Sunday, October 18th, 2020
The sky above the student union was bright, and mostly free of clouds. However, Jonah wore a thick sweater and jeans as he exited the building. A cold front had blown in the previous night, and most students out and about that Sunday morning had on a few extra layers for the "Florida cold". Citizens of most other states would scoff at the low of that day, a modest 57 degrees Fahrenheit. However, Floridians are the same people who gawk at Canadians happily swimming in the Gulf of Mexico in February, so their bodies gradually get accustomed to the climate hellscape that is the Sunshine State.
The area around the student union was mostly empty today, as most kids were either studying, sleeping or in church. Jonah, on the other hand, had just finished eating at one of the few quick service restaurants that happened to be open that morning. The only thing on his mind was the madness that was unfolding with their group of stand users. While he was eating earlier, Jonah sat in view of the hole in the Union wall he had helped cause. He was surprised that no one had come for him yet, since the fight was on video.
Jonah's train of thought was interrupted by a Sandhill Crane, standing in the grass on the path further in front of him. The tall bird stared at him from across the pavement as he came to a stop, only the wind in the trees making any sound. After a few moments of standoff, the bird opened its beak and produced the famous rattling "Kaaaar-ooooo" sound that its species was known for. Jonah cracked a smile at it, but this faded as the bird charged at him with wings unfurled. His smile was replaced by a confused frown, as for all he knew, Sandhill Cranes usually run away from humans instead of at them. Jonah didn't panic, however. He stood still, hands in his sweater pockets, and checked to make sure no one was walking near him. When the bird finally got to him, he cracked a grin and began to glitch. His adversary would've ran straight into him, but Jonah's body became a collection of flashing ones and zeroes and the Sandhill Crane ran straight through the transparent sophomore, accompanied by the rapid thudding of two video game objects stuck inside each other's collision meshes.
Even though he could only glitch for a second or two at a time, it was still quick enough to fully phase through the bird and rematerialize behind it. The crane turned around to stare at him before squawking in surprise and taking off in a hasty retreat.
Content that he had confused the hell out of his fair-feathered adversary, Jonah once again began to stroll along, whistling an overused John Denver song to himself as he did. He entered an empty covered walkway, which normally was packed full of students on weekdays. All of the shops and restaurants were closed on Sunday, including even the campus' bookstore. This was in an effort for the school to save money on paying student employees and reducing maintenance costs, even though students complained about the policy. However, none of this crossed Jonah's mind as he advanced through the manmade tunnel and its opaque glass ceiling. A man was sitting at a picnic table outside one of the darkened storefronts, and he stood up to get Jonah's attention after hastily closing a metal briefcase. Jonah stopped whistling as he looked the man over. He appeared to be in his 30s, and wore a clean royal blue suit with matching dress pants. His yellow tie held the image of a brown wagon wheel emblazoned upon it. The man spoke up before Jonah could ask why he was staring at him.
"You were whistling Country Roads, right? It was always a favorite of mine. My grandson never really liked that genre, but over the last few months he began taking a liking to John Denver. He said it was because of something about one of his computer games. Is that true for you as well?" The man asked, arms outstretched in question.
Well that's one way to kick off a conversation. Jonah thought to himself from across the walkway. "Who are you?"
The man put up his palms in humility. "Oh, my apologies. Where are my manners?" He pulled something out of his pocket as he spoke. "The name's Hampton. Agent Hampton." He flashed a badge at Jonah and continued in a sincere tone. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I promise you won't get into any trouble." It was at this point where Jonah noticed the big S.W.F. on his badge, and the thoughts of Mr. Sandman's warnings raced through his mind. Jonah froze in uncertainty.
"Why should I trust you? I was told that the Speedwagon Foundation has a bad rep." He questioned.
"I just want to know why a fistfight would escalate enough to break a wall and a floor." Agent Hampton countered coyly.
Shit. Jonah gulped. I need to lose this guy, and fast. Despite being in full view of the agent, he figured that the jig was up anyway, so using his power was necessary. Now, he just needed to find enough material to create something to defend himself. Noticing where he was, a plan quickly formed.
"Sir, I just want you to know that I'm only doing this because he warned me to." Jonah announced, his voice firm as steel.
"What do you mean, 'he'?" The agent asked right as Jonah sprinted towards the wall next to him, phasing through it and into the University's bookstore.
"Damn." Agent Hampton grunted as he ran towards the store's front door, stopping just short of it. Since this building is closed, it likely has alarms on the entrances. I need a new plan. Feeling the area around him, the agent cracked a grin. "It looks like this school's been neglecting its pest control." He mused to himself.
Jonah scoured around the dark interior of the bookstore, searching for anything he could use to get the agent off his tail. He could run to the other side of the store and jump through the opposite wall, but he had no idea how many other rooms were beyond it. His glitching ability could only be used every 60 seconds or so, so Jonah figured he'd use the cooldown time to build tools for his escape. For all he knew, it was possible that the agent who approached him was also a stand user. He soon found himself in the textbook rental section, and a scowl automatically formed on his face as he remembered the staggering prices of the books for rent. Jonah felt no remorse utilizing his stand to fashion a shield out of several thick physics textbooks, and after the improvised leather arm strap was in place he stood up to keep searching. He instead found himself face to face with a rat, staring at him from the top of a textbook shelf a few feet away.
