the glass had shattered.

"I'm not giving up until this whole place is burnt to the ground," Akiko snarled, taking a step forward towards Dino-Soul. "They'll all die like my parents did. Every. Single. One."

Balls of flame shot out from her hands, little white grains falling onto the ground as they rocketed towards Dino-Soul. The moment the grains touched the ground, they singed the carpet with little wisps of smoke rising into the air.

 

[PiePillager]

"Henry," Henry answered quietly after a moment. Lynne had traveled with him this far, so he decided it was alright to trust her. "And I'm a member of the Brave. We're sort of a new...official unofficial superteam. And I guess our current mission is bringing to light whatever Alpheum's got going on under the table," he mentioned, taking a walk down the hallway in a crouch. "Sorry, if it's a lot to spring up on you all at once but if it gets hairy....well, now you know what you're getting into."

Henry glanced and hid behind the wall containing the elevator, as more people walked across the other side of the hall, five in total. Three wore lab coats while the other two were sporting what appeared to be hazmat suits. "Think that might be where we'll find another lab..." Henry noted, making his way towards the other side of the hall as the lab coats footsteps began to sound distant.

***
Another fossil manifested in Sakinder's hand as he saw the fireballs approach him, setting the carpet aflame. He quickly placed it onto a latch on the belt, which jingled, "THE WALKING TANK, STRONG BUT SLOW! TRIIIIIICERA-TORPEDO!" Quickly the skeletal armor enveloping him was replaced with a more heavy carapace of metallic colored bone, and the purple suit beneath took on a dark green hue... The helmet on his head took on the familiar shape of the crest and horns of a triceratops and so too did his weapons change.

No longer in his right hand was the ridged saw-sword, but now a tower shield also in the shape of a triceratops' crest and horns. In his left hand, he now held a small machine gun. The flames hit the shield which absorbed the brunt of the impact without so much as a scratch. "You'll kill 'em all huh?" Sakinder chuckled, the first time Akiko had heard him amused. "Very un-heroic of you....I like it!" he stated, slamming his shield on the burnt floor which caused the three horns to launch out like heat-seeking missiles toward Akiko.

"Toss away your morals, your ideals...when dealing with Alpheum there is no other path," Dino-Soul shook his head. "Believe me, I learned that the hard way."

 

[DarKnight36]

A heavy impact shook the building from higher up. An alarm began to sound, obnoxious like a fire alarm. An announcement came on simultaneously: "Please evacuate the building in an orderly manner. This is not a drill." It was said in the pleasant & calm female voice many companies enjoyed using.

Sasha sighed and extricated himself from the servers. He wasn't going to learn anything else from this location - it seemed that Alpheum was being careful and had split their data. It seemed likely that the full picture would either have to be extracted piece by piece, or most likely would be found in the hands of an important figure. Such as the ones Akiko was supposed to be meeting with.

Another impact as the temperature in the building spiked. Sasha frowned. This heat had to be from Akiko's Witchfinder form, which wasn't exactly what Sasha would call "stable."

"Guess negotiations have broken down," Sasha said to himself as he slipped back into the vents. He'd better hurry.

 

[obscured_light]

Shinigami raised the Witchfinder weapon, a lantern of intricate red and black and yellow, and snapped her fingers. It glowed brightly and a high pitched cackle rang out as pillars of salt and fire rose at the last moment, the horns colliding and exploding. The blast attempted to knock her back but fire shot out from her back, meeting the strength of the push back to keep her stable.

There was a pause as Akiko struggled to find her voice. Her mouth was dry and the suit was getting increasingly warmer just like the desire that was growing within her. It was becoming a need that threatened to cloud her rationale. Alpheum. Alpheum. Alpheum. A need that beat with her heart.

"They... They got you too?" Akiko asked gruffly, restraining herself from swinging the lantern against him. Her hand shook slightly but she wasn't attacking.

~*~

In the darkness of the vents were two glowing green eyes staring at Sasha accompanied by hiss. He could have said he saw it in the shadows of the vents but it was more like a mist of darkness within. A hand reached out from within the mist in the shape of a 3 clawed hand, puncturing the vent as it crawled towards Sasha.

 

[DarKnight36]

Sasha blinked. "Oh, my apologies, I didn't realize the vents were occupied."

Sasha dropped back down to the server room floor and transformed into one of the men he had seen from the foyer. Straightening his tie, he walked out of the server room and began walking briskly towards the elevators.

