Prologue 4: Alva

A man with vivid red hair sat at the windowsill of his small apartment overseeing the Vacuo skyline, his frame draped in a black leather jacket, with matching black fingerless gloves with skulls painted on the back of them. His earphones in only one ear as he blasted his favorite tunes as loud as he could as he watched the skyline. Large, distant skyscrapers covered entirely in glass windows, loud parties in the street just a quiet clamor over the sound of cicadas. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his scroll and held it, patiently listening for it to ring, the dull lighting making his cold blue eyes shimmer almost silver.

"C'mon C'mon C'mon…" He muttered to himself, when suddenly his scroll flashed with the vibration function, since it was muted. "Yes!" He said, pushing the scroll open to look at the message. It came from a subject who was only written down as "Hawk." The voice somewhat distorted over the phone. "You know where we're meeting, right?" He said to the redhead. "Yeah, I know… The intersection between Hunt Ave. and Clyde." He responded. "Good, Lazarus. If you've spoken to anyone except me before you show up, you're off the job. Got it?" The voice replied, before Lazarus could speak, the call ended.

Lazarus shut the scroll, getting off his windowsill and grabbing a skull faced bandana he shoplifted earlier that week. After putting it on his face and making sure he could breathe properly through it, he grabbed his belt, wrapping it around his jeans to strap a large revolver on his hip. He walked up to the mirror, pulling out a gun and pointing it at the mirror. "Hands up, cuz I'm death and I'm comin' to get you…" He growled out in a whisper, before clearing his throat and sighing. "Too obvious." He complained quietly. "I hope you kissed your family before you went to die today…" He said again in his threatening voice, pausing a bit and shaking his head.

He hid the gun behind his back. "Hey, guess what I have…" He said ominously, before pulling the gun out and striking a pose. "It's called a gun!" He paused, before sighing. "I give up, I'll just wing it." He said, spinning the revolver and trying to holster it, before accidentally dropping it on the ground. He growled in annoyance, reaching down and putting the gun away, matching the pistol on the other side of the holster. Running out of the window with a massive leap, launching gracefully on the roof of the building across the way, breaking into a run with leaps to each building as he showed up at the meeting spot, where two men and a girl stood together, waiting patiently in suits, ties and masks.

"You made it in decent time." The skinnier, shorter man said to Lazarus, who stood rather tall compared to the others. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss this for the world." He replied, the man softly gesturing them to climb into the car with the others, Lazarus getting into the back seat as all four of them closed the doors. The engine roared into life, as Lazarus put his belt on with a click. "From this point onward, we only refer to ourselves by code names. I refuse to get in trouble because the new guy feels like calling me by name." The man sitting in the passenger seat spoke back to the two people behind him. Lazarus glanced to his right, watching the face of the man in the mask calmly opening a briefcase on his lap and sorting the tools, before putting them back into the little compartments. The occasional street lamp illuminating his oddly red set of eyes, which were intimidatingly sharp in their gaze.

Lazarus slowly adjusted the tightness on his belt, leaning back a little bit as the commander of the operation began to spoke. "I'll be Shark, my partner is Hawk, and the escape driver is Bear. I guess you'll be Bat." He said, glancing back at him. Lazarus just looking up at him confused. "So… What do you have in mind for my first job with you guys?" He asked, the older man driving the car began to speak with a rather gruff voice that made him sound like he smoked often. "Ya ever seen those big time magicians on TV?" He proposed. Lazarus calmly nodding. "Well, what they always do is distract you from a big trick, by making you force your eyes on something obvious they're doing, and taking your attention away from the thing they're really doing." He continued, braking for a turn around a sharp corner, making sure not to graze the car on the curb.