"Do they not clean this place at all?" Jonah complained to himself, while standing on top of the mess of broken books and materials that he had strewn across the floor. The rat stared at him, with unblinking eyes that glowed an unusual blue. He was about to yell at it to scram, but the creature lunged at him suddenly. Jonah barely managed to raise his textbook shield in front of him and the rat slammed into it, falling to the floor. Now, Jonah wasn't deathly afraid of rats, but he'd prefer to not have his limbs gnawed on by a potentially disease-ridden rodent. As such, he began to back up quickly after the rat recovered and chased after him. Tripping over several displays in the dimly lit store, he accidently lunged over the book reservation counter, tumbling into a shelf and breaking his flimsy shield. A box of new staplers spilled out from the shelf he bumped into, showering him with springs and loose staples. He rubbed his head from a point where a stapler hit him, but the debris around him might as well have inspired a lightbulb to pop out of his head instead of a painful bump.
The rat scurried closer and closer, climbing a collapsed rope that used to organize the line that led up to the counter. The small rodent made an impressive jump, its glowing blue eyes locking on to the boy who was rapidly assembling some sort of object. The rat didn't realize this, however. In fact, the rat was thinking nothing at all. However, this did not stop it from lunging at Jonah from the top of the counter.
*THUNK* *THUNK*
The rat not only could not think, but it now also could not move. Its body was now pinned to the back of the counter by two staples. Jonah watched its body squirm and writhe against the wooden panel as he put down his improvised staple spring gun. He took a moment to catch his breath as he studied the now-crucified rodent pinned in front of him.
Why the hell is its eyes glowing? Jonah asked himself. He leaned closer to it, noticing that it was trying to wiggle individual limbs one at a time. That does not look normal. Suddenly, the rat broke free of one of its staple restraints, startling the sophomore.
*THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*
After having the mass of staples pierce its body, the blue glow in its eyes disappeared, followed by the ceasing of its movements altogether. Either way, Jonah was sick of this shit. He got up, still grasping his staple gun, and he ran into the backrooms of the bookstore. Finally locating an exterior wall in an employee bathroom, he charged up his glitching ability and embraced the familiar strings of binary that ensnared his vision everytime he phased through something. As the numbers cleared, Jonah took the moment to look around his new surroundings. He was on the opposite side of the brick building, overlooking a small pond surrounded by trees. There was no sign of the agent from earlier, and Jonah slumped against the wall to gather his thoughts again. He was not afforded this luxury, however, as ripples began to form in the water. A sight all too familiar to Floridians emerged from the dark water in the unmistakable form of an American Alligator. It was headed straight towards Jonah maybe ten yards away. The sophomore sprung to his feet with a groan.
*THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*
To Jonah's horror, the staples bounced off of the alligator's thick skin. As it approached, he was even more surprised to see that its eyes also had a subtle blue glow. It was less noticeable due to more light outside, but the overcast day ensured that it was still there. Tossing the useless staple spitter aside, Jonah booked it with the alligator in a surprisingly close pursuit.
I bet my ass that this Hampton guy is controlling these animals somehow. Of course he had to be a stand user. Jonah complained mid-sprint. Looking back, he could see that the gator was gaining on him. Jonah was already tired from the prior chase and his less than perfect physical figure. However, he had one more trick up his sleeve. That guy probably guessed that my phasing ability has to recharge. Too bad I won't need it. Jonah planted his foot and turned around rapidly, charging head-on at the gator. Its glowing eyes widened for a second before focusing on him once again. All sound seemed to tune out around Jonah as he neared the creature's jaws.
…
Agent Hampton's empty briefcase lay on the ground next to the table he was sitting at. In his hands was a controller that was comparable to one that piloted an RC plane. There was a screen in the middle of it, which was currently displaying the boy his gator was chasing. Hampton pushed the joystick as far as he could forward.
Come on, kid. Give up. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to, but orders are orders. He pleaded to himself, sweat beading near his suit collar. Maybe interrogating him right off the bat was a bad move. I probably scared the boy, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Why is he still running? Much to Hampton's dismay, the boy in his view turned around on a dime and charged straight at the gator he controlled.
"You have no toys left, kid. Your phasing ability can't help you here." the agent spoke aloud, his voice echoing across the empty breezeway. "Let me guess, you're going to jump over me, right? It's a good thing we brought a healer with us, you'll need it with these teeth." The agent grinned, opening the jaws of the gator with his controls. Just as expected, Jonah lunged into the air. Paces before Hampton expected him to. He watched in awe as Jonah jumped not over the gator, but right at him, landing his left foot square atop the animal's snout. He then pushed off, snapping the gator's mouth shut as he springboarded over the reptile with a second jump.
"Damnit!" The agent grunted as Jonah sprinted off in the opposite direction. By the time the gator turned around, Jonah was already nearly out of sight. The gator was now moving way slower than he thought it would. In his haste, Hampton forgot that alligators move way slower in colder temperatures, and after that initial sprint, the reptile was exhausted in the chilly October air.