"I suppose this will be a little bit easier," Sasha said, smiling to himself.

 

[PiePillager]

With heavy footsteps, Sakinder began to approach Akiko. "How do you think I ended up like this? Like you?" he snarled, gun pointed directly at her. "I lost my parents long ago. Alpheum seems likely, but I knew nothing about them back then. I had two kids to raise in my parents' stead. A brother and a sister. We didn't have much, but we survived. Until we all got sick, all of us. Symptoms similar to pneumonia, but more intense. And not too long after we fell ill, they came knocking. Promised to 'take care of us' and like a moron, I listened!" he shook his head, lowering his gun for a bit. "It was all so convenient....and I still listened. I wanted to save my siblings. I wanted to live...but not like this."

"They used me as their damn guinea pig and to their surprise, I turned out to be a big success and my siblings...they just wouldn't wake up," Sakinder continued, another fossil materializing in his hand. "Or rather, Alpheum wouldn't let them wake up. They wanted to use me as their pet super soldier! And I couldn't do a damn thing...I made one wrong move against them, and their fingers pull the trigger..."

"REAP AND SLICE AND GNASH AND ROAR! GRIM-RAAAAPTOR!" his belt jingled as he placed this fossil on his belt, and a sleeker armor formed around his body, as he now sported a smaller saurian skull with a feather-like mohawk while his suit took on an orange hue. His gun and shield were gone, now replaced with a scythe that hung over his shoulder, three blades jutting out of it in the shape of raptor talons.

"I don't even know where they are now....or if Alpheum lied and already conducted one of their sick experiments on them. But, I know this.,...they have every conceivable angle covered. They've been doing this for far longer than you can imagine...If you want to beat them, you're on the right track," He spoke as he swiftly and suddenly ruched up to Akiko, spinning the three-pronged scythe around as he sliced at her. "Throw away whatever's left of your humanity! Survive! And! Grow! Strong!" he spat, now taking a swipe at Shinigami with his scythe after each syllable.

 

[druidquest]

The Brave? The name rang an odd bell, but Lynne couldn't quite place it. "I think I'll be fine, Henry," she replied, offering a reassuring smile. "I've got a superhero with me, after all."

She joined him behind the wall as footsteps echoed down the hallway. Henry moved to follow the retreating scientists, and Lynne reached out a hand to stop him but fell just short. Lynne didn't think these would be the lead; everyone knew the important stuff was always at the very top or bottom, not the ground floor. She followed after him, keeping close to the wall where she could. She realized she hadn't spotted any security cameras yet, and it made her.... uneasy.

The pair stalked their quarry down the twisting hallways of the pharmaceutical research building, past unmarked door after unmarked door. There were no windows peering into any of the rooms here, and the layout gave Lynne the impression this hall and the chambers attached to it were specifically designed to wrap around the central research area that served as a showpiece for Alpheum's farcical tour.

The pair of scientists and their hazmat escorts came to stop at a seperate elevator from the one Henry and Lynne at been in front of moments prior, one of the researchers leaning forward to scan his ID against a terminal set beside it. It beeped once in confirmation, and the elevator doors dinged open before the quartet filed in.

Lynne shot Henry a look as the doors began to close; they needed to know where that elevator went.

 

[Wing06]

Triple 9 said nothing, his expression unreadable underneath the cloth sack they had over his head.

"I would ask that you refrain from implicating my client in terrorist activities until the trial is finished," his lawyer spoke in his stead, adjusting his glasses. "What he has seen inside that building is also under contention."

Triple 9's lawyer wouldn't let Klaus's interview go anywhere, and he could feel The Brave's chances for success slipping through his fingers like sand in an hourglass. Klaus leaned back in his chair, sighing, "Clearly, neither of you understands the gravity of the situation in which you find yourselves. Help me, help you." He nodded toward the camera that occupied the corner of the room, then gestured to the mirror on the wall, "The moment Mr. Nine was brought in, my tech went to work," He stood and tapped the glass of the two-way mirror, "The officers outside are likely scrambling trying to break the door down, while the video feed is nothing more than static." He leaned over and placed both hands on the table, looking from Triple 9 to his lawyer, "This room has been removed from time. That is to say, time will flow differently here, we can spend as long as you two would like in silence, but until I get the answers I'm after, this room remains cut off from the outside world. We quite literally have all the time in the world. Still, in the end, only I will remain long after you've perished from thirst or hunger." He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest, "So, what do you say, we start over?"