"We're gonna hit up the Vacuo National Bank… But we're gonna do it our style." Shark replied, looking back with a smirk on the outline of his balaclava. "You're going to be holding up the front office. Be as loud, awkward and grandiose as possible. Almost like a kid from high school wants to rob the teller for a new bicycle. Make as much attention as you possibly can, while the rest of Royal Bones will sneak through the back, crack the safe and bring the car around the front. Once the alarms are on and the police are called, drop your cash and bolt to the front. It'll make our job easier the less people notice what we're doing." He explained.

Lazarus nodded with a little smile on his face. "We gotta make it so they see this car as little as possible." Bear spoke, turning the car into an alleyway, turning off the engine and hitting the button to lock the doors once the other three got out. "I'll sit here. It's about a 2 block walk to the bank, and that alarm is probably loud enough for me to hear it, but do the three of you have your radios?" He asked, leaning out of the window a bit as Shark walked to the back, popping the trunk and pulling out two assault rifles, tossing the other to Hawk as Lazarus put his hands on his waist, watching as Hawk hooked the rifle to the trap on his back, along with his briefcase with safecracking supplies. The three of them flashing their radios real quick. "If this takes more than 25 minutes; I'm going to bail. So call before midnight, got it?" Bear said, before leaning back into the car, hitting the lever on his seat and laying down so no one could see his silhouette.

"Remember, Bat… Don't screw this up." Shark said, before gesturing for Hawk to follow him, hopping up to the fire exit of the apartment complex they were parked next to to traverse via the roof. Lazarus watched the two of them disappear, before he reached down to grab the twin revolvers from his waist and tuck them into his leather jacket to hide them. He tucked his hands into his pockets, softly tugging the bandana around his neck to show his face. The Vacuo bank was a massive building, nearly half a block in width, carved entirely out of marble with old looking pillars holding up the front courtyard.

He slowly began to ascend the staircase, each step making the air on the back of his neck colder, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. It all stopped when he pushed the door open, walking pack a security guard watching out into the street as he gently began to hug the wall, slowly padding his way to a corner he could put his mask on, tuck his hand into his jacket and grip on one of his pistols. He slowly walked past the velvet roped line, before walking up to the front counter where several tellers quietly giving money, signing checks and paying out Lien to the customers of the bank. He slowly grabbed the bandanna, covering the bottom of his face again as he approached the counter closest to him.

"Sir, if you wish to use our services, please go back in li-" She was suddenly cut off with gasping as Lazarus pulled out both of his pistols, one pointing straight in her face, the other firing once into the air, the bullet hitting a light bulb and breaking it, making the glass rain down onto the crowd as they went into a panic. The girl started to back away, until Lazarus dove over the counter, grabbing her by the neck of her blouse and tugging her to him, walking behind her and pointing his silver revolver at her temple. "Nothing's gonna happen if you listen instead of scream, got it?" He blurted out without thinking, the girl trying to wrench away from him as the crowd began to try and run out of the building, before he pointed a gun to the crowd and fired another shot, hitting the door. "And all of you need to lay on your stomach and pretend this didn't happen!" He shouted over all of them.

"W-w… Don't hurt me!" The woman pleaded, Lazarus just keeping his firm grip on her shirt. "The Lien… all of it." He demanded, pushing his finger on the trigger as she began to shiver. She slowly reached down, opening the drawer with a key and pulling it open, grabbing a canvas bag and dropping the money into it, Lazarus would estimate it to be about 10 grand, though that was just a guess. "See how easy that was?" He said with a smile, before grabbing the back of her head and smashing it into the counter, knocking her out instantly.

He spun, looking at the male teller now cowering on his knees as he walked up, bag slung over his shoulder "Now it's your turn…" He growled, when suddenly there was a shimmer in the corner of his eye. Crouched on the desk was a young man, with green eyes and his face framed with messy black hair just past his chin. He was clad in a black leather top and a long pair of purple pants adorned with belts. He had a smirk on his face as Lazarus looked at him with narrowed eyes. The seemingly younger man casually waved his hand.