Needless to say, the Speedwagon employee was more than annoyed at this point. He nearly slammed the controller on the table before he noticed a familiar animal near the edge of his controller's target range. Selecting the nimble creature, The agent got up to chase after the retreating student, leaving his briefcase behind.
…
Jonah was uncertain that he was in the clear, even at this point. He slowed down to a more manageable pace to conserve his remaining energy, and retraced his steps to the bike rack near the student union. As he approached his bicycle, something caught his eye on the edge of his vision. It was the sandhill crane from earlier, about thirty yards off. He froze in fear, and the bird glanced at him. However, he couldn't see any glow in its eyes. Sighing in relief, Jonah began to unlock his bike from the rack it was attached to. The lock was a bit sticky, so it was taking a few tries. Looking back up, the crane was now charging straight at him, its eyes now unmistakably blue.
"Are you kidding me?" Jonah yelled as he yanked at the lock, eventually undoing it. He pulled out the bike and hopped onto it as fast as he could, the crane in hot pursuit. As he pulled away, Jonah could even see Hampton in the distance, holding some device and running after him.
Maybe I can outpace this damn bird. Jonah pedaled as fast as he could, but the sandhill crane launched into the air and immediately gained ground on the bicycle. Guess I spoke too soon. Wait a minute, that agent dude had a device in his hands. I bet that's how he controls these animals! Jonah's thought process was then interrupted by the rattling sound of a half-empty water bottle jostling about in the bike's cup holder as he pedaled, and a new thought came to his mind. "Time for round three!" Jonah yelled as he spun the bike around to face his pursuers.
Jonah couldn't quite make out the expression of the agent as he continued to pedal. However, Hampton had planned for his move, and he flicked his joystick as the Sandhill Crane closed in. The student attempted to dodge the bird, but its long beak grazed his left arm. Jonah nearly lost control when he gazed down and saw blood staining his ripped sleeve. He barely managed to regain control of the bike, stabilizing himself as he pedaled harder. He looked over his right shoulder to see that the bird was swooping back around to aim at his other side. This time, he waited until the last moment to dodge. Hampton also predicted this, and swung the bird towards the path he intended to take.
A sharp pain shot through Jonah's left arm as his injured arm attempted to turn the bike's handlebar quickly. Instead of swerving right like he planned, Jonah instead nearly fell to the left. The enslaved crane missed again, and the video feed on the agent's controller cut to static when the bird slammed into a light pole with a cartoonish "DONG!" rattling sound.
…
"Are you kidding me?" Agent Hampton swore as he stared at the static. Glancing back up in front of him, he gulped as Jonah had now pedaled to within 50 meters of him, closing fast. The agent quickly glanced around for some other animal to control to stop the boy who was now on the offensive. He hopped behind a nearby railing as he searched, to protect himself from being hit by the bicycle. To Hampton's luck, he found an Anhinga resting near the bank of a pond next to him. At least I can get another bird to peck at his eyes. The agent thought as he selected the bird on his remote controller. The console glowed blue as the bird's eyes flashed into the same familiar color.
Turning to face his adversary again, the agent called out to the approaching cyclist. "If you surrender now and talk, I promise I'll get you healed. You can't dismount over this railing before I attack you again." To emphasize his threat, the stern-faced agent made the Anhinga fly and land on his shoulder.
Jonah had no intention of following his demands. "You aren't taking me in, Speed-goon!" He yelled in response. He then picked up the water bottle from the bike's cup holder with his good arm. Thankfully for Jonah, he'd gotten better at controlling the vehicle with only one hand for fun during joyrides over the past year. Even so, he could just barely manage the task with his left shoulder bleeding. Despite the slight wobbling of the handlebar, the student prepared his throw.
"Leave us alone!" Jonah shouted as he lobbed the bottle with all his might. He didn't have time to check if his throw landed, as all of his attention immediately returned to preventing wiping out his vehicle.
Hampton watched in awe as the plastic bottle headed straight towards him from over ten yards away. Despite attempting to avoid the throw, the bottle cracked open right on impact with his controller. The shocked Speedwagon agent yelped as he dropped the now malfunctioning console, and electricity began arcing across its glitching screen. A few seconds later, the controller gave out with a mechanical hiss. The Anhinga on his shoulder started to spasm as its eyes changed from glowing blue into a bright red. The agent's eyes also flashed, instead flashing back to the last time that he had accidentally broken his stand's controller while on duty. Knowing the impending rampage that was about to consume the bird, Hampton had only one line to shout in response before the frenzy began.
"NOT AGAAAAIIN!" was all Jonah could hear before the rustling of feathers and bird squawks caused the agent to scream in terror behind him. Knowing his pursuer was out of the fight, Jonah couldn't help but crack a grin as he peeled away from the fight scene. His next thoughts then changed to the all-important matters of fixing his injured shoulder and telling his friends about the battle he had just survived. No rest for the wicked… He mused to himself as he pedaled, ignoring the pain in his arm.