-----

Yamato stopped on a dime, black wings appearing and enveloping him. In a flash, the wings were gone, and Yamato shook his head, "This is only going to end with you both six feet under for good!" He lunged for the gun, grabbing it by the barrel before pointing it toward the ceiling. Chao Nong pulled the trigger as the gun was pointed up, spraying bullets into the ceiling. Using his wings for thrust, Yamato closed the gap, wrapping his arms around Chao Nong and slamming him against the wall to make the undead assassin drop the Tommy Gun. "Give up already!" The Winged warrior shouted, his left fist connecting with Chao's face.

 

[PiePillager]

Henry quickly glanced back at Lynne. He didn't have much time to think so he sprinted as fast as he could and drew out his blaster. Putting his foot in the door before it closed, he shot several stun blasts at the scientists inside, sending them dozing off in a slump on the elevator floor. "Sorry about that..." Henry scratched the back of his head. "But in about three hours or so, you hopefully won't remember a thing."

Waving Lynne over, he quickly glanced at the buttons inside the elevator. "B-22. ....just how far does this place operate?" he had to question. "Either way, I guess we're headed there now..." he looked over and glanced at two of the unconscious bodies on the floor, ones wearing hazmat suits.

Both he and Lynne were most likely far taller than any of these lab workers, but hopefully, they could make these suits could fit. "I guess I'll be...Assistant Lab Technician Greg Wilson," Henry shrugged, picking up a nametag. He almost looked as if he were about to laugh, "I've never had to go by so many aliases in one day. What you got?" he asked Lynne as he further inspected the nametag. "Floor B-22....Impatient-X Ward. With names, like that, you can't help but draw some bad conclusions," he figured as he drew his phone out of his pocket and began to take some quick snapshots of the badge before suiting up.

***
"Not even death can stop us, you feathered freak! Think we're gonna give up thanks to a few glorified martial artists?" Chao-Nong cackled as Yamato's punch connected, sending the Jiang-shi's head clean off...though that did little to deter the body from reacting to the winged humanoid in front of him. "I'll admit that one hurt. But so will this!" the undead's neck cavity leaned forward, blasting out a jet of flame at Yama in an attempt to launch him backward.

Meanwhile, Hen-Xin was blocking Lin's kick with his foot, only for his eyes to dart toward the approaching Muna, who was soon followed by Suna and Ken. "Whole gang's here it looks like. Guess it was only a short trip to Alpheum brother!" he yelled back at Chao Nong.

"Uh, brother...?" the detached heard spoke, raising an eyebrow, worry in his voice. "We can't take on all of them, y'know."

"Pfft," Hen Xin spat on the floor. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Guess we'll just have to finish handling business and get movin'. Lin!" he shouted pointing at the old fighter before bawling his hand into a fist. "Lest you forgot, Your soul has a new master now!" He raised his balled fist into the air as a black aura shot forth from it. Chao Nong opened his mouth and a green aura shot forth from him

Both energies collided and swirled together in mid-air in a chaotic, spiraling torpor. Amidst the darkness, a white light shone in the middle and shot a beam that touched Lin's chest, and began to draw out droplets of blue energy. The two Jiang-Shi brothers shouted in unison. "The Bane of Life- BLACK HOLE SUN!" as the beam of light intensified and more and more of the droplets began falling into the miasmic vortex above.

"The Zhao Brothers!" Ken grimaced, his arm shielding his eyes from the blinding lights. "No wonder I couldn't sense them...We have to do something, we have to try! Such necromancy isn't easy to stop but. Not even a man like Lin deserves a fate like this!"

 

[druidquest]

Lynne looked down at the unconscious bodies in apprehension for a moment, then squatted down to pick up the other ID card. "Uhhh... Christopher Haynes," she said, flipping it over to check the name. She looked up at Henry. "Do you think Alpheum's an equal opportunity employer?"

Removing the hazmat suit was a little awkward in the enclosed elevator, but she managed to take it off the guy and get it on herself before a chime signaled arrival at their destination. She slapped the "emergency stop" button quickly before the doors could open, eyes darting to Henry. "What do we do with these guys?" she asked, her voice coming out muffled through the suit. "Someone's gonna find them if we just leave them here."