"And what are yo-" He was immediately cut off when the shorter guy dove off the counter, snapping a kick on the side of his head hard enough to knock Lazarus onto the floor. "...Hi." He said, nonchalantly. Lazarus hopped back onto his feet from his shoulders, standing up with a sneer on his face. "I don't know if you're brave, or stupid, but I'm gonna kill you before I have to think about it!" He shouted, firing two shots at the teen as he ducked the first shot, dashing behind him and quickly rolling. Leaping into the air and trying to hit him with a leaping knee. Lazarus smacked his pistol into the side of his leg, knocking him off balance before he could correct himself into landing on his hands and knees.

"Look, if there's anybody you have a problem with… why not make it me?" The man said, dusting off his clothes as he glared at Lazarus. "Forget these people and run home before you get shot." The shorter man threatened, as the teller slowly reached over to hit the alarm. Loud klaxons could be heard echoing across the room as the customer's laid on their stomachs. "And who the hell are you supposed to be? You look like you got kicked out of a high school punk band." Lazarus said, pointing both pistols at the unarmed intervener as he slowly lowered his stance.

"Call me Silas." He said simply, before dodging another shot from Lazarus and landing a quick series of blows to his chest and stomach, making him stumble back before Lazarus lifted a knee, smashing it into the jaw of Silas hard enough to send him flying backward in the air. Landing by grabbing the shoulders of a bank teller, before patting him on the shoulder. "Just run over there, I'll distract him." He said quietly to the employee, who took his advice as Silas held his hands out in front of him, ready to strike. Lazarus spun his pistol, tucking it into his holster as he spun on a heel with the squeak of his boots, slamming a backfist at Silas, who caught it with one hand, slid underneath and wrenched behind him with an arm lock. Tripping him with a leg sweep, and sending him onto his stomach, Silas then planted a knee into his back to pin him to the floor. "Now just sit here and we can wait for the c-" He was cut off, when Lazarus pointed his free hand up, pointing the pistol at his face. "SONUVA-" he shouted, leaping back onto his shoulders as the revolver bullet smashed one of the windows across the room.

Lazarus flipped forward back onto his feet, running up and stomping both feet onto Silas' chest before he could get back up, making the younger man gasp for air. 'This is getting dangerous… I need to leave but I have to stay until I get the signal from Hawk…' Lazarus thought to himself, as he shot at Silas while pinning his chest down, who quickly punched him in the wrist, making the bullet hit the floor an inch from his head, cutting a cheek and drawing some blood as he slid out from under him by grabbing his leg and tripping him again. "You can't beat me." Silas taunted, though it seemed like his hands were shaking. Lazarus could tell he was probably trying to bluff him.

"Stop making this hard, it'll be your fault if one of these shots kill anybody." Lazarus replied, as Silas slowly faded away again, disappearing from view. "How the..?" The robber muttered, looking around the room until he saw a nearby door behind him into the back of the bank get opened by itself. "There!" He shouted, running through the same door and looking at the hall way he entered. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him as Silas appeared from thin air, leaping up and planting a knee into the back of his head, sending both of them crashing to the linoleum floor.

"Damn you!" He shouted, rubbing the back of his neck and standing up, looking around for his opponent only to find him yet again missing, when suddenly Silas grabbed his belt, undoing it and yanking it off of him. "W-what!?" Lazarus shouted. Silas stole the gun on the holdster of the belt, before throwing the belt back at him, hitting Lazarus on his head with his own belt buckle, now holding the second revolver and pointing it at his head. "Oeil pour oeil…" Silas muttered, pulling the hammer back on the gun. Pulling the trigger and taking the shot, when suddenly there was smoke where Lazarus was kneeling. "Don't tell me he has a Semblance too…" Silas complained, when the smoke reformed and Lazarus was standing yet again behind Silas. "Eat floor." He muttered, before kicking the back of his head and smashing him face first into the ground hard enough his head bounced off the floor.