Lynne cast around for options, considering the practicality of carrying them to some sort of supply closet. Her eyes drew upward toward the access panel on top of the elevator.

She and Henry shared a look.

----

Inpatient-X Ward was sterile and silent, with crisp, metallic lighting inset into the ceiling making the whole floor feel somehow ten degrees colder than it was. The hall was lined with heavy blast doors on either side as Henry and Lynne passed, each marked with a serial number which was almost completely indecipherable to the pair of infiltrators. RDR-01938-B... LZS 15591-G... SLM-22345-D... Lynne craned her neck to read each one as they passed, wondering if there was some sort of pattern to understanding them.

"Oi, there you are, you dickheads!" Lynne's face snapped forward at the voice. An unpleasant looking researcher had appeared ahead of them, stomping towards them with his arms thrown out from his sides in frustration. "What took you so long? You were supposed to be down here thirty minutes ago! We can't get started without you! What, were you sucking each other off or something?!"

 

[obscured_light]

"I suppose this will be a little bit easier," Sasha said, smiling to himself.

Alarms blared as people hurried out, their eyes wandering, wondering what had happened this time. Staff helped the office workers out but they weren't focused either. Something else was grabbing their attention but they weren't quite sure what it was yet. The Revenext that crawled out of the vent knew however. It saw the opened door and the mist solidified into a human with a rich green suit with white embellishments. Green eyes, golden round spectacles, and a cane in hand that had a glowing green gem at the top. She rushed out to see the evacuees and one person sticking out from the crowd that had mostly gathered. The Revenext sniffed and there was a slight scent that was off. Someone new. Someone who was leaving from the same direction she now stood.

"Well, well," the Revenext whispered in a low, gravely voice before rushing forward, screaming, "SOULdiers, get me that one!"

The staff that had been directing the crowd turned towards the disguised Sasha and rushed forward to grab him.

"I don't even know where they are now....or if Alpheum lied and already conducted one of their sick experiments on them. But, I know this.,...they have every conceivable angle covered. They've been doing this for far longer than you can imagine...If you want to beat them, you're on the right track," He spoke as he swiftly and suddenly ruched up to Akiko, spinning the three-pronged scythe around as he sliced at her. "Throw away whatever's left of your humanity! Survive! And! Grow! Strong!" he spat, now taking a swipe at Shinigami with his scythe after each syllable.

"Wait!" Shinigami cried out, dodging his swipes before parrying the second to last with her lantern. The force of it knocked it out of her hand and the momentary distraction was enough to slow down her last dodge, Sakinder's scythe slicing the suit area over her stomach. She cried out before leaping back, looking down to see a large gash. We both got used. I can help you. Shinigami touched the wound, her breathing growing more ragged. This won't help. We're going to destroy each other. The blood was hard to see against the black gloves but it was hers. She was bleeding. We can work together.

We can work together.

Witchfinder Shinigami burst forward with her flames to Sakinder's side but didn't stop there. Another propulsion and she was crouched behind him, a dome of salt that burned like acid on touch growing around her. She paused for a second, head down, one arm reaching out tentatively.

"Help me beat them," she said in a soft, pleading voice, easy to miss if Sakinder wasn't listening closely. Then her hand closed into a fist and she shot forward at blazing quick speeds to slam into Sakinder with the dome, the fire beneath her able to change her direction in a moment's notice. "BY DYING FIRST."

Triple 9's lawyer wouldn't let Klaus's interview go anywhere, and he could feel The Brave's chances for success slipping through his fingers like sand in an hourglass. Klaus leaned back in his chair, sighing, "Clearly, neither of you understands the gravity of the situation in which you find yourselves. Help me, help you." He nodded toward the camera that occupied the corner of the room, then gestured to the mirror on the wall, "The moment Mr. Nine was brought in, my tech went to work," He stood and tapped the glass of the two-way mirror, "The officers outside are likely scrambling trying to break the door down, while the video feed is nothing more than static." He leaned over and placed both hands on the table, looking from Triple 9 to his lawyer, "This room has been removed from time. That is to say, time will flow differently here, we can spend as long as you two would like in silence, but until I get the answers I'm after, this room remains cut off from the outside world. We quite literally have all the time in the world. Still, in the end, only I will remain long after you've perished from thirst or hunger." He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest, "So, what do you say, we start over?"

Triple 9 said nothing but his lawyer chuckled. The lawyer clapped and with each clap it seemed like Triple 9 sinking into himself, literally. The clothes fell to the ground and all that was left was a pile with shackles peeking out from within the layers.

"You know, for a hero, you definitely seem very limited in the areas you work in," the lawyer said as he sat back in his chair, studying Cobalt closely. "Perhaps I should tell the researches to add you onto their list. Time manipulation. A lot of people could benefit from that."

Bonson sat back, seemingly not too phased, as a gentle breeze blew past them. The clothes moved and suddenly they began to inflate, the air inside manipulating them back to looking like the shape of the man that had been brought in.

"Too bad you couldn't save him," he tsked as the air construction shuffled over to his side. "He was so convinced of his cause but you don't find a lot of heroes willing to risk so much like you two are doing now. I don't mind waiting it out however. Client attorney privilege, you understand."

"The Zhao Brothers!" Ken grimaced, his arm shielding his eyes from the blinding lights. "No wonder I couldn't sense them...We have to do something, we have to try! Such necromancy isn't easy to stop but. Not even a man like Lin deserves a fate like this!"

"Create an opening then!" Muna barked, crouching down. "I can grab Lin and run if I can just get an opening!"

 

[DarKnight36]

"Interesting," Sasha said, not wishing to be engaged at the moment as another impact shook the building. "But I don't have time to play with you." Leathery wings snapped from Sasha's back as he assumed another demonic form, this one more lithe and agile. Rearing his head back, he shot fire at the floor, creating a barrier between himself and the Alpheum staff. With a burst of speed, he reached the elevators and ripped the doors open, diving into the shaft and heading upwards.

***

"This is why Lin keeps me around I suppose," Suna said, reaching a hand out. The light the Zhao brothers were forming created so many shadows, such deep dark shadows... Both Zhao brothers were unceremoniously snapped backwards to the floor as Suna's hand formed into a fist.

 

[PiePillager]

"What's with the third degree?" Henry questioned, adopting an Australian accent now. "There was a big hubbub upstairs, we could barely get past the crowd. Seems upper management needed all hands on deck for a meeting now that they've regained the 'lost belt'," Henry explained, hoping those two words would strike a chord. "You want to know why we're so late, take it up with them, however..." he pulled up a clipboard he had taken from one of the unconscious workers. "We'd have to get the assessment underway while we await the rest of our team. We're supposed to monitor patient B-87, so if you don't mind..." he patted the researcher on the shoulder. and walked off before he or Lynne could be questioned further. Hopefully, the guy would leave it at that.

Henry eyed the walls in the Impatient-X Ward. To his right and left, the walls were lined with patients each of which either resting or being tended to with state-of-the-art medical equipment, the likes of which Henry had never seen before. Others were being subject to surgeries. Very intensive surgeries from the looks of things. It was fortunate that Alpheum was nothing if highly organized. It didn't take long to find the B-Wing and the patients therein. Henry glanced over each one of them, his phone carefully hidden in between the pages of his clipboard just in case he had something he'd needed to snapshot.

But to his surprise, it appeared that that...wasn't necessary. Most in the B-Wing seemed to be in stable condition. The machines they had gone through looked as if they were the sort used for chemo machines. At B-87, the patient in question...judging from the notes appeared to be a super once in critical condition due to an aftereffect of the radioactive origin of his powers. But if the readings on the machine were any indication, it would seem that his condition had 'stabilized'.

"I can't speak for their methods, but....everything they're doing here looks legit," Henry whispered to Lynne, puzzled. He supposed Alpheum wouldn't have any public support if they didn't do what they purported to do. And if their methods worked without harm to the patient...then this mission had got far more complicated. "What do you think lies behind those blast doors, though?" he looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was listening in. "I don't wanna cause a commotion in here, not with all the patients. He tapped his chin. Looking around, he spotted quite a few workers in hazmat suits. "Think we can find a way to swap nametags? Could be risky, but I don't see another way to leave without setting off that douchebag over there...." he nodded at the science officer who gave them a grumpy greeting upon entering the ward.

***
Dino-Soul was launched backward, the flames ripping through the floor below. Now landed in a crater, Sakinder sighed heavily as he brushed the rubble off of his armor. "Good hit...but, I'm disappointed. You're still an amateur. You're angry but you're not in control..." Sakinder stood up, giving a raspy cackle. "The suits told me not to kill you. You went and saved them the trouble of having to hunt you down, after all. But if you've had that belt this long, and still don't know what you're doing...I might as well put you down in the dirt here and now."