Silas groaned, grabbing onto his face in pain as his purple aura began to flicker. "D-damn it…" He said between gasps, when suddenly Lazarus took another shot, his Aura shattering, but absorbing the blow as he rolled onto his back with a panicked look in his eyes. "You were trying to play cool, but you're just a dumbass like I figured…" Lazarus growled, when Silas kicked his hand, sending the gun flying into an open door into another room. "Hey!" He shouted, looking away from Silas for a brief second as he pointed the gun. "Can a dumbass do this!?" He shouted, firing five shots into the chest of Lazarus, his red aura starting to flicker as well when he dashed into the other room to find the gun Silas kicked away.

Lazarus dashed into the room, looking left and right to find the gun he kicked away. "That thing has my fingerprints on it… Damn kid. Why did I buy fingerless gloves!?" He shouted at nobody, as Silas quietly stumbled into the room, his breaths ragged as he climbed onto another table, kneeling down and holding the revolver at the confused robber. "Hands up, now." Silas threatened. "I used the last of my semblance to make it so you won't be finding that gun. So advantage? Me." He said with a tired smile on his face. Lazarus leered at him, grabbing his bandanna and tossing it off to reveal his hateful glare. Stomping each step toward Silas as his hands began to tremble. "D-do you want to get shot by your own gun, huh!? I'll shoot! Stop moving!" He shouted out, until Lazarus grabbed the gun, stuffing it into his own temple.

"Why aren't you shooting, huh!? WHY AREN'T YOU SHOOTING ME NOW? YOU CAN'T MISS ME! SO SHOOT ME YOU BITCH!" He screamed at the teen holding the pistol to his head. "W-wha!?" Silas muttered, before Lazarus grabbed his wrist, twisting it so hard he felt it snap out of socket. "You can't fire… You've used 6 shots, and I have the rest of the bullets…" He quickly headbutted Silas, knocking him out as he held onto his hand, dragging the limp body off of the table. "Dumbass…"

Silas shook his head, softly sitting up as he rubbed the blood leaking from his mouth. "No, you're the dumbass… I don't need to beat you, I just needed to hold you off long enough that help arrives…" He said, as the sound of sirens began to approach closer and closer. "And hey, I pulled it off." Silas continued with a smirk, spitting some blood onto the ground. "Grr…." Lazarus grit his teeth, running up to Silas and cracking him the side of the head with a running knee, knocking him out completely cold. "Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!" He shouted, grabbing his Scroll and opening it to call Hawk. After a few seconds, the phone hung up. "I need to get out of here…" He said, putting the scroll away, reloading his pistol and making a run for it.

He didn't know the layout of the bank, so he was kicking his way through doors, knocking over employees until he found the back exit, which was currently open. "They made it out, YES!" He said with a smile on his face, running through the door with a tackle of his shoulder. Sitting at the exit was the black car that Bear was driving in earlier, and Hawk and Shark were standing their with huge duffel bags over their shoulder. "Good." Hawk said with a smile behind his balaclava. Lazarus smiled, nearly limping to the car when Hawk began to speak again.

"You know what's the best part about new blood, Lazarus…?" He asked, stopping Lazarus as his hand was on the car door. Suddenly, a loud bang and a sharp pain to the back of his leg made him drop to his knees. Hawk then reloaded his pistol, firing a few shots into his legs, and one into his side. "They make the best scapegoats… Later, kid. Maybe next time you'll wise up before you try joining up with professionals like us." He said, Lazarus gasped in pain as the two got into the car, it speeding off into the night as the police pulled up behind the building, Lazarus bleeding from the three shots in his legs and one in his ribs, making it hard to breathe.

"VCPD, hands in the sky!" A female officer shouted, getting out of her car with her pistol pointing at the downed young man. He gasped, raising both his hands to reveal they were both covered in his own blood. She quietly grabbed the radio and spoke into it. "Delta, we're gonna need an EMT, Stat." She spoke, as Lazarus passed out on the cold pavement in the night.