A low rumble was heard echoing throughout the hall. "I know how you feel...once I understood the insurmountable task that was tackling Alpheum I fell into despair too. It was vexing...I was so lost...like swimming in an ocean in the dark. But I focused my anger. Harnessed it so I'll always be in control. But you...you put on a brave face, but you're still scared of ghosts. Ghosts of the past. The looming specter of your own dim future..."

The rumble grew louder and louder as if something was trying to cut through the silence in between the roaring flames and Sakinder's speech. "But the difference between you and me is you let you're consumed by your fury while I focused mine! I have one goal. To save my siblings. Everything else can burn for all I care. Some loose canon like you isn't gonna ruin it for me!" "MACHINE MOSADER!"

A phantom motorcycle emerged through the floor, wrapped around it were the bones of what appeared to be a mosasaurus, its skull covering the front of the vehicle as Dino-Soul swung over and sat in his seat, and revved it up. Driving through the hallway, water splashed from MAchine Mosader dousing out the flames as Dino-Soul drug his scythe across the floor, scraping it up in an uppercut strong enough to launch Akiko through the ceiling and into the floor above.

***
"Brother!" Hen Xin shouted. "We only need to hold on a little longer...hold them back!"

"Of course, I do ALL the work!" Chao Nong grumbled as his body leaped into action, jumping in the air to launch a kick at Lo-Muna, his foot extending from his ankle, attached to a chain that whipped it around and lashed out at both her and Suna at once. Meanwhile, Suiken raised a hand to the air, chi gathering in his palm as he offered a chant, one to counter the Zhao Brother's necromancy with his own spiritual essence.

 

[obscured_light]

The salt dome around Shinigami shattered but she landed on the ground, crouched, hand held out for the lantern. It sped into her hand and she screamed out, "CHARON."

Another motorcycle emerged from the ground completely in black with silver jagged lines running along its sides. Skulls adorned it on either side and twin scythes in an x decorated the front. Shingami placed the lantern above the scythes, the bike turning red and flames coming out of the pipes. The skulls were on fire, the whole bike was on fire, but Shinigami didn't even flinch from the immense heat it exuded.

Shinigami sped forward and around with a sharp turn. Fireballs shot out from the lantern as she prepared another barrage of salt bullets towards him.

~*~

Muna ducked and ran forward at an inhuman speed to tackle Hen Xin, trying to break his concentration of the cast.

 

[DarKnight36]

Tendrils of darkness wrapped themselves around Chao Nong's foot, holding it fast in midair. Suna stretched his fingers out and... began to tickle the sole of Chao Nong's foot.

 

[Wing06]

Yamato threw his arms up to block as much of the fire as possible, "You've got to be kidding me!" He shouted in frustration, ripping off his now charred jacket. Luckily he wouldn't have to keep fighting alone. His "siblings" had finally returned. With Chao Nong's body stung up by Suna doing some sole searching, Yamato knelt and picked up Chao Nong's severed head, whose face was contorted awkwardly while trying not to laugh.

"They say the only way to kill a Zombie is to go for the head; give me one reason I shouldn't crush yours like a melon."


------


Klaus sighed; the revelation that Triple 9 was dead and the meeting being a ruse wasn't as exciting as Bonson believed. His eyes darted to Liz, who remained silent through the entire ordeal. She clearly wasn't about to get involved.

"Bonson, you believe that you have the upper hand here, and maybe in some respects, you do," Klaus began, "However, you cannot escape what's coming. Klaus stood and stepped behind his chair, pushing it in. "I've committed a cardinal sin using my new tech. New isn't the right word; new to me is better. Turns out, creating liminal spaces with non-combatants is frowned upon." He shrugged, "I give it about," He looked down at his Chrono-Dialer, "Now."

A flash of Cobalt-colored light filled the room, followed by the scent of ozone. A cloaked individual stood behind Bonson, their gaze locked on Klaus.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry." The figure drew an ornate crystal handgun and rested it against the back of Bonson's skull, their finger squeezing the trigger.

Klaus tapped a few commands into his Chrono-Dialer, and the world seemed to spin briefly before their equilibriums evened out.